Intriguing, chilling, unusual, what more can I say. An excellent storyline and great characters. A definite recommended read

London's latest art installation is a real killer . . . An underground artist leaves three glass cabinets in Trafalgar Square that contain a gruesome installation: the corpses of three homeless men. With the artist promising more to follow, newly-promoted Detective Inspector Grace Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, must race against time to follow what few clues have been left by a savvy killer. As more bodies are exhibited at London landmarks and live streamed on social media, Archer and Quinn's pursuit of the elusive killer becomes a desperate search. But when Archer discovers that the killer might be closer than she originally thought - she realises that he has his sights set firmly on her . . . He is creating a masterpiece. And she will be the star of his show.

I really enjoyed The Art of Death. It was a strong, well written debut. It was engaging and thrilling. The characters are likeable and I was pleasantly surprised with how Grace handled those around her. The only negative was how obvious the killer was from early on (but I have read a lot of thrillers/crime novels so can easily guess a lot of the time) and also the fact that there was no explanation as to why they’d done it which was disappointing. But overall a really great start to what could be a new favourite series, excited to see what comes next.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. This was a great debut introducing Detective Grace Archer, well written and kept you guessing I will be looking forward to future books from this author.

This is a brilliant book with a fantastic storyline and lots of gore, I've seen this book discussed on a Facebook page and was compared to the likes of the talented Chris Carter books which I definitely agree with!
The story is about a serial killer that thinks of himself as an artist that goes by the name @nnonamous that uses his victims to showcase his work in a very macabre manner. Fast paced with great characters. Will deffinatly be watching out for more from this writer.

A really enjoyable read with great twists and turns. When I started this book I did wonder whether it was the second book in the series as the main character seemed to have quite a background storyline that I think would’ve been a great read. This is the first book by this author and I will definitely look out for future books

Grace Archer is a troubled detective that takes on a case which proves to be more personal than she thinks. A middle of the road crime thriller, that starts well but lacks depth and character build. I had no emotive feelings towards the characters and found myself struggling towards the end, which i found was quite rushed and did not satisfy at all. Maybe a sequel or or prequel may prove more informative as there were many hints towards her traumatic past, which it did not explain much, if at all

This book definitely ticked all my boxes. A unique plot which starts off with a bang, then gradually ramps up the tension and suspense until the explosive climax WOW. This book is a go to bed early and read. I did and finally turned the last page in the wee hours. I LOVED IT!!! A new author who will go straight to the top of my reading pile.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

My interest in this title was clinched as soon as I read in the description that this upcoming debut was for fans of Chris Carter and M. W. Craven! As two of my top 5 favourite authors to date, I knew I needed to read “The Art Of Death”.

An eccentric artist, who just happens to be a sinister serial killer, is on the loose in London. New duo DI Grace Archer and DS Harry Quinn, hit the ground running and race against the clock to save lives and catch the killer before it’s too late.

With relatable characters and additional subplot themes running alongside, there is a lot to love in this jam packed thriller. The first instalment of what could turn out to be an incredible series!

A cracking debut from David Fennell and one that did not disappoint my high expectations.

A definite must read for all dark and unsettling thriller lovers alike!

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Zaffre, #BonnierBooksUK, and #DavidFennell for an ARC of #TheArtOfDeath in exchange for an honest review.

Was excited to be reading this book. Liked the idea of a murdering artist, flawed DI and Belfast sergeant sidekick.
Was left disappointed- it was obvious who the murderer was from early on.
DI Grace Archer is a cop with a past - several pasts and you would think her experiences would give her insights into who is the murderer but she stumbles from one disaster to the next.
Her family /past are the most interesting parts of the book.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.
3 Stars ⭐️

A good debut for an exciting, gritty and gripping story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Good character and plot development, a fast paced plot full of twists and turns.
I can't wait to read another book in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I did enjoy this book. I found the plot interesting and the story compelling. I do have a problem nowadays with the main detective character, man or woman - in this case DI Grace Archer - having a lot of baggage. Troubled past, alienating work colleagues and family issues plus the boyfriend. I find this does not enhance the story but simply intrudes. In this case there is just too much and for me it gets in the way of what is otherwise a very good and enjoyable book to read.

Grace Archer is a police woman with a troubled past! Here is her chance for a new start at a new station but she has already alienated her team members so her latest triple murder enquiry is not going to be easy! Thankfully she has a sympathetic partner in Harry Quinn but the going gets more and more gruesome! The pace is fast moving and the characters leap off the page although Hicks reminds me of a ‘Line of Duty’ character! The story kept me riveted to the end with some good twists and turns! A good read,

Loved this one! So easy to read and lots of twists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

This book revolves around the actions of a gruesome serial killer, terrorising London with his macabre “art” installations, featuring dead bodies floating in clear containers. DI Grace Archer is tasked with catching him and we follow her as she navigates an occasionally hostile working environment and a myriad of personal problems.

I picked this up because it sounded amazing. I have a thing for serial killers (please note, this is a wholesome, purely academic thing – I’m not one of THOSE women) and everything in the blurb appealed to me. The idea is brilliant – a killer who is blatant, very twisted, dark and gruesome. Excellent.

However, the author doesn’t quite pull it off.

Firstly, our heroine has a little bit too much going on in her life. Not only is there the cliched tragic backstory (alluded to repeatedly, in enough detail to make you think it’s going somewhere, and then … no), there’s a whole family arc she has to contend with and then there’s the boyfriend. No doubt everything is designed to give us some insight in to our new heroine; however, it’s distracting and too much, in not enough detail, served up in one go.

