A barnstorming thriller & tightly plotted second outing for Charlie Priest!
Consolidating on the success of his phenomenal debut, The Mayfly, James Hazel is back with a follow-up novel that despite being completely different in subject matter and scope once again blends his unique formula of remarkable characters, a fiendishly clever motive, some very brutal deaths and tops it off with an irreverent sense of humour that knits it all together perfectly. The Ash Doll is the second novel to feature the irrepressible Charlie Priest, an ex-CID officer with the Met, now turned successful fraud lawyer and a lovable and very savvy rogue who is characterised by his social ineptness (particularly with the opposite sex) and bouts of dissociative personality disorder and derealisation which cause breakdowns in his perception of reality.
Day one of the due to commence trial of Elias v. The Real Byte Limited and Charlie Priest and his team are defending the small independent online magazine on libel charges brought by the founder and CEO of the Elias Children’s Foundation, Alexia Elias, following a defamatory article published in 2014. Despite its limited media influence the allegations that Alexia was complicit and received significant bribes when a group of staff at the now closed Turkish office were found guilty of funnelling charity funds to a national terrorist cell has gained traction and left a trace of doubt as to her involvement. Charlie, his assistant, Georgie Someday, and in-house counsel, Vincent Okoro await the arrival in court of Simeon Ali, their star witness and whistleblower who formerly worked for the Turkish branch of the charity. When Simeon fails to show the opposing team try to capitalise on the defence’s misfortune but for Charlie and the magazine’s executive editor, Tomas Jansen, Simeon’s claims of being followed and in fear of his life are enough to grant an adjournment to the case. As Charlie flies across London to the rental property that he and his sister own and which Simeon was renting as a safe house he is presented with a property in disarray, the thermostat cranked up to the highest setting but no obvious signs of abandonment. Already suspicious of the scene he is met with it is no surprise to Charlie when Simeon soon turns up murdered and with the Eliases being the obvious suspects and having the most to gain it sends Charlie and intrepid assistant, Georgie, into investigative overdrive.
When this is just the first of several murders Charlie Priest is drawn deeper into a matter far more complex than he ever imagined and his intuition and knack for spotting discrepancies leads him into a web of deceit that puts him and Georgie in jeopardy. Their quest for the truth is hampered by independent journalist, Elinor Fox, a mischievous siren with her own vendetta against the Eliases. As Charlie’s hunch that there was more to Simeon’s claims than meets the eye leads him and Georgie on a trail of crumbs they follow a series of obscure clues which takes them from London to the former house of the Eliases on the Norfolk coast and stumble upon a conspiracy theory regarding the disappearance of a young girl from the cliff face of nearby Devil’s Point. As Charlie separates the truth from a cloud of suspicion and lies it leads him to uncover something far darker and forces him to unite with his former best man, DCI Tiff Rowlinson, to clear up the resulting mess and draw a line under a sickening series of crimes and abuse.
Despite his obvious issues lead protagonist Charlie Priest is impossible not to warm to and vie for with his disarming charm, irreverent banter and the ability to attract just about every woman except the one he wants to! He is a humorous and beleaguered central character in the world of crime fiction that offers something new with a very shrewd mind and an alternative angle to navigating the obstacles he encounters. London based Priest & Co. are similarly staffed by an endearing assortment of quirky oddballs, from eager associate Georgie Someday, with her remarkable processing capacity to OCD encumbered accountant, Solly. The Ash Doll builds on the characterisation of Georgie in The Mayfly and gives more insight into her past. The characters who proliferate Priest’s time away from the office are also equally memorable, from his PhD serial killer and criminally insane brother, fellow dissociative disorder sufferer and unofficial advisor on cases, William, through to his ever forgiving sister, Sarah, and a vindictive ex-wife who is the Assistant Commissioner of the Met!
Brilliantly researched, with very obvious attention to detail the background information that is conveyed is enormous, but it never feels for a minute like an overload or information dump and much of it is relayed in the course of general conversation meaning that The Ash Doll is ridiculously easy to become thoroughly and wholeheartedly involved with. As fast, furious and every bit as fresh as the first book in the series, The Ash Doll, is a gripping thriller packed full of unexpected surprises with plenty of lighter moments thanks to the witty dialogue and cast of quirky oddballs. James Hazel injects a brilliant sense of scathing humour into his narrative and despite Priest’s investigation delving into an unpalatable subject matter it never verges on becoming gratuitous. Once again Hazel delivers a tightly knotted plot with no obvious loose ends or lingering questions that aside from some suspension of disbelief proves gloriously irresistible reading matter!
