I think that the students in our school library need to hear lots of diverse voices and read stories and lives of many different kinds of people and experiences. When I inherited the library it was an incredibly sanitised space with only 'school readers' and project books on 'the railways' etc. Buying in books that will appeal to the whole range of our readers with diverse voices, eclectic and fascinating subject matter, and topics that will intrigue and fascinate them was incredibly important to me.
This is a book that I think our senior readers will enjoy very much indeed - not just because it's well written with an arresting voice that will really keep them reading and about a fascinating topic - but it's also a book that doesn't feel worthy or improving, it doesn't scream 'school library and treats them like young reading adults who have the right to explore a range of modern diverse reads that will grip and intrigue them and ensure that reading isn't something that they are just forced to do for their English project - this was a solid ten out of ten for me and I'm hoping that our students are as gripped and caught up in it as I was. It was one that I stayed up far too late reading and one that I'll be recommending to the staff as well as our senior students - thank you so much for the chance to read and review; I really loved it and can't wait to discuss it with some of our seniors once they've read it too!

All of our customers love William Shaw, and Deadland has sold brilliantly with all ages. It's actually the book we've chosen at our bookshop to be our read of the year, to bring everyone together in a conversation. And they all love it and move on to the rest of the series. William Shaw himself is intelligent and listening and cares about independent bookshops. I would hugely recommend that any bookshop embrace his books and make them a core feature of their stock.

When an arm is discovered in an art exhibit at a gallery DS Cupidi and her team are baffled. Two of them have their own private issues to deal with, Cupidi's daughter is becoming more radical and her Dungeness neighbour, Bill, is due out of prison. Meanwhile two youths steal a mobile phone and suddenly they are caught up in deadly chase. Only an arrogant young artist is making connections between the former model and her billionaire husband, two council estate boys from Dartford and a missing art dealer.
Shaw has written another excellent novel about the East Kent police team. The plot is tight and baffling with twists and turns aplenty and the setting brilliantly realised. The juxtaposition between the haves and have-nots is played perfectly and not over emphasised. The superficiality of the art world exposed alongside the cult of celebrity. Finally the strand about 'me-too' and the nature of modern policing is handled well. The only jar in the whole thing is the resolution of the plot involving sexual assault - a little too convenient. However that doesn't spoil the whole.

An intriguing story with good pace, two stories intertwined with a believable twist
Looking forward to reading more from this author and hopefully more with same main character

Hi Karen,

My Next review is:-

“Deadland(DS Alexandra Cupidi Book 2)””, written by William Shaw and published in Hardback by riverrun on 2 May 2019. 480 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1786486608

This is a really superbly interesting, yet atmospheric and deftly plotted police procedural set in Margate Kent
YOU CAN RUN
The two boys never fitted in. They were Seventeen years old, the worst age, nothing to do but smoke weed; at least they have each other. The day they speed off on a stolen moped with a stolen mobile phone, they're ready to celebrate their luck at last. Until their victim comes looking for what's his - and is ready to kill for it.
YOU CAN HIDE
On the other side of Kent's wealth divide, DS Alexandra Cupidi faces the strangest murder investigation of her career. A severed limb, hidden inside a modern sculpture in Margate's Turner Contemporary. No one takes it seriously - not even the artwork's owners, celebrity dealers who act like they're above the law.
YOU CAN DIE
But as Cupidi's case becomes ever more sinister, as she wrangles with police politics and personal dilemmas, she can't help worrying about those runaway boys. Seventeen, is the same age as her own headstrong daughter. Alone, on the marshes, they're pawns in someone else's game. Two worlds are about to collide.
Kent and its social divisions are brilliantly captured in Deadland, a crime thriller that's as ingeniously plotted as it is moving and powerful.

