The Chosen Ones by Howard Linskey
Published by Penguin UK
Publication Date: 14 June 2018
Genre: Crime/Thrillers
416 pages
Book Description:
Eva Dunbar wakes in a large metal box.
She has no idea who has taken her.
She has no way out.
She isn't the first young woman to disappear.
And with no leads Detective Ian Bradshaw has precious little time.
When at last a body is found, the police hope the tragic discovery might at least provide a clue that will help them finally find the kidnapper.
But then they identify the body - and realise the case is more twisted than they ever imagined . . .
My Review:
I start my review by sending my thanks to Michael Joseph, Penguin UK and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book for review. I didn't realise that this is book 4 of the DC Bradshaw series until I logged it into my goodreads account to record my reading progress, and was a little disappointed about this at first as I prefer not to join a series part way through. That said though, don't let this put you off from the book as it worked really well as a standalone.
The book begins with latest kidnap victim Eva waking up in a metal container with no means of escape. We have no idea why or where she is or even who has put her there which I found worked very well as you really get that unsettled feeling, maybe even bordering on a sense of panic which Eva must have felt at that point. Chapter two introduces us to shopkeeper Jenna who has recently bought her new business and is quietly trying to settle in to the community without making any waves. I have to admit I was a little bemused as to where the story was going with this introduction, unless Jenna was going to be next on the abductor's hit list. I was just going to have to wait and see.
The story continues on to introduce the detectives and other members of the team who would eventually be involved in Eva and Jenna's lives. Bradshaw is tasked with reviewing the cold case of several women who had disappeared some years before, seemingly unrelated yet surely too much of a coincidence not to be linked. The story ticks along steadily with updates on what happens to Eva during her captivity, the events Bradshaw and the team are influenced by in their investigation including the discovery of a murder victim who seems to be part of the case but can't quite be fitted into the puzzle and then the suspension of several local detectives on charges of misconduct. How on earth all this was linked I couldn't fathom.
The mystery is kept quite well under wraps for a large part of the book until eventually and in unexpected manner the big reveal comes to pass. The tension has built steadily through the chapters to this point and there is a flurry of adrenalin and action as the possibility of Eva being freed becomes a reality. The other elements which make up the tale all come into focus and I found this a satisfying book overall with some interesting characters and an unusual timescale which make the book stand out from the norm. I'm certainly interested in looking for other titles in the series having read this one.
The book begins with latest kidnap victim Eva waking up in a metal container with no means of escape. We have no idea why or where she is or even who has put her there which I found worked very well as you really get that unsettled feeling, maybe even bordering on a sense of panic which Eva must have felt at that point. Chapter two introduces us to shopkeeper Jenna who has recently bought her new business and is quietly trying to settle in to the community without making any waves. I have to admit I was a little bemused as to where the story was going with this introduction, unless Jenna was going to be next on the abductor's hit list. I was just going to have to wait and see.
The story continues on to introduce the detectives and other members of the team who would eventually be involved in Eva and Jenna's lives. Bradshaw is tasked with reviewing the cold case of several women who had disappeared some years before, seemingly unrelated yet surely too much of a coincidence not to be linked. The story ticks along steadily with updates on what happens to Eva during her captivity, the events Bradshaw and the team are influenced by in their investigation including the discovery of a murder victim who seems to be part of the case but can't quite be fitted into the puzzle and then the suspension of several local detectives on charges of misconduct. How on earth all this was linked I couldn't fathom.
The mystery is kept quite well under wraps for a large part of the book until eventually and in unexpected manner the big reveal comes to pass. The tension has built steadily through the chapters to this point and there is a flurry of adrenalin and action as the possibility of Eva being freed becomes a reality. The other elements which make up the tale all come into focus and I found this a satisfying book overall with some interesting characters and an unusual timescale which make the book stand out from the norm. I'm certainly interested in looking for other titles in the series having read this one.
About the Author:
‘The Chosen Ones' is the fourth book in a north-east, crime fiction series written by Howard Linskey for Penguin Random House, featuring journalists Tom Carney & Helen Norton with police detective Ian Bradshaw. The other titles in this series are 'The Search' 'No Name Lane' and ‘Behind Dead Eyes’. He is also the author of ‘Hunting the Hangman’ a historical thriller about the assassination of Nazi General Reinhard Heydrich in Prague during WW2.
His David Blake trilogy 'The Drop', 'The Damage' & 'The Dead' have been optioned for TV by Harry Potter producer, David Barron. They are published in the UK by No Exit Press, in Germany by Droemer Knaur and in the US by Harper Collins. The Times newspaper voted 'The Drop' one of its Top Five Thrillers of the Year and 'The Damage' one of its Top Summer Reads. Both books broke into the top five Amazon Kindle chart.
'The Search' was featured on CBS Reality true crime TV series 'Written In Blood' . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRFJ0txCYvQ
Originally from Ferryhill in County Durham, he now lives in Herts with his wife Alison and daughter Erin
Howard's web site is www.howardlinskey.co.uk
His David Blake trilogy 'The Drop', 'The Damage' & 'The Dead' have been optioned for TV by Harry Potter producer, David Barron. They are published in the UK by No Exit Press, in Germany by Droemer Knaur and in the US by Harper Collins. The Times newspaper voted 'The Drop' one of its Top Five Thrillers of the Year and 'The Damage' one of its Top Summer Reads. Both books broke into the top five Amazon Kindle chart.
'The Search' was featured on CBS Reality true crime TV series 'Written In Blood' . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRFJ0txCYvQ
Originally from Ferryhill in County Durham, he now lives in Herts with his wife Alison and daughter Erin
Howard's web site is www.howardlinskey.co.uk
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