Two books into the Charlie Priest series with no signs of the second book slump or abatement in the breakneck pace make this series a must-read with author, James Hazel, proving one of the most accomplished new writers in the crime fiction domain! Highly recommended and slickly plotted! Brilliant stuff from start to finish!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Day one of the due to commence trial of Elias v. The Real Byte Limited and Charlie Priest and his team are defending the small independent online magazine on libel charges brought by the founder and CEO of the Elias Children’s Foundation, Alexia Elias, following a defamatory article published in 2014. Despite its limited media influence the allegations that Alexia was complicit and received significant bribes when a group of staff at the now closed Turkish office were found guilty of funnelling charity funds to a national terrorist cell has gained traction and left a trace of doubt as to her involvement. Charlie, his assistant, Georgie Someday, and in-house counsel, Vincent Okoro await the arrival in court of Simeon Ali, their star witness and whistleblower who formerly worked for the Turkish branch of the charity. When Simeon fails to show the opposing team try to capitalise on the defence’s misfortune but for Charlie and the magazine’s executive editor, Tomas Jansen, Simeon’s claims of being followed and in fear of his life are enough to grant an adjournment to the case. As Charlie flies across London to the rental property that he and his sister own and which Simeon was renting as a safe house he is presented with a property in disarray, the thermostat cranked up to the highest setting but no obvious signs of abandonment. Already suspicious of the scene he is met with it is no surprise to Charlie when Simeon soon turns up murdered and with the Eliases being the obvious suspects and having the most to gain it sends Charlie and intrepid assistant, Georgie, into investigative overdrive.
When this is just the first of several murders Charlie Priest is drawn deeper into a matter far more complex than he ever imagined and his intuition and knack for spotting discrepancies leads him into a web of deceit that puts him and Georgie in jeopardy. Their quest for the truth is hampered by independent journalist, Elinor Fox, a mischievous siren with her own vendetta against the Eliases. As Charlie’s hunch that there was more to Simeon’s claims than meets the eye leads him and Georgie on a trail of crumbs they follow a series of obscure clues which takes them from London to the former house of the Eliases on the Norfolk coast and stumble upon a conspiracy theory regarding the disappearance of a young girl from the cliff face of nearby Devil’s Point. As Charlie separates the truth from a cloud of suspicion and lies it leads him to uncover something far darker and forces him to unite with his former best man, DCI Tiff Rowlinson, to clear up the resulting mess and draw a line under a sickening series of crimes and abuse.
Despite his obvious issues lead protagonist Charlie Priest is impossible not to warm to and vie for with his disarming charm, irreverent banter and the ability to attract just about every woman except the one he wants to! He is a humorous and beleaguered central character in the world of crime fiction that offers something new with a very shrewd mind and an alternative angle to navigating the obstacles he encounters. London based Priest & Co. are similarly staffed by an endearing assortment of quirky oddballs, from eager associate Georgie Someday, with her remarkable processing capacity to OCD encumbered accountant, Solly. The Ash Doll builds on the characterisation of Georgie in The Mayfly and gives more insight into her past. The characters who proliferate Priest’s time away from the office are also equally memorable, from his PhD serial killer and criminally insane brother, fellow dissociative disorder sufferer and unofficial advisor on cases, William, through to his ever forgiving sister, Sarah, and a vindictive ex-wife who is the Assistant Commissioner of the Met!
Brilliantly researched, with very obvious attention to detail the background information that is conveyed is enormous, but it never feels for a minute like an overload or information dump and much of it is relayed in the course of general conversation meaning that The Ash Doll is ridiculously easy to become thoroughly and wholeheartedly involved with. As fast, furious and every bit as fresh as the first book in the series, The Ash Doll, is a gripping thriller packed full of unexpected surprises with plenty of lighter moments thanks to the witty dialogue and cast of quirky oddballs. James Hazel injects a brilliant sense of scathing humour into his narrative and despite Priest’s investigation delving into an unpalatable subject matter it never verges on becoming gratuitous. Once again Hazel delivers a tightly knotted plot with no obvious loose ends or lingering questions that aside from some suspension of disbelief proves gloriously irresistible reading matter!
Two books into the Charlie Priest series with no signs of the second book slump or abatement in the breakneck pace make this series a must-read with author, James Hazel, proving one of the most accomplished new writers in the crime fiction domain! Highly recommended and slickly plotted! Brilliant stuff from start to finish!
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.