Beneath The Ashes – Jane Isaac
THE SECOND DI WILL JACKMAN CRIME THRILLER
The floor felt hard beneath her face. Nancy opened her eyes. Blinked several times. A pain seared through her head. She could feel fluid. No. She was lying in fluid.
When a body is discovered in a burnt-out barn in the Warwickshire countryside, DI Will Jackman is called to investigate.
Nancy Faraday wakes up on the kitchen floor. The house has been broken into and her boyfriend is missing. As the case unravels, DI Jackman realises that nothing is quite as it appears and everyone, it seems, has a secret.
Can he discover the truth behind the body in the fire, and track down the killer before Nancy becomes the next victim?
My thanks to Legend Press for my review copy
Books are forever, a permanent treat and if you haven’t yet read a book then it is a new story to enjoy – even if it was published some time ago. Yup I am reaching back into my bookshelves for a book I have had for some time but not yet reviewed. So with apologies to Jane Isaac for making her wait for this…my thoughts on Beneath The Ashes.
This was the first of Jane’s books I had read and I was struck by the realism of the police investigation which takes place. Beneath The Ashes is a pure police procedural, you feel that you are part of the team and there is an actual process and method being followed by the police. It is hugely satisfying watching Will Jackman chasing down clues, interviewing suspects and eliminating various possibilities. He has his work cut out as there are several characters in this story who seem to have secrets to keep!
A body is found in a burned out barn. Although the victim appears to be easy to identify, once the police start their investigations it soon becomes clear that the person they believe has died may actually have been living a lie. If the dead man in the barn is not who he said he was how will that impact upon his girlfriend – not only has she lost her closest friend she also learns that everything she knew about him was a lie.
What makes Beneath The Ashes work so well is the skill of Jane Isaac at capturing characters and making them believable. The anguish and worry of Nancy as her world crumbles around her, Jackman trying to conduct a complex investigation, juggle career choices and be a family man too. The interaction between the suspects and the police, between Jackman and his daughter and between the whole investigative team makes for engaging reading and was richly rewarding as it drew me into the lives of the characters.
I love when I learn that a character I enjoyed reading about will return/feature in other books. Now that I have caught up with Beneath The Ashes I am planning to meet up with Will Jackman again soon and I am rather looking forward to that.
Beneath The Ashes is available in paperback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/DI-Will-Jackman-Shocking-Page-Turning-ebook/dp/B01CJPU6LQ/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8