This was a fabulous start to what promises to a really good new police procedural series featuring the indomitable DI Grace Archer. The book starts at one heck of a pace when Grace on her first day in her new job is plunged straight into a gruesome case of a serial killer who likes to pose his victims as works of art. Facing quite a lot of resentment from some members of her team Grace not only has to deal with that but also more bodies being found and again posed in a macabre way.
There is a lot going on in this book and lot of back story also and this really added to just how much I enjoyed the read and I am looking forward to finding out more of Grace who I really liked and also the other members of her team and I have a feeling that this is going to be one of my favourite series.
The writing was excellent and the plot line was complex, never predictable and really kept me on my toes till the end, all in all a thrilling and satisfying read, many thanks to David Fennell it was a blast !
My thanks also to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK, Zaffre for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Art of Death is a debut crime thriller David Fennel. It introduces DI Grace Archer trying to solve macabre and gruesome murders, where the murderer likes to display his victims as art installations. Although it is quite easy to identify the killer early on this is an excellent read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre Books for the advance copy.

This book is said to give you the Chris Carter feels. However, for me it was lacking a bit.
It was enjoyable bit i guessed who the killer was pretty early on. So for me this let the book down. I liked the new way it was done with regards to the killings. I liked tbe detective and feel like there is a series there to be written. I look forward to more

The Art of Death is a chilling new crime thriller from debut author David Fennel.

Introducing the intriguing DI Grace Archer, this serial killer thriller with a twist Is an excellent read.

When an Art Exhibition in Central London turns out to be the tombs of 3 homeless men, this spine chiller grabs you straight away.

A dark, murder fest ensues as David Fennell writes an imaginative and devious serial killer villain.

Grace is interesting heroine with a curious past, and with DS Harry Quinn written to lighten the sometimes dark mood of the book along with the highly perceptive analysts Klara, it’s a good team of characters and I look forward to reading more of them.

A highly enjoyable, well crafted police procedural that ticks a lot of boxes for crime fans and is very accomplished read with a decent twisty plot.

🔥🔥🔥🔥

Thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre Books for my Review Copy

Interesting premise to this gory thriller - death as art, preserved for eternity. I enjoyed the character of Grace Archer although I found her back story far fetched for her senior position in the police. The story started really strongly with the serial killer stalking his victims in a coffee shop and on social media, dating apps etc. Some rather unlikely coincidences and some poor decision making by the police and some naivety from Grace leads to absolute carnage! Quite difficult to keep up with the body count and who is missing but if you can suspend reality it is all in all a quick fun read!

Fantastic debut!! A gripping hunt for a wannabe artist serial killer. I hope this is the first one of a long series as the writing is engaging, the characters relatable and human and the plot solid and thrilling. Fans of early Patricia Cornwell will find the style similar and just as good if not better. A perfect book for thriller lovers.

Let’s get an important aspect of this crime novel out of the way right at the start of this review. If you don’t have a strong stomach for gratuitous and explicit extreme violence this really isn’t the book for you. I would have to admit that I do not normally enjoy books with the level of explicit violence that features in ‘The Art of Death’, so getting to the end in one way was more out of a sense of duty having agreed to write an honest review for NetGalley in return for an advance review copy. However, despite my unhappiness with the violence that characterises the book I have to grudgingly concede that, as a thriller, it grips the reader, who will want to reach the denouement without delay. For sure, many of the police procedural cliches were present and correct: troubled domestic life of lead character - check; plenty of clues and false clues - check; and high likelihood of identifying the criminal mastermind early in the narrative - check.
And yet....... the writing is clear and carries the plot effortlessly, whilst maintaining a decent pace. Characters are generally well conceived, even if the obligatory jealous or vengeful colleague or two have to make an appearance.
Given my earlier comments it can’t be a five star review, and I would much prefer to see David Fennell using his undoubted talents on a more subtle and less violent book. But - subject to the earlier qualifications - this book can be recommended

4+ stars

A creepy watcher that sends shivers up your spine is observing the customers in a London cafe and making notes about them which extends beyond the boundaries of the norm. DI Grace Archer, newly promoted to work at the Charing Cross station, is one of them. Shortly after this an ‘art’ installation known as The Forsaken by @nonymous disrupts her first day with far reaching results and consequences.

