I originally come from the area about which this book is based and looked forward to reading, never having read any of this author's books previously.
The book kept my interest, was easily read but became a little confusing towards the end as I felt too much was happening at once in a few pages! I enjoyed the story all the same and couldn't help but think about all the under handedness which happens frequently in certain sections of the ruling society of today!!
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book

Birdie Greenwing never got over the deaths of her beloved husband and her twin sister. She has wandered through the days, alone apart from Audrey her rescue dog. When she is told she has terminal cancer she little realises that her remaining days are going to be quite different from the days before. Jane lives next door with Frankie her twelve year old daughter. Jane is a nurse & has always wanted to live in Brighton & have a bit of a break from Min- her overbearing mother; who is also lonely. For Jane, it is hard going, especially as neuro-diverse Frankie (quite my favourite character!!)hates the before & after school clubs- she is NOT a club joining person (might have changed her mind if there had been a taxidermy club!) Ada is a doctor specialising in oncology- she was the one who had to break the news to Birdie. She is Polish & dreadfully homesick. The local Polish shop seems to be her only socialisation. Told from various perspectives we see these people form relationships & become part of each others lives. There are a lot of laugh out loud moment as well as some heart-breaking ones.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this lovely book. I miss them all already!

Thanks to the Joffee books and Netgalley for this eARC.

“Murder on the Clyde” by Daniel Sellers is a riveting addition to the crime mystery genre, particularly the Detective Lola Harris series. This third installment plunges readers into the murky depths of Glasgow’s legendary river and the equally enigmatic urban legend of the Clyde Pusher.

The narrative grips you from the outset as Detective Lola Harris, returning from a rare night out, encounters a scene that sets the tone for the rest of the novel. A young man named Cammy claims to have witnessed the work of the infamous Clyde Pusher—a hooded figure said to throw men into the river to drown. With eight victims over five years and no substantial evidence, the Pusher has remained a specter, dismissed by the police as mere myth.

Sellers masterfully weaves a tale of suspense and intrigue, where the line between legend and reality blurs. The character of Lola Harris is brilliantly crafted—tough yet empathetic, her determination to uncover the truth drives the narrative forward. As she delves into the investigation unofficially, she faces pushback from her superiors, hinting at a cover-up that adds layers of complexity to the plot.

The pacing of the book is impeccable, with each chapter drawing the reader deeper into the mystery. The setting of Glasgow is almost a character in itself, with its gritty atmosphere perfectly complementing the story’s dark themes. Sellers’ attention to detail and the authenticity of the setting make “Murder on the Clyde” stand out in its vivid portrayal of the city.

What truly sets this book apart is the “massive twist” that awaits readers. Without giving anything away, the revelation is both shocking and satisfying, a testament to Sellers’ skill in plotting a mystery that keeps readers guessing until the very end.

In conclusion, “Murder on the Clyde” is a must-read for fans of crime mysteries. With its compelling protagonist, atmospheric setting, and a plot that delivers a punch, Daniel Sellers has penned a novel that is both a page-turner and a thought-provoking exploration of the myths that haunt a city. It’s a story that stays with you long after the last page is turned, and Detective Lola Harris is a well-rounded, dynamic character.

Third in a series but easily read alone. Young men, gay or assumed to be so, have been pushed into the Clyde on dark, wet nights for some years now. Locals are convinced it's the work of the 'Clyde Pusher', a perverted serial killer. The police insist on simple coincidence and those who feel otherwise are quickly warned off or moved. Lola Harris is not going to be one of those. Plenty of drama, police cover-up, despicable council officers, misogynistic police officers, vulnerable young people. I could have done with less of Lola's energy drink problem and, while sort of relevant, there is an awful lot of detail about streets, ginnels and side alleys of Clydeside Glasgow that I don't think added much to the story (unless you know the city and can follow the routes described). 3.5* rounded up so not as good as previous books in the series (unless I'm just in a more grumpy frame of mind). Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

When I saw the reference to the Clyde in the title and then read that the author lives in the same part of Scotland that I do, I couldn't resist picking up this book. I hadn't read any of the earlier titles in the Lola Harris detective series, but that wasn't a problem. This was a very easy book to get into and contained just the right number of nods to the previous stories to pick up the thread.
Murder on the Clyde concerns a near-mythical serial killer, The Pusher, who disposes of his victims in the River Clyde in Glasgow. Many people believe that The Pusher is real; sadly, the police don't agree. When detective Lola Harris is on the scene one night as another young male has gone into the Clyde, she becomes intrigued and starts to ask questions against a wall of resistance from colleagues and seniors at work.
Lola has two jobs to do in this novel; establish what is really happening with a series of deaths of mostly young gay men, and establish why there is such reluctance to investigate these deaths properly.
I enjoyed the local settings and references dotted throughout this novel, and having worked with the vulnerable communities Lola encounters as she investigates, found this to be a credibly-written book.
Lola Harris is a likeable detective who isn't afraid to upset people in the course of seeing justice done. I will look out for other books in this series.

Complex thriller full of secrets ,lies and stonewalling..Set in Glasgow young men are being killed and pushed into the Clyde. There is a pattern but the bosses don't want to know A good read.

A decent read and similar to many others that are out there using a Glasgow as a backdrop, making it difficult for an author to capture an audience.

🏙Good suspense: Lola tackles a bogeyman & finds loads of resistance⚠

This was my first read of a Daniel Sellers murder mystery and I really enjoyed the plot and the way Lola, the lead police detective, bowed to no one when it came to getting justice for the victims and their families. A strong, principled and intelligent woman as a lead: just the kind of character I like.

The plot had plenty of suspense, with a police cover-up spanning multiple cases, shady actions by a local politician, and Lola determined to end it. Interesting that her most trusted colleagues are female officers and the way she successfully navigates the police bureaucracy to make progress in the case.

Lola's personal life gets constant mention, mostly because she's exhausted due to a lack of sleep and chugs energy drinks to get through the day. Her love life is a minor element but includes an original twist when there are surprising revelations about a fellow she once dated. But I did not find the personal life stuff distracted from the murder case.

If you know the city of Glasgow well, this story is very specific about routes and locations in the city and along the Clyde River which flows through Glasgow. Unfortunately for me, I've only had a few transit stop-offs in the city and I found the descriptions did not click for me. Maybe if the author had included a map it would have helped me picture things better.

All in all a good, solid suspense novel with an engaging lead and total unpredictability. Had me scratching my head and baffled right through to the climax.

Thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

What a page turner! I really enjoyed this book – it’s the third in a series and I haven’t read the others but the characters were well enough laid out for that to be no problem.

The story is set in Glasgow and centres around Lola, a police detective caught up in the case of ‘The Pusher’, a possible serial killer who has been pushing young gay men into the Clyde over a number of years. As she investigates, she realises there has been a cover up of what’s been happening, meaning she has to fight internal politics as well as uncover the killer.

The plot moves along very quickly and the setting is atmospheric, with Glasgow portrayed very realistically. The characters are interesting and the killer hard to guess, so this was a really enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

This book is part of a series, but I think can hold it's own as well. Overall, this was a great read and engaging. There were a lot of characters and it was a little difficult to keep track of at times.

Book 3 of the Lola Haris series sees the Glasgow DCI working on one case when she stumbles across another. A man has been pushed into the river in the style of an urban legend known as the Clyde Pusher. She forces her way into the case, wondering whether there is actually truth behind the stories.

Lola finds several other similar cases, as well as links to a possible cover up involving both police and Council officials. But can she get to the truth?

Murder On The Clyde has a decent premise, but there are too many coincidences that allow the solution to be stumbled across eventually. There are also too many one dimensional characters, good and bad - and that's just among the detectives. And far too much detail is given about Lola's love life and energy drink consumption.

