Lines Of Inquiry by Rhys Dylan

Lines Of Inquiry by Rhys Dylan
Publisher: Wyrmwood Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Fern

One of our own…

DCI Evan Warlow believes that murder is a cardinal sin. Even when the victim is a drug dealing, money-laundering criminal. But when a police officer is shot in the same incident at a tranquil beach near Tenby in South Pembrokeshire… Suddenly it’s personal. What appears, on the surface, to be a falling out between partners in crime soon spirals into an operation involving gang warfare and a great deal of money.

But even Warlow is not prepared for what lurks beneath the surface of this most terrible of crimes. The truth, hidden under a tangled knot of lies, will lead him to a terrifying conclusion, and that most dangerous of beings; a killer with nothing left to lose.

Another fast paced, gripping police procedural that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Two police officers are shot following up what at first appeared to be a minor phone call. DCI Evan Warlow and his team are called in to investigate and what superficially looks like a simple matter quickly becomes murky and intricate. Can Warlow and his team untangle what quickly becomes quite a dangerous situation?

I’ve been greatly enjoying this Welsh-based police procedural series and found this to be an excellent addition. While the team has quite a history of working together now and they’ve formed quite a solid routine and pattern I still definitely feel readers should be fine to pick this book up and read it without having read any of the previous history. The plot and workings between the team are quite clear and the depth of connection between them all is quite a pleasure to read to my mind.

I was interested that there were a few longer-running story arcs that popped up in this book and clearly there’s a thread with Molly – the daughter of one of the detectives – that progressed a nice amount in this book. I thought the author did a really good job balancing between the police procedural aspect to the case and the plotline of the murder mystery but also showing the private lives of the team and moving some of their emotional growth forward as well. I thought this showed a good balance and a lot of talent on the author’s part.

Readers looking for an action-orientated story or a faster moving pace might not find this quite fits the bill for them, but for readers who enjoy a solid murder mystery with quite a few roaming parts should find like I did that this is a well written and well-paced book with interesting characters and an enjoyable plot. A good book in an interesting series and I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment.