I'm slowly getting through some of my older books that seem to have been lost inside my kindle for far too long.

What an interesting read this turned out to be. A great thriller with twists and turns. If you like a good thrilling read then this is recommended for you.
Great characters and a very interesting storyline. Will have you hooked.
Thrilled to have now realised that there is a follow on book to this. Sometimes being behind in your reading can have advantages.

Happy reading.

A great psychological detective thriller with plenty of twists and red herrings

Great characters and well written

Thank you Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

A wonderful and compelling read that had me glued to my kindle from the very first page. A book that is really recommend.

I found this book incredibly frustrating. The bones of the story are quite good, but I just didn’t take to Ray Drake. I know this is the start of a series, but I would be much more inclined to read further books with Flick Crowley as the lead character.

I was also very annoyed by some of the earlier sections with a younger, female officer being gaslit by an older, male officer. I know why this was done in the context of the story, but this is not something I want to see in fiction if possible - I was tempted at that stage to stop reading the book.

When you’ve had a book in the TBR for a long time then finally bring it into the light to read the best reaction you can hope for is “Damn, that was a brilliant book – why did I wait so long to read it?” That was certainly my reaction to Two O’Clock Boy – it’s a dark one and the author has created a brilliant (and unpredicable) lead character in DI Ray Drake.

At the start of Two O’Clock Boy Drake and his team can be found celebrating. Promotions have been awarded and Drake is now a DI, his colleague – Flick Crowley – is the DS who will be given the challenge of investigating the gruesome murders which occur at the outset of the story. Note my use of the word “gruesome” only fair to warn you in advance that Two O’Clock Boy is on the darker side. There’s a lot of unpleasant stuff coming down the line and the early murder scene should set your expectations in terms of content.

For Drake the crime scene is going to rock his world. He knows the victims. He connects one of the bodies to Longacre Children’s Home – a place he hasn’t visited for many long years. Through a series of flashback chapters we see Drake as a teen and learn of his connection to Longacre Children’s Home where his cousin was resident at the Home and he tried to spend time in her company. But Drake’s presence wasn’t tolerated by the owner of the home or the couple who helped look after the children. Though to say the children were looked after is misleading – the children lived in terrible conditions, they were used in criminal activity and the Home’s owner would abuse the kids in his care. As a child Drake knew the place was a virtual prison for the children and he tried to highlight the danger they were in to his parents – influential members of the community.

Drake realises he cannot afford to have his connection to Longacre explored by his colleagues but can he stop Crowley getting to the truth? The stakes are raised when it becomes clear there is someone who remembers Drake as a child and that same someone is determined to end the lives of anyone connected to Longacre. Drake is in danger and it seems his daughter may also be at risk but he still can’t let Crowley know what’s really going on. This means the reader follows Crowley’s investigation, Drake’s own attempts to uncover the identity (and location) of the killer and through the flashback chapters we learn more about the plight of the children at Longacre. Those chapters which take in Drake’s teenage years also allow Mark Hill to drip more and more important detail into our awareness and we slowly begin to understand why events from the mid 1980’s are so important thirty years later.

I absolutely loved Two O’Clock Boy – though finding out why the book has this title was another shocking chapter. Having a lead character who was a senior police officer but wasn’t actively investigating the murders was a brilliant hook and I had to know how things were going to turn out. Early buy-in ensures this reader will be captivated to the story. To put it in blunt context…I normally read three or four books at any one time. While I read Two O’Clock Boy no other books got a look-in. That’s a sign of quality.

The Two O’Clock Boy (also known as His First Lie), introduces us to D.I. Ray Drake. Drake is an enigma. He has a murky past which he refuses to talk about, his wife has recently passed away, and his relationship with his daughter has become increasingly estranged following the loss of her mother.

When figures from Drake’s past being turning up dead, murdered by a mysterious culprit nicknamed Two O’Clock Boy, Drake will go to whatever lengths necessary to conceal his past. Even if those lengths involve putting his job (and his family) at risk…

The Two O’Clock Boy is utterly brilliant. The slippery slope of corruption which Drake finds himself sliding down is gripping, and it was impossible to resist reading just one more chapter to see how much further Drake would go. The extended cast of characters is interesting too – particularly Flick, a fellow police officer who has a lot of family drama going on behind the scenes. This book follows multiple characters to craft a detailed and immersive crime story which views the case from all angles, and each viewpoint is equally interesting. Often with crime novels which switch from person to person, I find myself struggling to stay connected to the story and desperate to get back to one or two of the key players. The Two O’Clock Boy was the complete opposite, and the switching of viewpoints kept the pace driving forward at an irresistible rate.