This was a new author for me but I chose the book as I am from Glasgow. Someone has been pushing young men into the Clyde for the last seven years and the police don’t seem interested. Is there a cover up? I liked that I could follow all the streets as I know of the area in the city centre. One down side was that most of the characters despite being Glaswegian were very well spoken! I don’t think you need to read the first two books in the series and I will read the others. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

2024, April 14 — Review of Murder on the Clyde

I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

NINETY CHAPTERS in 4498 Locations on my Kindle Paperwhite (Page numbers are not available.)
I thought that the book was in serious need of editing. This pre-publication copy began on the Prologue with a lot of text in Italic font purporting to represent some sort of news article from the Glasgow Chronicle newspaper in Scotland. It describes the discovery of a murdered young man in the River Clyde. He is just one of the victims of a serial killer known as the “Clyde Pusher.” He kills his victims by striking them on the head rendering them unconscious. He then pushes them into the Clyde River where they subsequently drown.

The very first chapter begins introducing characters by name, with no explanation as to how they fit into the storyline. It took me a while to figure out that some of the characters are active and former detectives with Police Scotland. One of them is searching for a young man called “Cammie,” which is short for Cameron. Lola is searching for Cammie without success. Lola is a retired detective/social worker who is apparently still active in her profession for some unclear reason. There is a clear intent by the author to describe life in the gay community within Glasgow, Scotland.

The writing is cumbersome, with chapter headings titled by date and time. I have no idea why the author thought this might be important, but I did not find it helpful. I read as far as Chapter Eight, at which point I gave up on the book. Reading it had become too tedious. Chapter Eight begins with the subtitle, “9.10 p.m.” The very first sentence in the chapter, however, reads that: “Lola . . . woke with a jolt of adrenaline to find it was five to nine.” This is very confusing. Which is it? Is it 9:10 P.M., or is it five to nine? It can’t be both.

At the end of the story, and after several advertisements for other books from the same publisher, the author includes a “Glossary of English Usage for US Readers.” It is seven and a half pages long and might be more accurately titled “Glossary of Scottish slang and terminology for English readers.”

I apologize to other potential readers of this book for not finishing it so as to provide a more complete description, but I just did not enjoy the writing style at all. I can award only two of five available stars and no recommendation to others. Feel free to skip this one. 2 Stars

DCI Lola Harris #3

Detective Lola Harris is heading back over the river from a rare night out when she spots a crowd of people looking over the parapet. Someone's gone in. A young man called Cammy witnessed everything. He swears it's the work of the Clyde Pusher, but he is terrified of the police. The Clyde Pusher is the stuff of urban legend. A hooded figure who throws men into the river to drown. Eight victims over five years. But according to the police, the Pusher doesn't exist. There are no reliable witnesses, nothing to link the victims. Lola starts looking into the case unofficially but gets a rap on the knuckles from her higher-ups for nosing around. Someone is trying to derail the investigation.

There are a lot of characters to try and remember in this gripping read. The way the Glasgow people speak is how this book is written. There's a serial killer the locals have called the Clyde Pusher, as he pushes his victims into the water and watches them drown. But Lola's bosses tell her there's no connection between the victims. Cammy Leavey has captured footage of the Pushers latest attack, but the Pusher also saw that he was recording the event.

The story is told from DCI Lola Harris' perspective, and we get snippets of information from Cammy and his friend Brenda. There are quite a few flawed characters, But why do the higher-ups in the police force not want this case investigated? You'll need to read this book to find out.

Published 18th April

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #DanielSellers for my ARC of #MurderOnTheClyde in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

To begin with I have to know what it is with authors and writing so many chapters. In this case there are NINETY. And sure, they are on the shorter side and the plotline moves along at a steady pace, but do they have any idea just how intimidating that is for a reader?

Moving on to my review.