Well, this book starts with a bang rather than a whimper and hooks you in from the get go. It’s a dark, murderous, shockingly inventive tale with a twisted killer with a perverted attitude to what constitutes art. He is as elusive and anonymous as Banks but with a macabre, immoral and brutal brand of ‘art’. Yes, it’s very gritty but thankfully the author gives just enough information for you to get the picture. The case deepens with further installations appearing and challenging and misdirecting the police team. The investigation team is an interesting mixed bag which adds another element to the storyline which much of that being from Grace’s perspective. She has a backstory that haunts her to this day and which becomes an intrinsic part of the plot. Grace is extremely likeable, relatable, intuitive and shows great kindness to her ailing grandfather. Her sidekick DS Harry Quinn is a very good character too, there’s the usual arrogant idiot who thinks he’s better than he actually is in DI Hicks and the boss is icy DCI Clare Pierce who thaws a bit by the end of the novel. I so hope this is the beginning of a series because there is much to praise in this crime novel and I want to read more about them in future. The conclusion is exciting, gripping and an extremely tense race against time. I did identify the killer but the twists the author throws in are good misdirection!

Overall, a good, well written crime mystery with a good plot. There are elements of suspense and several creative jaw droppers. I like what the author says towards the end of the novel about the impact of crime on victims and its lasting legacy which is thought provoking. This is a page turner from start to finish which I recommend to fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books/Zaffre for the arc for an honest review.

An Artist That Needs To Be Stopped....
Gripping and vivid serial killer chiller. Glass cabinets, macabre installations...an artist that needs to be stopped in their tracks. Grace Archer and Harry Quinn are racing against the clock to do just that. Compelling reading with much backstory but plenty of pace although with chapters that could perhaps be snappier. One to read with the doors firmly locked.

DI Grace Archer is starting a new job at the station where she outed the previous DI for corruption is probably not going to be the easiest of days, doesn't help when the majority of the team still there really don't want to have anything to do with you, including your new boss who was found to have been having an affair with the disgraced corrupt DI.

Added to this stressful day is the news that a new art installation is found to have three bodies in cases, floating in formaldehyde, the scene is being streamed live, with the promise by the 'artist' of more to come.

On the whole I enjoyed the book, although the author did try to put an awful lot of back story in about the two main characters, in Grace's case teasing us I think with more revelations to come.

I did think it was fairly obvious who the serial killer was, to be honest, there wasn't many options!

On the whole a solid start

An inspired police procedural, about a serial killer who is an artist, known as @anonymous and leaves three glass cabinets in Trafalgar Square as his latest art installation. When the covers are pulled off, the cabinets contain the corpses of three homeless men.
It’s DI Grace Archer’s first day in her new job following a promotion and with her partner DS, Harry Quinn, trys to track down the killer.
Some likeable characters with interesting back stories. I liked the way the ending was written

I have a passion for detective thrillers but have noticed over the past few years how they all have to do a box ticking exercise. Yes, there's the ones we all recognise from the likes of soap operas but within the detective thriller genre there's the constant infighting amongst the police as well. I know it makes for writing material and extra intrigue but it's same old, same old. The boss who's harassed and wants solutions not problems, the DCI who has team members trying to bring him/her down. Rivalry and bitchiness amongst the foot soldiers too. It would be refreshing where a different style of management would bring out individual's strengths and build cohesion behind a winning team. The only adversary being the criminal and not your fellow detectives.

Grace Archer in The Art of Death has to do battle with her colleagues, her boss DCI Pierce, her boyfriend and the dark memories of her imprisonment at the hands of Bernard Morrice. It's a wonder she has any energy left to hunt down the 'artist in death' @nonymous. Thankfully she does and it makes for a very entertaining novel.

A spooky and creepy novel. The beginning opens on how dangerous and how easy we all we easily give our details and how we all want some form of connection with the world.

Dark and intensely atmospheric, the novel grips you and your eager to discover more.