I thought that this book was really absorbing as the author really knows how the write a gripping story-line, with well defined characters and a gripping plot. I look forward to reading more of his future books. I enjoyed this one very much as I have read his previous six titles I’m already a fan, but if you have not you have a big treat in front of you. Very strongly recommended.
Best wishes,

Terry
(To be published on eurocrime.co.uk and amazon.co.uk)

The latest addition to William Shaw’s superlative DS Alexandra Cupidi series following The Birdwatcher and Salt Lane, Deadland returns us to the haunting coastal area of Dungeness, and two compelling investigations for Cupidi and her colleagues…

It’s no secret that I think William Shaw is one of the most accomplished, and consistently good crime authors at work in Britain today, and I always embark on his new books with a slight nervous tingle, hoping that each will be as satisfying as the previous. Which brings us to Deadland which was everything I hoped it would be (massive sigh of relief). What I love with this series (and his previous trilogy featuring DS Cathal Breen and PC Helen Tozer) is the way that Shaw, in common with his coastal location, ebbs and flows with his characters, moving them around like chess pieces bringing them back and forwards to the centre of the storyline with Capaldi being at the rooted centre. Consequently, this book reintroduces us to disgraced ex-police officer William South from The Birdwatcher, and where Salt Lane was very much involved with the generational differences of Capaldi, her mother and her daughter, this book switches the focus more onto Capaldi’s colleagues, alongside the central investigations.

I think it’s worth drawing attention to this, to emphasize the sheer quality of Shaw’s characterisation, and how roundly and believably drawn his characters are. Capaldi is a professional working mother with a recalcitrant teenage daughter, South is a man obviously tarnished by his prison experience, constable Jill Ferriter experiencing professional and personal difficulties, a diversion into the weird and wonderful inhabitants of the ‘art’ world and, at the heart of the book two wayward teenage boys, Tap and Sloth, with their own trials and tribulations. Without a doubt, each and every one of these characters are brimming with realism, so that you feel totally part of their contrasting experiences and world views. The narrative voice of each is precise, and authentic, and this is particularly true of Tap and Sloth, and the changes we see in their brash teenage bravado as the book progresses. With subtle changes in rhythm and syntax, Shaw brings all these voices to life, and with it an even greater connection to them for the reader.

Another element of this book that I enjoyed was the striking juxtaposition of the two investigations that Capaldi and her colleagues are tasked with. Throughout his books Shaw has always tackled difficult social issues be they of the 1960s or now, and the fact that this book straddled two very economically and materially different worlds was an interesting facet of the book. From the dripping wealth and pretentiousness of the art world, to the very different world inhabited by the teenage protagonists, Shaw retains the tension of both, and how crime bridges all social strata and class. It’s also interesting to observe the changes of attitude in the police characters between both investigations, and where their sympathies lie, and how their own attitudes reveal themselves. Indeed, the fears and frustrations at play in this book, in both their professional and personal lives too, are as finely balanced with the arc of the plot, holding the whole book in balance, as Shaw assuredly takes us between these contrasting worlds and characters. Sometimes with two storylines playing out there is a tension in the reader to return to one more swiftly than the other, but I think this was neatly avoided with both strands of the story having their own particular pace and moments of peril. I must confess that my former blissful ignorance of the art world kept me wholly engaged as the book progressed, and admittedly none of my preconceptions about the inhabitants of this world were largely disproved. Which was nice.

So a glowing review for Deadland and another heartfelt plea to discover this author for yourselves. With pitch perfect characterisation, immersive storylines, a striking use of location, and accomplished writing and plotting, there is so much to enjoy in this series. Highly recommended.

It is good to see that the author is honing his writing skills in this new series set against the backdrop of Dungeness headland. Deadland, is partly focused on this surreal promontory of shingle, as the lead detective, DS Alexander Cupidi lives there with her daughter Zoë.
Now 17years old, Zoë is much more challenging, but Alex hopes that William South freshly released from prison can rekindle his mentoring relationship with Zoë over their shared interest of birdwatching.
All domestic considerations are shelved when a strange case is assigned to her when an arm is found within an exhibit in Margate.
This takes the action out and around the county of Kent. Initially Alex has to fight to keep her team as more pressing investigations arise.
The first part of the book is full of suspense as Shaw alternates between Alex’s investigation and a hapless pair of teenage criminals who, bang on trend, try to steal mobile phones while riding past on a stolen moped.
They think their luck is in when then get away with a state of the art phone and the owner is prepared to pay over the odds to get it back.
Meanwhile Alex is involved in the complicated and secretive world of art foundations and patronage.
The boys, known as Tap and Sloth quickly realise that the owner of the phone is more desperate than they could ever imagine to recover his property. To the point that their lives are in danger and they are not safe in their usual haunts and neighbourhood.
The stories cross over in alternating chapters with the police procedural having deeper links to a more serious crime while the lads are left on the run, vulnerable and without friends.
Shaw’s writing achieves both the steady building of plot as well as the terror associated with an old fashioned chase as the young men desperately try to avoid the phone man who they suspect has already killed someone close to them.
This is breathless stuff and the characterisation of these two youths, incompetent thieves but perhaps just streetwise enough to survive, is very realistic.
This is powerful writing and covers not just criminality but friendship, loyalty and personal discovery. Their relationship is stretched under the fear of being caught and the bond appears strong.
Meanwhile the police are having difficulties within their own ranks and when Alex takes Jill under her wing she finds out more as her senior officer than she wants to know. A conflict of interest arises that threatens to derail the wider investigation.
All absorbing stuff that ratchets up the tension and then Alex is further undermined by her daughters solitude, secretiveness and political activism.
With so much going on Part 2 arrives and Shaw now dwells on the police work while leaving Tap and Sloth in deadly jeopardy.
Breathless and increasingly violent. Alex finds out personal truths and when imaging perhaps two other guys of her daughters age, reported as missing and seen fleeing from a crime scene she becomes muddled in her own direction and thinking.
It all becomes a riveting high tension investigation as more victims are revealed, and like an artistic collage the cases seemingly converge but Alex just can’t see the bigger picture.
As in the previous book, Shaw has a heart stopping climax to this novel where those Alex cares for are placed at risk and she must push herself beyond her own safe place. Never confident that others can resolve what she feels instinctively drawn to sort out.
Inspiration comes from the location of this unique headline and Dungeness is again the star of this piece of literature. Long may that continue and hopefully readers will visit this place not in the hope to catch naked yoga but share in its serenity and delight in a bit of birding.
William Shaw is growing in stature, in his ability to write and identify issues in society. His works goes from strength to strength and Deadland cements his place as a must read author.

William Shaw is an author I’ve been interested in for a while, while not quite getting around to picking up and reading so when this galley came up I thought time to have a look.

What I found was an author clearly at the forefront of British Crime writing.

Two teenage boys, unemployed and skint, mug a random guy stepping off a train for his iPhone and bag. This turns out to be a huge mistake as the guy will stop at nothing to get his phones back, they are now being hunted. In fear of their lives they go on the run, with no money, or food what develops is a tale of attrition and survival for the boys. Whilst you are maybe supposed to feel sorry for the lads, they set off a certain chain of events that kind of stopped me doing that, nevertheless a very interesting premise and I did enjoy their double act.

Detective Alex Cupidi , the main protagonist, is looking into a strange crime at an art gallery, an arm has been found in an exhibit, was it meant to be found or was it hidden. And why?

There is a back story involving a William south, an ex police officer just released from Prison and Cupidi’s reclusive 17 year old daughter Zoe.

This book explores the class divide in this country, the struggling boys resorting to petty crime to make ends meet and then the social class involved in the art world. The rich and famous.

The Locations in Kent and Dungeness in particular are desecribed fantastical well, Dungeness in the dark at times feels rather haunting.

Great characterisations, Cupidi, though a massive stickler for the rules, is hard not to like, she has a sense of humour and feels real, she’s not a generic crime catcher , Jill Ferriter , a young but troubled Constable who Cupidi seems to protect like her own daughter is easy to like and become attached to, the eccentric wannabe artist Ross Clough is both entertaining and excellent.

Murder, kids on the run, the eccentrically rich and the dark and murky world of art dealing, blackmail and theft of millions make for a superb fast paced cracker.

The Plotting is great and the stories merge seamlessly . This is excellent crime writing of the highest class.

This is a proper crime thriller that I genuinely enjoyed this, the fact I have the authors other books to read which I bought before picking this up courtesy of net galley is a massive bonus.

🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

Deadland is an alarmingly great read. William Shaw may just be the best-kept secret in crime fiction. The second (or third if you count The Birdwatcher) in the DS Alex Cupidi series, this instalment is the most compulsive yet. My favourite feature has to be the evocative sense of place - the Kent coast is beautiful and Mr Shaw depicts it in all its glory here. It certainly adds to the immersive atmosphere of the story. But there are so many aspects that make this an intelligent, profound page-turner of a police procedural that it's difficult to emphasise exactly how all of the different facets work together to create a riveting narrative.

It's well written, impeccably paced with a cast of characters that deepen effortlessly over the course of the novel. The plot is so well thought through that the ample twists, turns and red herrings ensure all predictions as to where it's heading are proved to be way off the mark, and the depiction of central characters Tap and Sloth's impoverished way of life is vivid and emotive.

This is a tour de force and a masterclass in crafting an entertaining thriller; time and time again Shaw proves his masterful storytelling ability. In my opinion, this is a must-read for all crime enthusiasts as it's a refreshingly complex, challenging and original tale. I simply cannot wait to read the next instalment. Many thanks to riverrun for an ARC.

Firstly thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is actually the third book in a series that is going from strength to strength. The characters are becoming more rounded and are showing flaws as we all do. I do not agree with giving anything away about the book as the official blurb does that but I will give an honest opinion as to whether this book or indeed series is worth buying and reading. I can honestly say it is, this book was actually on my Amazon wishlist based on how good the first 2 were, before I was successful in obtaining an advance copy. I was not disappointed, the storylines were complicated enough to make you question if you had it right and the merging of the crimes together was done exceptionally well. I hope a fourth is on its way. In conclusion if you want a fantastic gritty crime story buy, sit back and enjoy.

This is the first William Shaw that I have read and I understand that it is the second book that features DS Alexandra Cupidi (although she was also a character in another earlier book.)

I love good police procedurals and this is a good book and a welcome addition to the genre given that the author certainly knows his stuff and can write exceedingly well.

I was drawn in from the start of the book and I don't think I missed too much from not having read the earlier book(s) in the series.

Maybe it was me and my waning levels of concentration, but there was in my opinion rather too much going on with two main plots and several sub-plots and a lot of minor peripheral characters going and going.

A bit too much pack into one book - but enjoyable all the same and I will be reading the earlier books too.

Interesting characters help this story to a thrilling conclusion with many turns along the way. Two boys up to no good steal an item off the wrong person and end up on the run, meanwhile a severed limb is found in a public place and the police enquiry starts. Slowly the two weave together along the way.

It’s just a simple thing, a petty crime, and they have done it before. But the two teenagers Tap and Sloth do not have the least idea what chain of events they trigger when robbing a bag from a random commuter. They find two mobiles in it, one a very expensive iPhone, the other an old-fashioned throw-away phone. Of course they cannot really sell the iPhone but maybe Tap’s mother’s ex Mickey can do that. The next day, Mickey is found brutally murdered. But that is not the only case DS Alexandra Cupidi’s team has to deal with: in the local museum an arm has been found in a sculpture after visitors had increasingly complained about the smell. Whom does this arm belong to? And who would commit such a crime?

I have devoured William Shaw’s series on Breen and Tozer in the 1960s London and was waiting curiously for something new by the author. “Deadland”, actually the second instalment of this series, again is a murder investigation, but hardly comparable to the other series which quite logically comes with the setting in modern days Kent. Yet, as expected, there is a cleverly constructed plot which connects seemingly loose strands and keeps suspense high throughout the novel.

Apart from the murder investigation, which could hardly be surpassed, I most of all liked the characters in the novel. They are all quite unique and individual. First of all, Alex Cupidi who is a clever detective but also single mother to a rebellious teenage girl. I really appreciated how she copes with her daughter’s troubles and even though she doesn’t approve of all of her decisions, tries to keep connected to Zoe and show understanding. Also the two good-for-nothing boys turn out to be good kinds in their own ways and know good from bad.

