Broadland

A chilling Norfolk Broads crime thriller (DI Tanner Book 1)

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 5 Apr 2019 | Archive Date 15 Sep 2019

Description

Broadland is already an Amazon international bestseller, and is considered by many to be the debut crime thriller of the year.

"I bloody loved the book. Wow! Loved the twists and turns!" Ali Dunn

A girl’s body found mutilated by a boat’s propeller, another dumped at the bottom of a slipway, and a disused Norfolk mill, hiding the secret to both.

When a girl’s body is found strangled, raped, and horrifically mutilated by a boat’s propeller, deep in the heart of the Norfolk Broads, newly arrived Detective Inspector John Tanner is asked to assist with the investigation.

At first, all the evidence points to a man who had a multi-million pound reason to kill her. But when an alibi is produced from an unexpected source, and another body appears at the base of a slipway, Tanner finds himself turning to local girl, Detective Constable Jenny Evans for help.

As a more romantic relationship develops between them, they find themselves facing a race against time to identify a lethal adversary, one with a lust for blood and a mind set on revenge.

Set within the mysterious beauty of the Norfolk Broads, this fast-paced British detective series is a murder mystery with a slice of humour and a touch of romance, one that will have you guessing until the very end, when the last shocking twist is finally revealed. 

Broadland is already an Amazon international bestseller, and is considered by many to be the debut crime thriller of the year.

"I bloody loved the book. Wow! Loved the twists and turns!" Ali Dunn

...



Average rating from 41 members


Featured Reviews

I am a big fan of this author's comedy space series so I was very intrigued when I heard that he had "gone all serious" for this, the beginning of his police procedural crime series, set in the Norfolk Broads. Would he really be able to put all the bonkers, irreverent humour behind him and set his mind to something a little more serious?
And... the verdict is... yes he blooming well can! Although it did hold echos of his trademark humour in some of the dialogue between the two main characters, but nothing on the scale of Capstan and Dewbush! So, for all you who didn't quite gel with these books, and are not sure whether to take a punt on this series, have no fear, they are nothing the same!
Jane Richardson is missing. Daughter of a prominent local millionaire, could it be money related? Could it be kidnap? New boy to the team, just transferred in, DI John Tanner is teamed up with born-and-bred DC Jenny Evans to investigate. Then Jane's body turns up and fingers start to point at the husband. But he was, well, he was pretty well occupied at the time. Or was he? Tanner and Evans continue with their investigations, alongside other officers and it soon becomes evident that this is going to be a tricky one to solve.
As with all new series, there is quite a bit scene setting and character development to be found in this book. Nothing more than the average series opener, and it doesn't distract from the main plot. Personally, I can do without all the boaty stuff but as the setting is quite important to both the series and the crimes being investigated, and also spoke to character development, I was happy to accept their inclusion.
Yes, there are a few cliches to be found herein. The wounded cop with a dark past, a colleague who is less than welcoming and a sidekick that, well, you'll discover that when you read the book. But, that formula generally works, and this book is no exception to that.
The crimes in the book are well plotted and the investigation flows along nicely, with twists and turns aplenty, along with the usual secrets, lies and duplicitous behaviour. Yes, I did think they were a bit slow on the uptake regarding one key thing that I saw a mile off, and I did spend a bit shouting at them to see it too but they did get there in the end!
The characters were all well described and I took to the majority right from the off as I found them all easy to connect to. Interaction and banter between them was also spot on for me and made them feel more real. So much so that, when things transpired towards the end, I was literally reading with my heart in my mouth as the book reached its rather shocking conclusion.
All in all, a cracking series opener which I thoroughly enjoyed and which left me hankering for the next one. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve always enjoyed reading David Blake’s comedy books full of British slapstick.
This is a turn to the serious DCI Tanner has relocated from London to the Norfolk broads to get away from bad memories of his daughters murder.
He is new to the area and is treated as such by his contemporaries which he takes on the chin.
He is assigned to missing persons with DC Evans. He strikes up a good working relationship and possibly more as they investigate a missing woman.
The story moves along well, I want to let you know it’s highly entertaining but don’t want to give any plot spoilers, there’s great chemistry between the main characters and although some of the plot is easy to gauge there are some nice twists.
Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Was this review helpful?

A thoroughly enjoyable read. I could not help but compare the characters and situations found here with the tv series “Midsomer Murders”. The writing and plot development was skillful and smooth. I will look for future books in the series. Well done!

Was this review helpful?

This is a really good book! I finished this in 2 days flat. It was quite the page turner and had me hooked from the very beginning. I really enjoyed the style of writing and the characters. were well crafted. I enjoyed the rapport and the banter between DI Tanner and DC Evans. The ending I could guess but I still enjoyed it. My only point of contention was that the ending felt a bit simple and rushed. Overall a good book, one which I thoroughly enjoyed and wouldn't hesitate to recommend. And a big thank you to NetGalley and Black Oak Publishing for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

David first came to my attention a couple of years ago when I first read book 1 in his Inspector Capstan series, The Slaughtered Virgin of Zenopolis and have read every book he has published since.

This book however is completely different to his Inspector Capstan, Abigail Love and Space Patrol books, as it is a serious Police procedural book instead of the comedy of his other series.

I was very intrigued to see how this worked and I am very to pleased to confirm that David is as brilliant a serious writer as he is a comedy one and I am very pleased he managed to pull this off.

As this is the first book in the series we learn all about the main characters early on and the scene setting can take a bit of time but it was all worth it as it made the story flow much better later on and visualising everything was easier when I knew what people looked like and the lay of the land.

The story line flows really well and had me guessing all the way through.

At times the book does seem to be very by the book in a police procedural process but it works really well and there are some very nice and unique twists throughout. I guessed a couple of bits but still ended up seconding guessing myself afterwards.

Overall this is a brilliant first serious book for David and I can’t wait to read the sequel, which is due out later this year.

Was this review helpful?

First encounter with DI John Tanner and DC Jenny Evans Congratulations to David Blake a great story, great locations, great partnership look forward to it blossoming professionally and in their personal lives. Looking forward to more from them in St Benet’s.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book, the story was fast paced with short enough chapters to make me want to keep turning the pages. The twists and turns in the story kept me guessing and I enjoyed the characters which I felt were very believable and I could empathise with. I would recommend this author and book if anyone likes a fast paced crime.
story you can get your teeth into!

Was this review helpful?

This is the first crime fiction story from this author and is an excellent police procedural featuring DI John Tanner. Relocating from the Met to Wroxham station in Norfolk after the death of his daughter Tanner is resigned to having a much quieter time of it, even if it seems that his wealth of experience may be wasted on a small CID division based on the scenic Norfolk Broads. He hasn't even organised a flat or house, instead having the loan of a small boat from an old boss to live on for the immediate future. Arriving at his new station on day one, he is obviously resented by his fellow DI Burgess, a younger and far more inexperienced officer who is delighted when Tanner is relegated to a missing persons enquiry. Paired up with young detective DC Jenny Evans, his first case is that of a missing wife who never arrived home after working her shift running a local pub. However when a woman's body is found strangled and mutilated in the river and caught up in a boat's propeller Tanner is sure they have found their girl. All the evidence points to her husband who had plenty of motive but he has an unexpected alibi, and detectives Tanner and Burgess have to cast their net wider for a suspect. With the discovery of a second similar murder things take a darker and more sinister turn, and the race is on to catch a killer bent on revenge. The story moves along well throughout the book with a nicely dramatic ending, and is set in a lovely part of the world where the author amply demonstrates his boating knowledge. The characters are well defined and I liked the relationships forming between them all. Some parts of the plot are reasonably easy to guess but the overall story is well thought out and there are plenty of little twists thrown in. I really enjoyed this story and I am hoping there will be more books in this series out soon. Definitely recommended.

Was this review helpful?

The best review I can give is that I've already pre-ordered Book #2 in this excellent series. The main character Tanner and even the supporting cast are all interesting. The story was very interesting and the back story leaves much for future books in the series. June 26th can't come soon enough.

Was this review helpful?

This is one of those rare books that deserves the hype. A whodunnit detective story with wit, romance, and growing unease. I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more by the author.

Was this review helpful?

I've never read any of David Blake's books before but am a great fan of crime fiction. This didn't disappoint and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would have liked to have learnt more about DI Tanner's character and background but am sure this will come out in future books. It didn't take me too long to read and now I'm looking forward to the next one! Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read and review!

Was this review helpful?

A well written and interesting story located in the Norfolk Broads. A newly transfered DI from the Met is assigned to a station on the Broads where he has to learn to live on a boat on the river. Being a new comer his presence causes an upset in the police unit’s balance of seniority and so he is not overly welcome and needs to tread softly and find a way to integrate himself into the team. The station’s DCI assigns him on missing persons with a young attractive DC as his assistance to fill him in with local knowledge. How romance slowly develops with the DC and how things get more serious and fraught with conflicts and danger when a missing persons case develops into murder turns into a most exciting story.

Was this review helpful?

Brilliant story!! I was completely drawn in. The characters were extremely believable, and I was constantly trying to work out who the perpetrator was, and was wrong every time!! So this book by David Blake is extremely well written, and keeps you in suspense the whole time!!

Was this review helpful?

This is the first book written by David Blake that I've read .DI john tanner and DC Jenny Evans are the main two characters.As usual I won't bore you with the blurb you can read that on places like Amazon all I'll say is I thought the first few chapters were a bit slow but as I carried on it soon became very a fast paced and interesting read it reminded me of an old saying about march in like a lamb out like a lion a brilliant book I recommend you read it you won't be sorry

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely fabulous, brilliant 5 star book. Great characters, thrilling plot... can't wait to read more by David Blake.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: