I was expecting this new police procedural from Graham Bartlett to be good as he is known on the crime writing circuit as an expert advisor being a former police officer. I wasn’t disappointed! It’s a gritty thriller full of well rounded characters and I loved the Brighton setting. I particularly enjoyed getting to know the police team whose relationships are complicated as well as the ins and outs of the crime. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series. An exciting, action packed well written book.

This advace copy was poorly formatted, very difficult to read. There is dark, graphic gang related activity, drugs, dealers and violence. I read quite a few British crime procedural, murder mystery books, just could not get a good sense of the plot in this story. It was scattered, disjointed, tedious and plodded along. If I hadn't read the synopsis I wouldn't have known the authors intended storyline.
Phil Cooke, divisional commander, has a wife, Ruth, dying of cancer, and sons, Kyle and Harry. Harry is a promising footballer, while Kyle is troubled and quiet. Phil apparently had an affair in the past with Detective Superintendent Joanne Howe (Jo).
An unidentifiable voice calls Phil and threatens to expose secrets, the blackmailing begins.
Something referred to as "the Larbies" is throughout the story, but their identity was never clearly explained.
The politics, corruption and budget shortage is part of the police structure. I'm not British and just couldn't get a handle on any of it. At fifty percent into the book I'm too frustrated to finish and gave up. I think the author and plot have potential, so will watch to see if the edited version cleans up the issues, and consider a higher rating.
Thanks to NetGalley, Graham Bartlett and to Allison & Busby for the advance digital copy of "Bad for Good". These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

Excellent.
Did I read somewhere that this is the first in a series? If so, I'm adding Mr Bartlett to my 'Wish List'
Police procedural thriller done right.
Everything about it was engaging. The characters, plot, pace and writing style.
Many thanks for the entertainment.

Brilliant… had me eagerly turning the pages as I not only wanted to know more about the crime but also about the investigating team… I adored this… A story that takes a dark turn, has several surprises and kept me on my toes right up to the final page!

Bad for Good is an intriguing start to a new crime series by Graham Bartlett. I’ve come across Graham’s name before, especially as he is the advisor to crime writer Peter James, so I was very eager to read Graham’s debut. Graham is a former police officer; I wanted to see how he would draw on his own experiences in this book, and it does feel really authentic.

Graham Bartlett has created a cast of fascinating characters. I really liked Detective Superintendent Jo Howe. She is faced with a complex and high profile case, following the murder of a rising football star, who is the son of the Chief Superintendent, Phil Cooke, which means there is intense media coverage and a lot of pressure. But as Jo tackles with the investigation, corruption is brewing behind the scenes.

Graham Bartlett did a great job of fleshing out his characters. Jo comes across as a person who has worked hard to get to where she is today. I thought Graham did a great job of building her character and I enjoyed finding out more about her. I really felt for Phil. I don’t want to go into too much detail here, as I don’t want to spoil it for you, but even though he is already going through the worst time of his life, following the murder of his son, it is about to become even harder for him. This is where Graham really ups the tension, and I had no idea just what Phil was going to do to try and get out of the problems he was in. It makes for really tense reading and you can see just how much stress this puts him under.

I really wanted to know the reason behind the murder of Phil’s son. I was rooting for Jo to get the truth, especially when Graham raises the stakes for Phil. I felt as though Phil had been pushed into a corner which he couldn’t escape from. Graham delves into some very dark themes and there were some shocking and surprising reveals as the truth behind the murder was revealed. I was utterly gripped as I raced through the final chapters.

The character’s Graham Bartlett has created are ones I would be keen to return to and I’m looking forward to seeing where he progresses next with this series. I’ll definitely be looking out for the next book.

I honestly found this one quite hard going at times with so many characters to keep track of, some of them quite hard to believe in with the way they abuse their positions etc. There is also some very graphic violence and slaughter. Overall the story is a good read though the storyline does seem to jump about a bit.

My biggest issue though is not the writing itself but the formatting which is dreadful. Maybe the print editions are better but the e-book version is painful to read due to the layout. In places it's perfect but in others there's line spacing between each sentence, thus making it look like separate paragraphs. Then when there's a scene change there's still the same one line space so there's no obvious separation between scenes.

Even worse are the regular
part lines
which

continue to jump about all
over the place like this and
no, I'm not exaggerating, it really
is this bad in
places.