Secondly, and perhaps I’m being unfair here, but the author seems to have had a tick-list of specific character attributes he wanted to include. We have the female lead, an Irishman, a closet homosexual, an alcoholic, a couple of Indians, someone who may or may not have been Turkish/Syrian, a transgendered analyst … I am all for inclusion (and frankly, literature does need more of this), but I don’t think everyone needs to be included in one book. If you reach a point where you’re looking for the one-armed Jamaican lesbian, it’s safe to say it’s been taken too far. Ultimately, it felt hammy rather than inclusive.

Then we have the writing itself. Now, I confess I’m not a huge fan of the third person narrative, but it can work exceptionally well in some cases. This is not one of those cases. The writing is so simplistic as to feel really immature in places. For example, (not an actual excerpt FYI, but you get the idea): She told him that they had found a print. He said OK, that was good. She said she knew. They sat in silence for a moment. She leant forward, he said what are you doing? She sighed. She replied after a moment’s thought.

We have dialogue for a reason – and not everything needs to be included. The benefit of third person is the ability to get inside multiple character’s heads, but the author chose not to go down this route. That’s fine, do what works for you, but it meant this was a really disjointed and awkward book to read. As a result, I really struggled to feel any connection with any of the characters and found the storyline to be quite choppy in places.

Then we have the incompetence of the police force, who seem to think that a scrap of trace evidence (i.e. a hair, fibre or partial print) is categorical proof that someone committed the murder. It makes for a lot of rushing off at speed to arrest people who have no idea what’s going on.

I get it, you need a few false starts and red herrings to keep things interesting, but this did not work. It was obvious almost immediately who the killer was – though I am still sketchy on the motives (yet do not remotely care). It was just really boring and lazy plotting from the author and insulting to readers to throw pathetic alternate suspects in to the mix. Just no. We get your first suspect isn't going to be the murderer - the book's 423 pages!

Finally, this book is in need of a ruddy good edit. Whoever did a first pass at it you should really be ashamed of yourself. There are times where active dialogue is taking place between two individuals, but it is so poorly edited you can’t tell who is speaking (each speaker does not always get a new line, and sometimes they do, when they shouldn’t!). I lost count the amount of times I had to go back and re-read something to try and understand it.

So, no, it’s not the worst book I’ve read in this genre and it could have a lot of promise if it had a good editorial overhaul (too late for that, I guess) but I won’t be reading anything else if this turns out to be a series. The police are too ridiculous, I’d be amazed if they could catch a cold!

Good serial killer novel which is gripping and quite fast paced, odd little plot but I liked it 😊 a solid police procedure book, and had me hooked for sure, I hope to see more from the author hopefully including the same characters in this one as I enjoyed the banter and the two of them together, they made a good team, would have liked to know more about the killer but maybe that will come up in another book?! A really good read thank you

An excellent book with an unusual tale. A serial killer who regards his work as art. I really enjoyed the story and will look forward to reading more from this author.

What a great read!
I do love myself a great serial killer read and I must say @nonymous is up there with the best. What a twisted individual and all in the name of art! And to think you do get sick people like that out there!

My only negative criticism is that I wanted to know more about @nonymous. I want to know why he is so twisted. What happened to him because he surely wasn't born bad but maybe we will see a follow up where we will get to know him better. Am I seeing an escape from the hospital with the help of one female doctor? *rub hands together*

I can highly recommend this read. Get ready to meet "The Forsaken", " The Marshland Martyrs" and "The Father, Son and Ghost" But do you really want to meet The Ghost.......

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

3.5*

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. It's a solid police procedural / crime thriller and there was lots to like about it. DI Grace Archer is a very likeable character, with an extremely interesting backstory. (I hope that in future books we get to learn a little bit more about what she went through as a child). I also liked that the serial killer and the murders he committed veered towards the dark and ever so slightly gruesome side. I especially enjoyed the chapters told from the victims point of view, and those of the killer, as I found it extremely interesting to read about how the killer lured his victims in and how excited they were for their first "dates".

On the slightly negative side, I figured out the "twist" very early on in the story and I guessed who the killer was, so when I was proven right that was a little bit of a let down. Another slight negative for me was that I really would have liked to experience more from the actual killer himself. Okay, I know, this is a book primarily about DI Archer but the parts of the story that really gripped me were the actual murders, the chapters about the victims, the behaviour of the killer, what the victims went through (although this isn't really touched on much) and the scenes where the victims "met" their killer. I do tend to sometimes find police procedurals a little dull and repetitive at times and so more focus on the killer and the victims is always good for me.

Overall, a really enjoyable read. If you love the cat-and-mouse chase of police procedurals and you can handle a slightly gruesome serial killer, then I definitely recommend that you give this one a try.

This has easily got to be one of my favourite reads of the year so far!

If you love a good serial killer read then this is the one for you. The action starts at the very beginning and has you gripped the whole way through. I was literally hooked from the prologue.

A police procedural thriller, headed up by DI Grace Archer and her partner DC Harry Quinn and quite an entertaining and formidable team they make.
I really liked Grace, shes a strong character with a believable background that is slowly revealed throughout the story but most of all she felt relatable which is a massive bonus in my eyes. I also love the relationship that we get to witness between her and her Grandad who has Dementia, she is having to work all hours on the investigation aswell as trying to care for him.

I'll admit I did guess the 'baddie' bit that didnt take anything away from the storyline or plot at all.

I really enjoyed reading the unique and inventive storyline, I wont give any spoilers but .. art + serial killer + random victims...you'll be on the edge if your seat trying to fathom who, what and why!

The whole thing from beginning to end flowed seamlessly at a fast pace and was extremely well plotted... how the hell is this only David Fennell's debut? I am so looking forward to his next installment.

On a side note.. the cover is amazing!

This is the easiest 5* I've given in a while.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Bonnier Books for the ARC.