There are a lot of flashbacks and these break the story up nicely. However, it was a bit of a shock to the system when we first travelled back in time, as I haven’t read too many crime novels which utilise non-chronological timelines, and it took me a little while to get my head around it.

My only issue with this novel is that it feels as though there’s a bit too much going on at points. The first chapter features some very important foreshadowing (I’m warning you of that now so you remember to keep it in mind throughout your reading of the story!), but by the time it became relevant I’d completely forgotten that it had happened because so much had gone on.

I gave The Two O’Clock Boy four stars, and I was very excited to carry on with the second book in the D.I. Ray Drake series.

The first novel in the DI Ray Drake series.
THE TWO O'CLOCK BOY is a very good introduction to a new character/series. Well-written and tightly-plotted, it quickly grabbed my attention and didn't really let up.
Definitely interested in reading more by the author.

This book opens with a cracking chapter which is both gripping and disturbing in equal measures. Then we meet DI Ray Drake who has a very dodgy past and a questionable policing attitude . Now chasing a mysterious killer who is targeting families from Ray's past.
I struggled throughout this book, mainly because there were so many characters I found it hard to remember who was who. I was also left with so many unanswered questions at the end but hopefully those will be addressed in the sequel. 3.5

The Two O'Clock Boy by Mark Hill is the first book in the DI Ray Drake series and is a book that I'd had sitting on my shelf waiting to be read for quite a long time. I was looking forward to reading it but have to admit that when I first started it I wasn't too sure whether it was going to be the book for me as unlike most crime novels I've read it didn't instantly grab me. However, I persisted with it and have to say that I’m glad I did.

Within this particular book we meet Detective Inspector Ray Drake, a man who is still coming to terms with the death of his wife and a man who has many secrets from his past life, secrets he’d prefer to stay buried. Promoting his colleague, Detective Sargeant Flick Crowley, it’s not long before she starts work on a horrific murder case involving the Overton family, which immediately concerns Drake and takes him back to the 1980s and Longacre Children’s Home. With the Overton’s case being just the start of a terrible chain of events, for how long can Ray’s secrets stay undiscovered?

The Two O’Clock Boy was a book that was told from the viewpoint of multiple different characters and also jumped between the past and present. This was something that worked really well for the book and allows the reader to get to know and understand the history behind the characters. Whilst I wouldn’t say that any of the characters were particularly likeable, I thought that they were all well developed and well thought through. In many ways the book wouldn’t be what it was without all of them, who lead you to question so much about morality and whether people can really change. They really helped to make the book as great as it was.

Throughout the entirety of The Two O’Clock Boy, Mark Hill slowly drip feeds you information which allows you to see the bigger picture for yourself and figure out just what is going on. Whilst this did make for a slightly slower-paced novel than I might have liked, I think this particular way of telling the story works in this novel’s favour. Once I’d got into it, I found that I became instantly intrigued in what was going on to the point that I struggled to put it down, although being quite squeamish I did struggle with the violent scenes that were described in some graphic detail. With so much going on within this book which made it so intricate and complex, it would have been quite easy to lose track of what was happening had it not been for Mark’s wonderful way of keeping the reader focused and on track.

A gritty read and one that contained a number of shocking twists and turns that I could never have predicted and did not see coming, The Two O’Clock Boy was a book that both shocked and surprised me in equal measure. I feel that Mark is to be commended for this book, one that I feel has provided a good introduction to a series that I’d definitely like to follow.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book for free in exchange for a review (two months late but here it is!)

From page one you are thrown into a murder (it's not the main murder but it becomes relevant later) and I was hooked from the instant.

The story flicks between 1984 and the present day, after Kenny Overton and his family are brutally murdered. I liked this, it added context behind the killings, and also gave us an insight into the background of the detective- DI Ray Drake, which really helped to bring the story together once we got to the conclusion.

It's all relevant in the end.

Newly promoted DI Drake and DS Flick Crowley are chosen to work together on the case- well, Drake puts himself onto the case. Could there be a reason behind it? Or is he just there for DS Crowley to lean on if it gets too much? It turns out to be the former, and it's all fine to start with until Flick discovers the link between the victims.

Longacre Children's Home.

It's a link that could uncover dark secrets that DI Drake has kept hidden away, regarding his past, and regarding Longacre. Secrets he doesn't really want to come to light. It could put him in danger.