Really, really poor formatting which spoiled the reading experience for me.
3.5 stars for the story, 2 stars for the presentation, rounded up to 3 stars.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

I don't even know where to begin trying to review this.
There is so much going on, so many story threads, some seemingly innocuous but all come back later.
The action starts right off the bat, it slows very briefly as there is a change of hierarchy, and the investigation seems to be slowing. You soon get thrown back into the action at warp speed, no gradual build, just bam, to a breathtaking ending.
The basic premise is the son of a cop is killed and they are trying to find his killer.
Phil is trying to come to terms with his sons death and the terminal illness of his wife.
In the background there are undercover gangs, county drug lines, vigilantes and political and police corruption.
Its intense, it's breathtaking, and is going to stick in my mind for a very long time. Look out for Mr Bartlett, his name will be spoken of in the same breath as Craven, and dare I even say Rankin, McDermid etc

I think I have just read the first of a fabulous new crime series, written by a new talent in the genre. Gritty, realistic and full of intrigue, I will certainly be raving about Good For Bad.
The descriptions of the under belly of society in Brighton, and the challenges of policing the city, were believable although purely fiction. The book provides a timely warning about cuts to front line policing and the impact of many years of austerity. (I am sure this was my politically aware take on the plot and shouldn't put anyone off the book. It did have a slightly scary dystopian feel to it though..)
Brave, full of passion and the start of what is likely to be a great series about detective superintendent Jo Howe and the challenges she faces. It also takes us on a guided tour of Brighton that made me want to head down the M23 to visit many of my favourite places. I love that city!
If you are a fan of Peter James, Clare MacIntosh or Ian Rankin, this is definitely one for you. I can't wait to read book 2. I think this series will go on and on.
Thank you to the author Graham Bartlett, the publishers and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this excellent novel.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Allison & Busby for an advance copy of Bad for Good, the first novel to feature Detective Superintendent Jo Howe of the Sussex police.

Brighton is stunned when rising football star Harry Cooke is murdered, especially as he is the son of Brighton top officer, Chief Superintendent Phil Cooke. Detective Superintendent Jo Howe is tasked with finding Harry’s killer, but an upsurge in vigilantism and a lack of staff make her job more difficult.

I struggled to get through Bad for Good, despite police procedurals being my favourite kind of reading. On the positive side the author is a former police officer, so the detail and background is credible. On the negative side the novel revolves around a lack of staff due to the austerity cuts that have affected all public services over the past decade. I understand that it is an issue, but the poor, poor pitiful us comes across as propaganda and doesn’t cut much ice in light of recent revelations about the toxic culture and unlawful behaviour.

I didn’t find the novel engaging. It is told from various points of view and jumps from character to character, not allowing the reader any continuity of narrative. It is also fair to say that it is more about the vigilantism than the murder investigation and that doesn’t really interest me. I’m not sure that I found it particularly credible and I absolutely loathed Phil Cooke and his poor decision making, which is an issue as he’s one of the main voices in the novel. I guessed the murderer almost straight away, so the identity isn’t well concealed and that was a disappointment.

I understand that this is a debut novel, so maybe I should cut the author some slack, but I don’t think he has the balance quite right between action and detail. It has plenty of action but it lacks tension and doesn’t have that spark of excitement that draws the reader in and holds their attention. It’s a solid read.

The son of Brighton's Chief Superintendent is murdered and Detective Superintendent Jo Howe has a complicated and sensitive case on her hands.Things escalate quickly,blackmail and vigilantes as well as a corrupt police force make her job a hard one,she's not sure who to trust.
A solid debut novel with a good dose of humour.
Strong characters throughout and a thrilling ending make this a must read.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and Allison &Busby for the ARC

This was a solid police procedural. It was well written and the storyline was good. I did feel like there was too many characters being introduced which I found a little confusing.

This was an interesting read. The plot had a number of twists and turns and certainly kept a reader’s interest. The story was different to what I expected and is worth a read!

I found this to be one of those books that attracts you, but fails to produce what you expected. Not a page turner like some, but an average read, one that you would continue with rather than give up on and put to one side.
An author I will keep an eye on and will be interested to see what his other books produce.

Bad For Good - Graham Bartlett

Author Graham Bartlett is a real life ex-Chief Superintendent and a Policing advisor to the 'who's who' of British crime writers. I was eager to read this, his crime fiction debut.