Even though it is just a side-line in the plot, I found Constable Jill Ferriter’s struggles after having shared the bed with a colleague after too much drinking and regretting it later was quite interesting. She did something stupid she regretted afterwards, but there is no easy way out of the situation, first of all, she still has to work with that colleague and second, what would happen if she reported this assault? Not only since she is police and does not want to be a victim, but also because this could seriously undermine her position in a mostly male job.

All in all, a brilliant read that leaves nothing to wish for.

I was delighted to receive an ARC of Deadland. It certainly did not disappoint. William Shaw is one of the best crime writers of the moment. This is a great follow up to Salt Lane, but can be read as a stand-alone, with excellent character development, a gripping plot and a very well written, modern tale. The book is told from two points of view, the investigation by Alex and the two teenagers who steal a mobile phone with devastating consequences. This is a well plotted book with a fabulous setting of Dungeness. I loved it and highly recommend. I don't often give 5* but this book deserves it. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. reviews on Goodreads and Facebook.

Two young teenagers, Tap and Sloth decide to take the road to petty crime so they can forge a place for themselves in a rather bleak and uninspiring environment. Unfortunately they have more ambition than talent and they steal a holdall containing a rather expensive iPhone and a cheap Alcatel phone. But the owner is very serious about retrieving his possessions and the threats become very quickly life-threatening and deadly. Meanwhile D'S Alexandra Cupidi and Constable Jill Ferriter are asked to look into a rather morbid incident. A severed arm is found in a modern art installation in the Turner Museum in Margate. It is their introduction to the hazy world of art collectors,foundations and financial Maecenases. Although at first sight both cases seem to have nothing in common, very slowly a connection is made between the two boys of a council estate and the glittering world of art with a capital A.
It is a good story,it is well written,the coastal location in Kent next to a nuclear power plant is very well chosen and it definitely keeps your attention until the end.
The why only three stars? Well,and I know this is personal,but I just couldn't connect with Cupidi and Ferriter. Sometimes they felt a bit contrived,then a bit bland and then over the top. I did not understand their reactions or attitudes on certain occasions and I therefore found it very hard to like (or dislike) them,to be moved by them or to be very interested in them...
Ah,well it happens!

Deadland is another excellently written police procedural from William Shaw that draws you into the stories and then leaves you twisted and turned inside out.

The main characters, especially D S Cupidi and her daughter, are well formed but still have room for development and the new ones are also easily identifiable.

The story moves along at a good pace and whilst it is either the second or third book in the series, depending upon your point of view, it can easily be read as a standalone.

Another book that I can thoroughly recommend

This series from William Shaw just goes from strength to strength, it is my favourite series from this author, and although it claims to be the 2nd in the series, in reality it is the 3rd, beginning with the excellent The Birdwatcher, featuring William South. To my delight, Bill South returns after serving two years in prison, convicted for murder thanks to DS Alex Cupidi with her need to stick to a rigid adherence to the law, something her 17 year old daughter, Zoe, does not agree with. Personally, I agree with Zoe, Bill should never have gone to prison, he is fundamentally a kind, decent and compassionate man who triggered Zoe's interest in birdwatching. One of the highlights of the series is the atmospheric setting, the Kent coastal location, which is evoked by Shaw so marvellously.

Two young and endearing 17 year old lads, one black, Sloth, the other white, Tap, have forged a strong friendship amidst their background of family problems, being bullied and failed by their school, and being part of the social underclass. They have just begun to embark on the road of petty crime, although they really are not very good at it. However, they manage to successfully grab a man's holdall with 2 mobile phones, an act they are going to live to regret as they become targets of a killer prepared to do anything to get his phones back, which brings danger to their nearest and dearest as well as themselves as they go on the run. Alex, along with Constable Jill Ferrier, is in charge of a curious case that brings her into the exclusive art world, with its wealthy and privileged movers and shakers, and celebrities. A human arm has been stuffed inside an art exhibit at a Margate art gallery, and while Alex treats this seriously, the rest of her police colleagues are more dismissive. The art world is notorious for the bizarre, the strange and stunts, all geared towards increasing the monetary value of a particular piece of art and raise the profile of the artist. In a tragic story of murder and bloodshed, Alex eventually begins to see the connections, but will she be able to save the vulnerable boys and hone in on the truth in time?

