Thoroughly enjoyed this story.  Loved the characters and now need to read the previous 5 books just so I can have a little more of their snarky sarkey banter.  They made me chuckle with their 80's sexism and very inappropriate behaviour and chapter seven and the porno site enormous norks and I was in hysterical laughter.  I am still chuckling now.  Fabulous all round thank you for sharing

Absolutely gripping!  The plot is fast paced and I found myself racing through the book just to find out what happened.  The author did an amazing job of setting the scene and I could practically see what the police saw when they went into the house!  The characters were so easy to get to know - I really hope we will see more books from this author.

I didn't realize this was part of a series but reads as a standalone. Wow. Just wow. This has to be one of the most twistiest books I have read in a long time. An absolute must read. Starts out creepy and just gets worst from there. Absolutely pick this up and check out the rest of the series. Happy reading!

Not sure why I have had such a string of thriller/murder mystery style books of late. Perhaps I’m preparing for Halloween early? I don’t know! In any case, this is my 4th book in this genre for the month and while I probably could use a break with some more light-hearted reads, I still didn’t mind this one. It’s fast paced, shocking, dark and gruesome at times. It was a book I had to prepare myself for, but once I got into reading it, it was hard to stop. It was book 6 in a series though, so I feel like I stumbled in late to the party and missed some of the tea ~ but this is my own fault, and not of the author. In saying that, I wasn’t super lost, there were just references throughout that went over my head. It didn’t detract from the story in any way. 

The two main characters are Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson, regarded with potential to be the youngest ever commissioner of police, and  Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks who is maybe Paterson’s opposite. But they make a great team. Arriving at the scene of a burglary with the suspect still inside, they are shocked at what they discover. This book got super creepy at times, gory details and all that. But it was definitely an engaging read!

Thank you to the author and the publishers for allowing me to read and review!

This is the sixth book featuring Superintendent Ray Paterson and his team from the Homicide and Major Crime Command unit in Bermondsey, London. Paterson is young, good looking and extremely wealthy, and until recently was on a fast track to the top, whilst DI Johnny Clocks (nicknamed Timex or Thrush) is the complete opposite - loud, foul-mouthed and brash having come up through the ranks but a loyal friend for life once he decides he likes you. I completely love the pair of them! I mean, who cares if they are a little more "Sweeney" than "pc" and their language is a bit colourful? Clocks has mellowed a little thanks to the addition of his fiancée DI Lyndsey Mullins, a Metropolitan Police tactical firearms officer who is a terrific match for him and often appears in these stories. Until his retirement the pair had received complete support from former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Wallace (Wol) Young but now the new man in the job is a completely different kettle of fish. Sir Scott Anderson is determined to bring down Paterson and Clocks at any cost, and is going to extreme lengths to find some evidence that they were responsible, not only for the supposed copycat killings of young girls in the Beckenham area, but now also the attempted murder in his own office of DCI Chris Lambert who was investigating these crimes. Anderson’s former surveillance operation on the pair went belly up in the last book and now it is back on with a vengeance. The main story commences with police officers dashing into a house where they believe a burglar is on the premises. Yes, he is still there, only he has a knife in his chest and a deranged woman is wearing the skin she has just taken off his face and is singing to herself. The situation soon erupts and by the time Paterson and Clocks get there, a lot more blood has been spilt. As if this wasn’t gut-wrenching enough for the officers in attendance, the grisly discoveries they make over the next days both on display and bricked up in the house are the worst most of them have ever had to deal with. Just who is “the childmaker” and what secrets is the house of horrors hiding? Paterson and Clocks are never ones to shy away from the truly awful cases but this one is set to test the whole team in ways they could never imagine. No one will emerge unscathed and the shocking discoveries made at the end of the story could be more than some will be able to get over.
As in all the other books in this series the pace is terrific with loads of shocking and gripping action, and this really is a book that kept me hooked till the last very unexpected page. Clocks and Paterson make a great team and have a fantastic relationship built on the shared traumatic events of the first five stories in this series. There is a lot of humorous banter between the two and also with others in their team, making the book fun at the same time as tackling deadly serious crimes. These past events have truly shaped Paterson and Clocks into the characters they are now and you wonder how they would have survived if it weren’t for each other. If you haven't, I urge you to read the series in order. There is a lot of history and although it is well described and the books can be enjoyed as standalones it wouldn't be the same reading them out of turn. The cliffhanger at the end of the book is just - wow!! – and which leaves me begging for the next book on the hurry up!
Warning – this book does contain some terrible accounts of crimes against children. There is nothing whatsoever gratuitous about the nature of the content but I realise this will not be suitable for some readers and they should be aware of this. If you can’t cope with this, then this is probably not the best choice for you, even though you will be missing out on an amazing read. 5*