On the plus side, I liked this installment much more than I liked the first one (Murder on the Gallowgate). I found that while Lola was still very much the brash, take no shit Detective that she was in the first one, she had also softened a bit around the edges. I liked how she pushed back when she realized that things were not adding up, and how she wasn't afraid to stand her ground against the people doing the covering up.

In addition, finally giving her a team who actually listened to her and worked with her instead of trying to undermine her at every turn was a refreshing change from the first book. I was also pleasantly surprised as to who the killer was. I had my ideas, of course, but the truth was so much more interesting.

On the flip side, when it comes to the rest of the cast? They either faded into the background becoming harder to distinguish one from the other, or they were so over the top in their... should I call it villainy or stupidity? Either way, they were so unbelievable that it was comical. And of course, we have men in positions of power who hate Lola and glare at her and try to undermine (or outright stop) what she's doing at every turn. Now I'm not so naïve that I don't know this happens in the real world, but the fact that it happens to Lola so often (and at every turn) just makes me wonder if there is something in the water in Scotland that makes their officials so corrupt, or if it's just the author is for some reason jaded towards cops (especially of the male variety).

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for my copy of Murder on the Clyde by Daniel Sellers.
I didn’t realise this was the third book in the series but it doesn’t matter. The book works well as a standalone and I’m now hooked on Detective Lola Harris.
If you need someone fearless, and tenacious she’s the detective for you.
Brilliant read, if you can read them in order for the full effect.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Murder on the Clyde, the third novel to feature DCI Lola Harris of Police Scotland set in Glasgow.

Lola is driving home when she sees a crowd on the riverbank, a man has landed in the water and drowned. Cameron Leavey is in no doubt, he saw the killer and the murder, but he’s unwilling to come forward. He saw the “Clyde Pusher” an urban legend who has allegedly claimed eight victims in the past five years. The police don’t believe it and Lola’s unofficial enquiries are rebuffed with a reprimand, until they aren’t.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder on the Clyde, perhaps because I know the places mentioned and understand the mindset or more likely because it is an absorbing read. It is mostly told from Lola’s point of view with Cammy and his friend Brenda chipping in to cover developments Lola can’t. Together they cover a wide ranging plot with unexpected offshoots into unrelated matters.

The plot is great with a lone wolf murderer and a conspiracy that has enough possibility of reality to be believable or if not believable then not dismissible out of hand. I certainly found it possible, but then I’m not very trusting of authority. What Lola finds when she finally gets the go ahead to investigate is shocking. I was gripped by every discovery and they come thick and fast as the novel progresses. At the same time there is tension in Cammy’s plight. The killer has seen him and is hunting him. This is a fast moving read that is well plotted with small twists. At the end of the day it is a police procedural with extras that follows the leads.

I love Lola Harris, who is past her youth but still maintains her thirst for justice. She is a bit of a warrior queen in this novel, taking on all comers and besting them. Go Lola. At the same time she is battling insomnia and a broken heart, but may have found an answer to both by the end of the novel. Imagine what she could do full power. Bring it on.

Murder on the Clyde is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

This is a well written, intricately plotted thriller from the author. Set in Glasgow, which I loved, it's book 3 in the Lola Harris series but easily read as a stand alone. The descriptions brought Glasgow to life, for anyone familiar with the city, and there are a few strands to the story. Lola is an interesting character, suffering from insomnia and leading the case of murdered young men found in the River Clyde. I liked the alternative points of view, which worked very well but I failed to like aunt Brenda! A very good read which I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The 3rd in the Lola Harris series (I must have missed number 2 somehow, so I'm going back to find it!) .

The Pusher is an urban myth in Glasgow. Or are they?

Loved this.

I'll be honest in saying that if the story had been set elsewhere, I would probably have given it 4/4.5*but this is set in my home city and the author gives such a vivid description of the people, the streets and buildings, that I was there with all the characters. I really like Lola too as she is a no nonsense woman and not afraid to speak her mind to the hierarchy when she feels an injustice has been done. I learned a bit more about Glasgow and look forward to the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley / Joffe books for the ARC to review.