It gets off to a bloody, brutal start with a frenetic pace. Drugs gangs, vigilante justice, a street murder, all while the Chief Superinterdent is nursing his terminally ill wife.

A book of two halves for me, I loved the murder and mayhem of the first half, but then once things settled down into a clear division of goodies and baddies, with key characters trapped in a conflicted grey area, it lost something for me.

No doubting the authenticity, or the quality of the plotting and there are some interesting characters, just for me the latter parts didn't match up to the blistering first half.

I would definitely consider reading the next book in the series though.

Thanks to Netgalley and Allison & Busby

What a debut. This is a really well told story with an interesting cast of characters. And some serious twists that you won't see coming. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC - I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys British police procedurals and a good thriller.

I really enjoyed this book, it was written, with good character development and it has a really good plotline. It was suspenseful, mysterious and unpredictable as well as being funny which I didnt expect but appreciated. I really liked that we found out backstories of the characters as this really added an extra layer to the book. A really good read.

My thoughts about Graham Bartlett's Bad For Good is a crime thriller that lifts itself out of the limitations of the form by spotlighting questions of guilt and retribution. Graham Bartlett's execution of the story is engaging, and it will make you wait till the end to get the mystery solved. Bad For Good is an engaging book which will tie you from the beginning to the end. Overall, the book is a must read for all the thriller loving fans. Author Graham Bartlett who is a ex police detective, he ensures that the suspense in the story never dies down. I was totally blown away by this book, I think this is a total masterpiece. I wish I could have thought of something as ingenious as this. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good police procedural thriller. Graham successfully writes a powerful story that has full of twists and turns and the characters he has introduces, are well crafted and portrayed. The story of Bad For Good begins with a murder of a promising footballer who is a son of Brighton's Chief Superintendent, in comes character Detective Superintendent Jo Howe has a complicated and sensitive case on her hands. The situation becomes yet more desperate following devastating blackmail threats. Howe can you trust no one as she tracks the brutal killer in a city balanced on a knife edge of vigilante action and a police force riven with corruption. Graham Bartlett's Bad For Good will keep you engaged and focused on its thrilling plot. This Police Procedural thriller contains great story telling in a very complex, but twisting manner that will just twist your mind. I would like to say a big thank you to Author Graham Bartlett and Publishers Allison And Busby, for kindly giving me a chance to read and review this brilliant thriller on netgally. I've enjoyed reading. Graham Bartlett's Bad For Good is one of the standout debuts this year.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💥💥💥💥💥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I never really warmed to this book. There were lots of characters to keep on top of, many of them senior police officers. There was also a big focus on the staffing and budgetary shortages of the police, to the extent that I felt at times as if I were in a budget meeting with them. I'm sure that's very true to life, but I prefer my crime fiction to be more reassuring.

I loved this book so much. The writing was excellent and I cannot believe this is a debut novel.
There was so much going on in the plot and I loved every minute of it!

The characters and their back stories are well fleshed, the protagonists have their flaws. There's a good level of emotion and empathy shown by them. Oh and I also loved the humor then and there. There’s some good attention to detail demonstrated.

Such a great read and I'm excited to read all of the author's upcoming works.

4.75⭐️Which I’ve rounded up. gore score 2/5

The author is new to me. Up til now he is better known as an advisor to authors on police procedural matters.

A footballer has been killed, who happens to be the son of the Chief Superintendent of Brighton. This makes the case even trickier for Detective Superintendent Jo Howes. The situation becomes even more desperate for her with blackmail, vigilantes and police corruption thrown into the mix.

It’s dark and gritty in places, but generally I’d say mid way on the gore score. The writing style is polished and proficient. The seniority level of the protagonist is a higher than usually found in police procedurals giving the storyline a different base point.

Plot wise there’s plenty going on throughout. The threads have a good complexity are intricately interwoven. The pov’s are varied including both protagonists and antagonists, we get a more street vibe from the county lines drug runner. There’s a good pace maintained throughout with no lag, and it builds up to a full on action finale.

The characters and their back stories are well fleshed, the protagonists have their flaws. Theres a good level of emotion and empathy shown by them. There’s some good attention to detail demonstrated.
I made a list of characters and their relationships as there are a lot mentioned in the early stages of the book. The amount of concentration required is the only reason this isn’t a full fledged rate 5⭐️

There’s snippets of humour running throughout too, but nothing that’s slapstick.

I highly recommend this book, and eagerly await the next instalment.