William Shaw's plotting is impeccable in this compulsive and riveting addition to the series. What really makes this series unmissable for me is the location, his wonderful characterisation and the depiction of social class, for example, the contrast between the challenging lives of Tap and Sloth, and Alex's daughter, Zoe, and the power of the art world's rich. There is Alex's close relationship and support of her colleague, Jill, endeavouring to face serious personal issues and dilemmas and so much more. There is plenty to like and admire in this crime novel, it is a series that I am sure so many crime fiction and thriller fans will enjoy. I am eagerly anticipating the next in the series, just hoping it comes out soon! Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance coo of Deadland, the second novel to feature DS Alexandra Cupidi of Kent Police.

Alex is called out to the strangest case of her career. A severed arm has been found in an art exhibit at the Turner Contemporary in Margate. She is finding it difficult to get resources to investigate as no one is taking it seriously and wants the resources for a suspected gangland murder. In the meantime, unknown to the police Tap and Sloth, two seventeen year olds have stolen a mobile phone and are on the run from the violent owner who wants it back.

I thoroughly enjoyed Deadland which is a very readable police procedural with some unexpected developments and a bit of everything. The novel is told from two points of view, Alex and the investigation and Tap and Sloth’s adventures on the run. Surprisingly I didn’t find the two pronged approach distracting as I often do, instead I found both plot lines absorbing and credible. This can only be due to the strength of the writing and the power of the storytelling.

The boys’ tale is a story of disadvantaged youth and poverty as they get themselves into a situation they can’t easily escape but they are appealing characters, strangely resourceful and naïve. I really enjoyed their escapades.

The investigation is an equally good read, not only for the twists and turns it takes but also for the peripherals, Alex’s difficulties as a single mother raising a teenager, her rather black and white approach to the law and her sidekick DC Jill Ferriter’s problems with the rules (a very good example of the problems facing women in the 21st century).

Deadland is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

A gripping and extremely well written police procedural with an engaging and believable central figure. William Shaw brings the reader to a lesser known part of the UK which is part of the book's appeal, and the reappearance of a character from a previous book is a masterclass in narrative arc. Highly recommended.

This is the second in series and although the main story contained herein is readable as a stand-alone, to get the very best from it in terms of character development and backstory, it is best to have read the opener, Salt Lane, first. Actually, you could go the whole hog and also read The Birdwatcher which could be categorised as a kind of prequel.
OK, so this book took me all round the houses and back again with all that was going on. And I have to say that I was in the dark for the majority. Confused but very much enjoying the ride!
We have two boys who try their had at petty theft of mobile phones. Their first attempt is comical but the succeed with their second and are a bit chuffed with themselves. Until that is it becomes evident that they have stolen from the wrong person and they want their property back and are willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to get it! Meanwhile, we have the discovery of a decomposing arm in an exhibit in an art gallery. DS Alexandra Cupidi is tasked to get to the bottom of this strange occurrence, insisting that it is more than just the joke that her fellow officers think it is?
There is so much more going on in this book and it's all a bit convoluted and too interconnected to even hint at where we actually end up, for fear of spoilers. Needless to say that we have the obligatory twists, turns, about faces, and dead ends throughout. All of which are so very well crafted and integrated into the narrative perfectly so the book as a whole flowed very well.
Cupidi is an interesting character. She has her past and that has shaped her present. In this book, we also see a lot more of her young colleague Jill Ferriter and some of the banter between them was great - I do love a good bit of banter in a book, especially when in a crime book. It balances the book and stops it from becoming too dark, especially when the crimes depicted are nasty.
Other characters were just as well described, especially the two young lads. Their parts were interesting and intriguing to read, especially as I had no idea where they fitted into the big picture for half the time.
But, when we did get to the crux of it all, when all was finally revealed, I had to take a pause, sit back and applaud the author for a job well done. A story well plotted and executed. So many books I read these days are a bit samey and easy to guess ahead of time so it was refreshing to find something a little more challenging.
All in all, a cracking read that hit the ground running, didn't let up throughout and left me satisfied at the end. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.