Scarecrow

This is a gritty crime thriller which is different in that the person investigating the crimes, is a journalist.
Danny Sanchez moved to Spain several years ago but when a body is discovered buried in the walls of a house, he starts to suspect the murder is linked to a case he worked on in the UK.
The ‘scarecrow’ was imprisoned in the UK and the Police were certain he was the killer but Danny has his doubts.
He works closely with other journalists in Spain and the UK and together they piece it all together.
I really enjoyed this book, especially the second half, as the pace picked up and I enjoyed trying to work out who was behind the murders.
The police do have a role to play so don’t think it’s a gung ho journalist saving the day. The story cleverly weaves many characters involvement in the investigation together.
Thanks to Sapere and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sapere Books for an advance copy of Scarecrow, the first thriller to feature Almería based journalist Danny Sanchez.

When a house demolition uncovers a mutilated corpse it reminds Danny of the first big case he covered as a journalist in 1995 when “Scarecrow” murdered five Englishmen in a horrific manner before being caught and incarcerated in a high security hospital where he still remains. Danny is the only one seeing the link as, for various reasons, neither the British or Spanish Authorities want to know so it’s up to him to investigate.

I thoroughly enjoyed Scarecrow which is a fast paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns. It should be noted that the subject matter makes for some gruesome descriptions so it is not for the faint hearted but if you don’t mind it’s a great read which held my attention from start to finish. It is told in the third person, mostly from Danny’s point of view, with the odd chapter outlining the unnamed killer’s thoughts, basically he wants what he wants. This works well as the killer’s identity is well camouflaged and will come as a surprise to many readers. The novel itself is fairly frantic with reveals and developments in every chapter - never a dull moment, exactly what you want from a thriller.

I love the depiction of life in Southern Spain as Mr Pritchard looks beyond the tourist image to reveal some of the underlying problems in the region. It’s informative without preaching and provides food for thought.

Danny Sanchez is a great creation. He’s not perfect, struggling with personal relationships (inept springs to mind) and single minded in his pursuit of the story, but his interactions with others make him likeable and appear very human.

Scarecrow is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Scarecrow, the first novel to feature tough-as-nails journalist Danny Sanchez, is nothing less than a superb thriller, far superior to many I have experienced. The plot has many different facets to it - a sick and twisted serial killer, amazing character development and taut, fast-moving prose. Add to that a large dollop of intrigue and you've got all the ingredients for a compelling and unputdownable read. I loved how intelligent the killer was, he was smart enough to keep in the favour of some useful people, keeping them sweet until the time he may need them to come to his aid. Not only does this callous and brutal perpetrator murder his victims, but he also has an insatiable appetite for torture, making the investigators even more hell-bent on catching him quickly and perhaps saving the life of his next target in the process.

There is a unique and distinctive European flavour the like of which I have rarely come across in the genre before. The Spanish culture seemed to be depicted authentically, presumably due to the time the author spent living there and absorbing the Spanish influences. He also does a fantastic job in illustrating the hardship journalists go through and in depicting the criminal elements that are at play in Almeria. Pritchard's building of our main protagonist, Danny, is wonderful as he manages to make him hard-nosed but very human too.

He is also adept at weaving an intricate, thought-provoking novel whilst maintaining an easily readable style that begs to be devoured in a single, frantic page-turning sitting. If you enjoy grisly and disturbing crime fiction that is complex and expertly crafted then this is well worth your time. I will be picking up the next instalment and hope they'll be as impressive and explosive as Scarecrow was. I don't hand out five-star ratings lightly, but Scarecrow is fully deserving of that rating and each star has been thoroughly earned. Miss it, miss out!

Many thanks to Sapere Books for an ARC.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, I loved this book, full of investigate journalism to find a story after an dead body is found in a villa that is being demolished in Spain.

Danny Sanchez is a likeable character. He has been doing a story on the villa's under threat of demolish where he lives and is there when the body is found. Furthermore, he goes on to find another body buried in a different house and informs the police. This one brings back memories from a story from earlier in his career called the Scarecrow. He looks into this and then things spiral from there,

I hope there is going to be a second book featuring Danny Sanchez.....

‘How could that be? Fifteen years later and here was another body, exactly the same.’

Danny Sanchez, a journalist working in Spain, is covering the judicial demolition of a villa belonging to Arthur and Peggy Cooke, an ex-patriate British couple in the Almería province of Spain. It’s a sad event for the Cookes. They were one of eleven families whose homes are to be demolished for construction irregularities. Danny has been covering the story for some time: construction irregularities are a huge issue in Spain. The demolition begins but is quickly stopped when a dead body is found hidden within the walls of the house.

From there events move quickly. Danny is reminded of a case he covered in the UK some years earlier: can it be a copycat murder, or has the UK murderer relocated to Spain? There are a few different strands to this story. There are dodgy builders and missing people as well as some political twists. Along the way we learn something of Danny’s personal life.

While I worked out some of the answers before the end of the book, the story kept me interested. I understand that this is the first book in a series to feature Danny Sanchez. I look forward to the next.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I absolutely thought this book was terrific and would recommend to other readers who like thrillers. I was hooked right to the end.

SCARECROW introduces Danny Sanchez, a journalist living and working in Spain. He's been sent, along with a photographer, to report on the demolition of the home of an ex-pat, generally a routine undertaking.

But Danny sees something that leads to a story beyond belief. Before all the dust settles, Danny is thrown back to his past, the first story he ever covered ... the trial and conviction of the serial killer known as The Scarecrow.

Today's body, found behind a wall, is only the first. Soon there is another body, behind another wall, in another house.

The means of killing and the same very peculiar pattern of mutilation are exactly the same .. but The Scarecrow has been institutionalized in a mental facility all these years.

Are these killings a copycat? Who will be the next to die? When the killer turns his attention to Danny, no one around him is safe.

This is an excellent thriller ... full of action, a real page turner. The story concept is precise with some very unique characters. There are twists and turns and the ending is a stunner. I look forward to seeing more of this series featuring a hard-bitten reporter who only wants to get at the truth.

Many thanks to the author / Sapere Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.