What I liked about this novel is the range of characters involved in the story- each one was so different and I wanted a back story for each of them- which the author provided in some cases- and they were so well developed I felt like I knew them.

Then Hill drops some bombshells into the mix which caused me to doubt if I even knew them at all. I was shocked, I started to doubt myself because usually I try and work out where the story is going to go.

I always find it difficult with crime novels.

Just goes to show that's good writing!

I really enjoyed this book- the only reason I gave it four stars is because sometimes it was slow in places or predictable, however its a gripping novel because there was something always happening.

I'd love to read more - it ended very suddenly. Not that it was a bad thing, it could have ended on a cliffhanger! It's a fantastic, well thought out, well written read and I'd highly recommend it.

4/5 stars.

Brilliant!

I’m afraid I could not get into this book. I felt a disconnect from the setting and the characters from the first page, and reading it was a struggle.

This is a fantastic crime thriller and police procedural, but it doesn't get too bogged down in procedure details like some books do. I did work out the identity of the two o'clock boy early on in the story but that did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book, as there are plenty of other twists and revelations. The ending is a corker and I'm excited for the sequel.

I love crime thrillers and detective books so was eager to meet a new DI. It didn't take long to have me drawn into the book (well when a story starts with, 'The boy loved his parents more than anything on this Earth. And so he had to kill them.' you can't help but be hooked).

Unlike the majority of detective novels I read, I did not like our protagonist much at all. Aside from his corruption of the case, his misogynistic attitude towards Flick Crowley, who was actually in charge of the case, really irked me. But this is actually part of what made this book so good – you're not really supposed to like him.

When I reached the halfway point, I started to get a little bored. I felt the story was becoming predictable and had lost the pace needed to keep me engaged. However, I persevered and I'm glad I did. The mundane middle section was possibly just Mark Hill's way of lulling me into a false sense of security, because I was not at all prepared for the ending. Would I read the next book by Mark Hill? Yeah, I think I would.

I've had this sitting on my pile for quite a while before I finally got around to reading it and I'm aware that my views and rating will be at odds with the majority of other reviews. I can almost certainly say that it is largely down to aspects of it that I found uncomfortable and coloured my overall view as they stuck firmly in my mind. If these elements were missing it would probably have been a 4* rating from me. For others these elements no doubt added to the realism and character of the book, so you pays your money and you takes your choice. That's the fun of books, we all read them differently.

I will say that as an opening line to draw you in, this has one of the best - "The boy loved his parents more than anything on this Earth. And so he had to kill them." - if that doesn't have you wanting to read more, I'm not sure what will.

The question is, what does this have to do with a series of grisly and (nasty) murders that follow involving families? That task is allocated to newly promoted DS Flick Crowley and her DI Ray Drake. Theirs was an interesting relationship which I did enjoy reading about. Crowley is keen to do well on her first investigation as DS but is worried that DI Drake is rueing his choice to promote her. What appears to have been a mutually supportive relationship appears to be unravelling and as a reader we are also left wondering exactly what is going on with DI Drake, because something is seriously amiss. As characters they both have their back stories which makes them rounded, realistic and in DI Drake's case a bit of an enigma. He certainly doesn't fit the traditional mould.

As the book unfolds we have a dual timeline as the ongoing investigation links the murders to the inhabitants of a now defunct children's home. The story of the Longacre Children's home, which presents itself as more 1880's in care, administration and outlook than it's 1980's reality, was a grim place. It was this aspect of the book I disliked, the Dickensian like home manager was despicable and I found his actions totally abhorrent and cruel. In some ways I guess it is testament to the author's writing that it had the effect it did, but it left me feeling queasy and uncomfortable. I should stress there is no hint of sexual abuse for anyone worried about that. I'm just not good with child cruelty and mental abuse.

Initially I did get a bit bogged down with what seemed to be an ever-growing cast of characters that needed to be remembered until their place in the book became apparent. What cannot be denied though, is that once the book took off, the plot was gripping. As well as solving the link with the past, there is a growing realisation that in the present, no-one appears to be quite what they seem and everyone has secrets and surprises they would prefer to keep hidden. As a debut novel, it was certainly well written and plotted, if just a bit too dark for me.

Aside from my personal reservations I'd certainly not be put off reading more as I loved the police procedural aspects and the characters of DS Crowley and DI Drake have certainly got great potential.

I received an ecopy via NetGalley for the purposes of this review.