This was a fast paced, cringe worthy thriller, with tremendous depth and breadth without too much blood and gore.
While there were parts that created some nauseous moments, and some dialect that was a hard pill to swallow, there's also a fab written plot that continued to increase its intensity -demanding attention from the start.
In fact, it began with police responding to a burglary; finding a dead man; and a woman wearing his face as her mask>>>
WTF?
OH BOY...
Add to this the reasoning behind the kids murders and the piece by piece solution and it became maddening.
As if this wasn't enough the background on these two main guys is even worse.
One's got a wild streak with women while separated from his model wife as a wealthy man while the other is a nut case involved with the police but is way too immature and egotistical.
This is the sixth in the series, but if you operate backwards like me without starting in any one type of specific order, you'll be fine as it works well as a stand alone.
All in all it kept my peak interest and never let me down.
Thanks to Steve, the pub, NetGalley, and Amazon Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Amazing.  A grim, nightmare of a story - which also made me laugh.  3 children born out of incest - their parents were brother and sister - abused in turn by their parents, physically, mentally sexually?  After being taking into care by social services they are given the chance at a normal life - but what chance do they really have.

Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book.  This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

DS Ray Paterson and DI John Clocks are back in a crime fiction thriller extraordinaire.

Paterson and Clocks, along with a squad of cops, are about to break into a house to catch a burglar red-handed. What they find is far different .....

They hear a woman singing about the childmaker while holding a knife in her hand. The burglar has been stabbed to death ... and his face removed. When confronted by the police, she goes mad and stabs one of the police.

What they find while searching the house, behind a wall, is far worse than anything they've ever seen.

This is a fast-moving action-packed thriller, full of twists and turns, amid an intricate plot. The deftly drawn characters keep the reader engaged. For those who have not read any of the series ... Paterson is a wealthy man, determined to be an excellent policeman. His wife was killed by a serial killer, and unknown to most .. he took care of the killer himself. Clocks ..sometimes known as Timex .. is a working class officer, with a foul mouth and a wicked sense of humor. He is not liked by many ...especially by his superiors.

Although 6th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. I do recommend starting at the beginning .. this is a terrific series.

The author, himself, is a retired police office who served for 20 years. Due to his background, I always expect a great deal of realism/credibility to his stories .... I have never been disappointed.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books 'n All Book Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction/thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I do love this series Steve Parker goes where other authors fear to tread.  It is not for the feint hearted but if you like a gritty thriller that personifies the evil that lives among us then this book is definitely for you.

Paterson and Clocks started their working relationship hating each other.  They are total opposites.  Paterson is suave, sophisticated and rich whereas Clocks is rough around the edges and pretty tactless with it but inside is a big softie that you have to love.  Despite having little in common they both share a common goal and that is to take down the baddies in any way they can and that often means disobeying rules and sometimes direct orders.  The team is a mish mash of personalities but they all work brilliantly together supporting each other at all times.

A burglary is reported and the Police attending stumble into a horrific scene which they certainly weren't expecting but when Paterson and Clocks arrive they find the devastation in the bedroom is not the only horror to be found in the house.

The investigation takes the team many miles as they try to work out what is behind the manic behaviour.

An absolutely gripping read that had me turning the pages all the way to the adrenaline pumping ending.  

A big thank you to the author and Joffe Books for the advance digital copy of this book.  These are my unbiased thoughts and opinions.

Can you believe it, this is already the sixth book in the series!  The series just gets better and better.  This is one of my new favorite reads, and I will look out for the next one.

Steve Parker is a retired police officer. This is a police procedural, but darker and more gritty than anything I have read before.
If you thought Jack Frost was a bit unconventional and that Andy Dalziel often used unorthodox methods wait till you meet Ray Paterson and Johnny Clocks. They don't just sail close to the wind they break every rule in the book.
Expect a bloodbath of violence, lots of bad language and a black humour that permeates every page.
Not a novel for the feint-hearted but if you like plenty of gruesome detail this won't disappoint.

I started reading this book, not realising it was part of a series BUT  this did not in any way stop me enjoying this book. Absolutely brilliant read - couldn’t put it down and read it in one day!!
Both the main characters were likeable rogues who you could not help but like. Even though the storyline was a grim read, I found myself laughing at the one liners from these 2 policemen. First time I have read something from this author and I’m really considering starting at the beginning of the series. 
Thank you for letting me have a chance to read this and discover a new fabulous author!! 

#steveparker #netgalley

Not for the faint-hearted from the gruesome start - call-out to a scene where a mad woman is brandishing a blood stained weapon and wearing the face of a slaughtered child to the end denouement. Psychopaths abound, think making a patchwork child from dead children, to table mats and cushions made  from skin stripped from victims. Add to the Police mix an appalling couple of oh so near the line cops whose banter has so much nastiness in it that I wonder why their colleagues haven't all complained en masse (or murdered them) as well as a desk-jockey of a very senior policeman whose main aim in life is to get the so-called main team of two stitched up for the earlier murder of a colleague. Not forgetting the gruesome deaths of another couple of colleagues. It's no wonder that police find it hard to recruit. The miss match of the main two characters could have worked - ever so rich privileged man versus, fink East Ender working boy. But it doesn't. They are so out of touch with lines of evidence and procedure that anyone they caught (and who, in the unlikely event survived) would never be sentenced so the police side of the story is irrelevant in a way. If there was any depth in the story I missed it I'm afraid, and I'm not averse to psychopaths and a certain level of nastiness. Glad I haven't read the others in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had no idea this was sixth in the series but it works well as a stand-alone. Child Behind The Wall is shocking, breathtaking and surprisingly very funny!

I fell in love with Paterson and Clocks. They can only possibly exist in fiction, they’re absurd but I loved them! Their characters were consistent and well written. I enjoyed this so much I’ve just ordered the first five books!

The crime is shocking, the plot was intelligent and entertaining. This is a book you have to read!

Started off exciting and didn't let up for a bit  but just didn't really work for me.  Can't put a finger on it but it didn't hold my attention.  This is part of a series snd maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I read the previous books.

Having not read any of the previous Paterson/Clocks novels, I felt at times I’d been tossed into the middle of a saga with plenty of backstory. The author did a fair job of presenting some of the prior information that added to character development so a reader like me could play catch-up, without making it too blatantly obvious. Indeed, as with anyone coming into a new situation, there will always be camaraderie between colleagues who’ve a past history, yet the ongoing banter and fluff between the two main characters (and/or Clocks and just about everyone else) overwhelmed the plot to the point of distraction. Chapter 40 re: flowers could be completely struck without the reader failing to notice the effect circumstances had on him. Beyond that the story was just okay, not great. A three from me.

I hugely disliked this book, it was completely destroyed by two characters that are so unlikable it spoils what would be a brilliant plot. 

Two detectives that are so foul, crass, rude and just over the top overwhelms any storyline, plot or other characters. It's just too much. Unsavory coppers are not new to fiction but less is more you know? These men were overdone, overcooked and therefore came across as not believable. A real shame. This book had oodles of potential otherwise.

This is the 6th book in the Patterson and Clocks series by author Steve Parker and my 1st read. A good solid crime novel, fast moving, strong characters that I am pretty sure will develop on reading others in the series. All in all a good introduction to the series for me personally.

The two main characters are Patterson and Clocks, Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is a wealthy man due to family money with an eye for the women. Separated from his model wife he is highly backed to be the youngest ever commissioner of police. Detective Inspector Johnny Clocks is the other extreme and loves nothing more than antagonising others and is a foul-mouthed, working-class officer. Very immature and having grown up has become an effective policeman.

This novel certainly starts off quickly and the fast pace continues throughout. Opens with a gruesome discovery when the police break into an house at a suspected burglary to find a dead body and a woman wearing the dead mans face as a mask.

Good solid read and an entertaining 3.5 stars.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Joffe books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

When a man is seen breaking into a house and Police patrol cars rush to apprehend him they enter a house which can only be described as their worst nightmare. Detective Superintendant Ray Patterson and Detective Inspector John Clocks are called to the house after the burglar has been killed and police attacked. No-one could imagine what they would find and what would happen as events darken.
This is a fast moving book with many surprises and Police politics included a very good read by Steve Parker. Highly recommended.

I always search for thrillers first, it's by far my favourite genre. I didn't realise this was the sixth book of the series, I was a little thrown by a few of the chapters as they obviously referred back to the previous ones. Once I had read a couple of chapters I was hooked and had to finish it (my kind of book!)
I had guessed the ending around half way through, as I believe it was given away slightly but I was still wanting to read more and find out what happened. 
I will go back and read these books from book 1!