Many thanks to Severn House Publishers and Netgalley for giving me an advanced reading copy of Marked Men in exchange for an honest review.
Marked Men by Chris Simms
Genre: Thriller/British police procedural
Publisher: Severn House
Publication Date: July 1, 2019
Summary
from Goodreads blurb:
“A corpse is found in a Manchester canal, encased in a sleeping bag and weighed down by bricks. DC Sean Blake’s investigation has hardly begun before another body with links to it is discovered . . . also drowned. A mysterious figure seen asking questions about the victims becomes the prime suspect. But as Blake delves into the shady pasts of those killed, he finds connections to friends still living – including a crime lord of the city. Matters are complicated for Blake when those who once formed their childhood gang refuse to cooperate. With a killer so elusive and targets so unwilling to accept help, can Blake stop the body count from rising?”
My thoughts:
I don’t remember why I requested this book on Netgalley. The cover, perhaps? I’m not certain that I even read the blurb. (That’s not advisable, by the way.) But whatever the reason, I am glad that I did. Chris Simms just made a new fan.
By the end of the prologue, I knew I was reading an experienced writer. My notes gushed, “Great tension, hints of underlying sexual desire and violence. Strong opening! Simms knows what he’s doing here. Please, please, deliver the goods!”
He did. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from first page to last. Here’s why:
Sean Blake is an unusually sweet police officer.
For starters, he’s young and relatively inexperienced. He’s a Detective Constable, working under Detective Sergeant Magda Dragomir, who works under a DCI. He’s still new enough to his position that he’s excited to be a part of a murder investigation. His DCI compares him to an eager puppy, and that comparison came to mind at multiple times during the novel.
In my experience, most police procedural stories feature a world-weary and jaded investigator who’s seen too many dead bodies, too much blood, and too much horror. It comes with the job.
Sean, though, hasn’t been broken of his idealism. He’s shocked and saddened that murder victims are ranked by priority: the killing of a homeless thief is low priority. Sure, they’ll do the basic steps of “investigating” but as Magda says, “But we are not to give ourselves any headaches after that” (chapter 3).
Sean doesn’t like this. He wants justice for the victim. He’s bothered when relatives don’t ask if the man suffered. He’s infuriated by the very idea of a police officer tipping off the press.
Oh, and he sponsors a young wolf in an animal sanctuary, has a model of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars in his apartment, and hasn’t had a girlfriend because he cared for his sick mother throughout his teens and twenties. He’s sweet. What’s not to love?
He’s not without his dark side, though.
Sean and Magda make great work partners.
Magda, an immigrant from Romania, is as deep a character as Sean. I appreciated how the two interacted and how she variously mentors, teases, and comforts him during the investigation. When she’s too abrasive, he smooths things over with the skill of a diplomat. He can confront her and she will listen. In short, the two may have conflicts but they respect each other, too.
We need to see more non-sexual relationships between the genders, in my opinion.
The other characters are well-developed.
Simms has a large cast of characters, but he does a great job bringing them to life. I was impressed by how he handled Jordan Hughes, a homeless man recently released from prison. It was hard not to have sympathy for him.
The story is well-plotted.
As you’d expect, this murder investigation turns up deeper, troubling things from the victim’s past. (It is troubling, and realistically so.) Simms cleverly slips in red herrings and clues, even as he develops well-rounded characters, compelling motives, and a vivid setting. It’s also relatively clean (though you may learn some colorful Romanian words!) What more could a reader ask for?
Talk to me! What do you think?