The Two O’ Clock Boy is one of the brilliantly twisty novels that I have read for a long time. Flick Cowley is investigating the murder of a family and whilst investigating realises that there is a link with other murders. The victims all had a link with an old children’s home. Her superior officer Ray Drake is helping and guiding her through her first major case. But he is also manipulating evidence and discouraging her from looking into the past. Understandably she is annoyed and confused by his actions. In some ways they are similar, both have personal problems. Ray has recently lost his wife and his daughter in struggling with her grief has turned against him.
Some of the people who have been murdered spent time at Longacre, a children’s home that had serious issues. Part of the novel reveals what happened there in 1984 and was unfortunately believable. But the main storyline deals with the current investigation and trying to keep the remaining members of the home safe.
I have read many crime novels but I can honestly say that I have never read any like this. I often see twists coming and sometimes I am disappointed by them. Sometimes they have no seeable connection to the rest of the story. But in this novel, I had no idea what was going to happen, what had happened and who the murderer was. The twists were all very well hidden and they all worked. Not once was I left shaking my head in disbelief.
I don’t know if this is a standalone or the first in a series. Each would work perfectly well but I would love to see a follow up. This is a book that will definitely be one of my top ten books for 2017.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.

Wow a great storyline. A few twists and turns but such a great book. Highly recommend
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I use the term slow burner a lot. There are books that take their own sweet time to get going and then wham! You're in the middle of a raging fire. This book shoulders to around a fifth through then we don't get a raging fire. Oh no instead it's positively volcanic.

DS Felicity "Flick" Crowley has just taken over DI Ray Drakes murder investigation team, and her first case is a grim one. A family have been lured to their deaths, brutally murdered. The death is the latest to be linked to a grim children's home that burned down in suspicious circumstances over 30 years before. As she tries to tie her leads together she's confused to find that Drake, who has previously been her mentor and friend impedes her at every step. At first she thinks he's struggling to let go of his team, or maybe he thinks her promotion is a mistake.....but gradually she begins to wonder if he's in fact hiding something from her....

There are twists a plenty in this novel. It's one of those when you think you know what's going on but actually you don't know the half of it. Within its genre and as a first book in a series AND a debut novel this is outstanding. I'm seriously looking forward to part two.

Thanks to Netgalley, publishers and author for this copy for an honest review.

Well, this was an explosive and impressive start to what promises to be a great new crime series!

The Two O'Clock Boy features an intricate, interesting and fast-paced plot which kept my intrigued - and guessing - until the end. The main character, DI Drake, is a bit of a maverick and is certainly different in many ways to the usual high-up Detective, though I won't say how, and the rest of the team have their own quirks and personality traits which make them an interesting team to read about. I really liked Flick, too, although at times she didn't really help herself in being liked by others! Described as being a great book for fans of Luther, I'd have to agree - it's got a real edge to it and I always love reading crime series set in the UK (this series being set in London).

In this book people are not who they seem to be, and those who should be helping others don't always set up to the mark. No one is perfect, nothing is too clear cut - some people have good parts and bad parts to them, but it doesn't make them good or bad, just human. It also poses the question: can people really change? The characters in this novel really make it such a gripping, impressive read - they're complex and full of surprises.
The story twists and turns with plenty of action and grit. The narrative focuses on two main timeframes - the present day, as Drake and his team set about furiously trying to solve the case, and back in the 80's at a horrible children's home. Some parts are quite hard to read about, particularly those set in the past narrative, with the poor kids stuck at Longacre Children's home, but it all adds to the shocking feel of the book.

Dark, deep and deliciously twisted... I raced through The Two O'Clock Boy and am already looking forward to number 2 in the series!

Actual rating 3.5 stars

This is a book I honestly wanted to love, but I found myself just liking it instead.

The story is a good one, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't find myself as absorbed by it. I very easily put the book down and didn't have it constantly on my mind, desperate to get back to out and work out who was the culprit. One of the twists I figured out pretty early on, but it didn't spoil the story for me knowing it.

The story itself jumps back and forth from past to present, which gives the reader a greater insight into what happened years before. Tying it into the present day leads us to meet a good number of different characters, all of whom are written very well.

For fans of crime this should appeal. As I've said, it just didn't jump out at me as a go to book, but that's simply my opinion. Many others love the story, so it's up to each reader to make their own minds up.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Could not stop reading it - read it in one sitting! Was not expecting the many twists at the end and the sudden ending but really enjoyed it!