Oh goody, another instalment of DI Redpath and his troubled life of secondment to the Coroner's Office. He witnesses a death on the M60 around Manchester where the victim was running from an armed gunman. Trying to convince the police of this fact proves more problematic especially as there is an upsurge in drug-related gang warfare on the streets of Manchester. Red herrings, two feisty senior ladies, some worn-down policemen and Ridpath's own personal health and family problems all add to the fast moving story. Compelling reading and you don't need to have read "Where the truth lies" to follow this one. Hope that there will be a third. Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Brilliant addition to this series, the pace is fast and yo7 will need your wits about you to keep the who’s who right in your head. The chars are all developing nicely and I’ve become quite fond of Ridpath and his chaotic life.

Manchester policing at its best . This is a must read if you enjoy this genre

This is the second book in this series, and in my opinion, better than the first book.
DI Ridpath is still at the coroner’s office but his heart is still with the MIT.
Ridpath is driving to meet his daughter, but is caught up in a motorway accident, in which a near-naked man is rundown by a lorry.
Ridpath sees a man at the side of the road pointing a gun at the man but he’s not caught on CCTV, so no-one believes him.
Ridpath starts investigating and works with Charlie to try and get to the bottom of what happened.
Another body is soon found and there are some similarities found at the post mortem.
This is a fast paced book which had me hooked throughout.
Thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to Net Galley and Canelo. I was very happy to receive an ARC for D I Ridpath's next 'adventure'. He is still working for the Mrs Challinor at the Coroner's Office after being seconded from the MIT due to failing health, but still wanting to be part of a testing investigation into the war between rival gangs. This second story moves very fast, with never a dull moment. Ridpath is very likable and his connection to the Coroner's Office makes him different from the rest. Like 'Where The Truth Lies', 'Where the Dead Fall is compelling and unputdownable and I would recommend it highly, another great read from M J Lee. I sincerely hope there will be a third.

What a cracking read, it’s no secret that I love a good psychological thriller, I have read lots and this is up there with the best. A fast paced,gripping, and hard to put down 2nd instalment in the DI Ridpath series kept me interested until the end. A great plot and interesting back story for the main characters. I don’t like to give a lot a way about the story, my advice is give it a read, and I don’t think it’s necessary to have read the first DI Ridpath book either.

5 stars

Driving along the M60, on the way to see his daughter and estranged wife, D I Ridpath finds himself caught up in a bizarre road accident when a near-naked man steps in front of his car before being killed by an articulated lorry. Noticing a man carrying a gun, standing at the side of the motorway, Ridpath is perplexed when nobody else seems to have seen him and CCTV doesn’t appear to have picked him up either. With his health a constant issue and the gangs of Manchester seemingly showing unrest, this looks like being a very testing case for the coroner’s officer.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series (Where the Truth Lies) and I couldn’t wait to see if I would be equally impressed with its follow-up. I am pleased to say that Where the Dead Fall is just as good, if not better! Ridpath is a great character and I like how his work for the coroner’s office gives a different slant on the standard police procedural. Despite my liking for him, though, with regards to his health condition, he is infuriating! With a serious illness hanging over him, and a marriage which is hanging by a thread, on several occasions I found myself imploring him to get to the hospital before something serious happened!

Set in Manchester, a city which is virtually unrecognisable from when it was known as ‘Gunchester’ in the 1990s, the author has shown how easy it is for a place to go back to its old ways. By pitting various gangs against each other, he has created a ticking time bomb that the police are desperate to extinguish before there is any more loss of life. Of course, there is more to this case than meets the eye, and Ridpath does a great job in fathoming out what is really happening.

Where the Dead Fall has a clever plot and was one of those books that I did not want to put down. This has the potential to be one of my favourite series and I’m already looking forward to the third instalment.

With thanks to Canelo and Net Galley for my ARC.

First encounter with DI Ridpath, who appears to have troubled times in the recent past and a sideways step to the Coroners office to aid his recovery doesn’t stop him from using his investigative skills. A good story but the end leaves the reader wondering given the choice he has to make, will this be the last of DI Ridpath?

An interesting crime novel.
Main protagonist DI Redpath has moved to the coroner’s office and is recovering from cancer.
Quite a few twists and turns in the story, including his relationship with his wife who has left him..
A story about gangs and how someone is killing their members. Trying to make them have a gang war.
Fast paced and exciting storyline.
I would recommend this book and hope there is a follow up

I really like Ridpath and his dedication to his work. He reminds me of someone I knew years ago and who I would have wanted investigating if I had been a victim of crime. At the same time it has to be said he would be a bit of a nightmare to be married to. In this second book of the series he is juggling somewhat unsuccessfully with the demands of his home life, his health and his work. In terms of his work, I like that he is seconded to the coroner’s office and you get a slightly different viewpoint of the enquiry than the more usual police investigation. I hope there’s more to come from DI Ridpath.

The second book featuring DI Ridpath and even more enjoyable than the first.

DI Ridpath is actually on secondment to the Coroner's Office, from the Major Incident Team in Manchester. He is actually recovering from cancer, and to be honest it's good to see someone actually recovering from a serious illness whilst working at the same time, very refreshing.

Ridpath is on his way to see his daughter (recently separated from his wife after she nursed him through his illness) when, during a traffic jam a man only wearing a pair of boxer shorts runs into the road, leans on Ridpath's car, glances back to the bank and then carries on running to be hit by a lorry. Ridpath turns round to see what the man was looking at.....

There is also an inquest to be sorted for a man who appears to have committed suicide, or is all as it seems to be??

Really well written book, enjoyable to read, good characters. Can't wait to read the next one.

Highly recommended

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Having read many, many books - lots of which have been police crime stories - I know that some stories grip me after 10%, some take 25% or even 50% of the book before I get the feeling 'I cant wait to read and read and find out how, why etc.
This book is different - I was 90% through and then it really got through to me. The last chapters, in my opinion, are superbly written and full of emotion and tension. On the other hand I found the bulk of the book to be lacking something that made me want to just sit and read. It appears that DI Ridpath is the only policeman in Greater Manchester who can adopt lateral thinking and did and dig. All others just seem to want a prima facia case or where you cannot take an alternative view without knowing all the facts,
Before reading this second in the series I did get the first book which to be fair I probably enjoyed more although the same DI Redpath V All GMP did prevail.
Still a good book and I will probably read the third book subject to his career v family dilemma

DI Ridpath Book 2

Manchester has been at peace for twenty years and DI Ridpath is in the process of getting his life back together when everything goes wrong. Driving to meet his daughter, he is caught in a horrific motorway accident, in which a near naked man is run down by a lorry, while fleeing from a lone gunman. Why did no one else witness the gunman?

This is another gripping read from the author M J Lee. I like the main character Thomas Ridpath for several reasons: he's loyal, even though he is fighting his own demons, he's someone I would want fighting in my corner if I was ever to get into trouble. There is a lot going on in the story and I just had to keep turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. I don't want to say much more as I don't want to spoil the story for you. Do yourself a favour and get yourself a copy of this terrific read. I do advise that you read the first book in this series if you haven't already, though it can be read as a standalone.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Canelo and the author M J Lee for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting read, I really enjoyed this story, despite not having read the first in the series. I will now have to rectify that. However this works well as an individual story, as the author has provided enough of Ridpath’s back story to fill in the gaps. The story gets off to a galloping start with the motorway incident, and it was intriguing how the crimes and criminals connected with each other, and were eventually correctly solved, like peeling an onion, layer by layer.
I found the connection between MIT and the Coroner’s office to be fascinating, not having realised quite how much the two departments could be mutually involved.
The characterisation is excellent, Ridpath struggles with so much in his life, personal, work and poor health, it’s surprising that he continues to function at all.
I felt Ridpath’s pain and dread on his regular visit to his oncologist, it was so well described. His feelings of sympathy for his fellow sufferers illustrates his humanity.
He manages somehow to find sufficient energy to continue in his determination to solve the case, but at a personal cost.
I will look for more work by this author, and I recommend this book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advance copy.

Interesting read. I found the pace not as fast as the first book but it was an exciting read and I am looking forward to seeing how this character develops. Definitely recommend #NetGalley#WhereTheDeadFall

DI Ridpath never fails to capture me into the stories! Another excellent offering from M J Lee with the life of a police officer trying to solve a crime but the personal element as well.

Driving down a very busy motorway to meet his wife and daughter, DI Thomas Ridpath is stunned when a near naked man runs into his lane. He sees a man with a gun on the bank.

A cracking start to a very good detective story. I quickly felt that I was in safe hands with the writer, and the story whizzed along. I very much enjoyed it.

Though second in a series it worked as a standalone novel.

This is the first Ridpath book I've read. Would recommend reading the first installment before this, although it works well as a standalone novel anyway. Well written, likeable yet flawed characters made things feel more realistic. Plenty of descriptive detailing and careful research has been done into MIT too. A great read. Will have to download the first book now!

A mixed review from me for this book, which is a thriller based in Manchester. DI Ridpath, the main character, has a lot on his plate - family problems, issues at work, a temporary transfer to be a Coroner’s Officer and ongoing treatment for cancer. The opening is really strong - he’s involved in a motorway accident and his account doesn’t match that of other witnesses. Sadly the writing just didn’t grab me and I found the dialogue a bit flat at times. It’s pacy, and the plot is decent, but this one was not for me.

I found this book intriguing form the start, and it stayed intriguing and interesting throughout. The characters were likable enough and I enjoyed this book, I wasn't blown away but a solid read with a good story line and good writing.

Another brilliant novel by MJ Lee about the Manchester criminal fraternity and DI Ridpath. The novel starts with DI Ridpath returning from his Coroners training course on his way home to take his estranged wife and daughter to the pictures when a young man runs into the motorway being chased by a man with a gun. Although Ridpath is able to stop in time the young man then runs across the remaining lanes on the motorway only to be run down by a truck, Ridpath calls it in and brings the motorway to a halt bringing the whole of Greater Manchester to a standstill. Ridpath is not believed until the identity of the victim is known as one of Michael Connelly's sons and the police fear a backlash and all out gang warfare until the crime is solved.