However this it where the positives end. Clunky writing style where chapters could be quicker and to the point are like ramblings and chaotic. Not as free flowing or edgy as the great Chris Carter.

The main character is not likeable and seems ridiculous and far fetched. I like police procedurals to be grounded and have that element of realism, sadly this does not.

May attempt again but this is not a good one. Not a good start.

Oh my goodness.

This was intense and you could tell it was setting up for a series, there is so much more that I want to know about the detectives in the book more of their back story.

Yes there was a complicated back story of the main character - how much could happen to her - the boyfriend was a bit over the top. (my only criticism of an otherwise brilliant book).
Yes it did remind me of other authors, for me it reminded my of W L Knightly, but that was not a bad thing. I stayed up late to finish this book as I just had to know how it got resolved -yes I did work out the killer but I think we were supposed to, so that didn't matter.

I was given an advance copy by Netgalley and the publlishers in exchange for an honest review which I have done.

I was intrigued by the description of this book and as it has comparisons to Chris Carter it was a must read. I was not disappointed by this book it grabs you from the first pages and does not let up until the end. The teams are brilliant and you really feel a relationship building with them and care about what happens to them.
I did not guess all the twists and turns of the book and the lead Detectives backstory is certainly an interesting one and one that shows her vulnerability and strength.
This will be one of the must read books of 2021 and I will certainly be following this author from now on highly recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for an advance copy of The Art of Death, the first novel to feature DI Grace Archer and DS Harry Quinn of The Met.

On Grace’s first day at Charing Cross station she is called out to an art installation which has three dead bodies floating in formaldehyde, each in their own case. The killer is streaming his “art” online and promising more installations so Grace is immediately under pressure, especially when it becomes clear that the killer is interested in her personally.

I enjoyed The Art of Death which is an imaginative take on the serial killer genre, full of twists and turns, but not really straying from the norms. The novel is mostly told from Grace’s point of view but there are sections on the victims’ lives in the lead up to their deaths and the odd thought and action from the unnamed killer. The various victims’ stories are largely repetitive and only serve to illustrate how easy it is to take advantage of lonely people. The killer is your average run of the mill psychopath so no new insights there, but I really liked the investigation, which seems to me to be well run and organised to the extent that it can be when reacting to the unknowable, i.e. what the killer will do next. The devil is in the detail, the petty politics and grievances, the character differences and the culture on the one hand and the leads that go nowhere, the determined application of technology and interviewing on the other. I think it is great.

I must admit that my heart sank when I read about Grace’s backstory as it is extremely busy, full of trauma and designed to engender mistrust with her colleagues. Fortunately it colours the narrative rather than being a focal point. I admire the author’s self restraint in this.

The Art of the Dead is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

I am a veteran crime and serial killer reader but this one actually gave me nightmares!
The descriptions of the installation were so vivid (even though they were not particularly high on the gruesome scale) that they stayed with me for days after finishing the book.
Seemingly always one step ahead of the police the killer is setting tableaus of people, preserved in glass coffins all around London and Archer and Quinn are in a race against time to stop him completing his exhibition.
a great read but definitely one for daylight hours!

It was creepy, intriguing and addictive. This book is good, even more so as it's a debut. It will take you on a journey like no other, the characters are likeable and the crime, heinous. Read it through the night if you dare.

Perfect for fans of James Patterson, this is a classic serial killer romp. Main detective Grace Archer has history with psychopaths having been captured by one as a child. Now she’s back as a detective inspector and the hunt is on to find a macabre murderer who is displaying his victims as art.

Overall an engaging, entertaining read. A fair few threads left hanging, so it’s clearly gearing up for a series, but also a couple of abandoned plot lines (what happened to the boyfriend???). Not especially challenging, but a good example of the format.

What a brilliant debut thriller .This book had me gripped from the start,I do love a book that is so hard to put down ! It is creepy and very compelling ,bodies turning up in glass boxes in London streets as an Art Installation ! DI Grace Archer and DS Harry Quinn must find the killer .I liked Grace and Quinn very much and look forward to reading more about them .Please make this a series ? Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .