Only The Dead Know – C.J. Dunford
After a traumatic military tour in the Middle East, Daniel “Uneasy” Truce returns home with PTSD. Something happened there. Something he never wants to come out.
A few hand shakes later, Truce lands a new job in a ragtag investigations unit. He may be emotionally awkward, but he’s got a knack for reading body language. Problem is, his boss hates him. Calls him mentally unsound. She gives Truce the dirty work. That’s how he ends up with “the crazy old bat” case.
At 11 a.m. every morning, June drops by her local police station to report a murder she witnessed. Initially the cops took her seriously. They visit the alleged victim’s home to find him very much alive. But June won’t give up, and her daily appearances become a nuisance. Truce is tasked to investigate. To shut her up. Soon June winds up dead-hit by a car. Was it really an accident? Truce thinks there’s more to the case. That maybe someone just doesn’t want the truth to come out …
I received a digital review copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
Daniel “Uneasy” Truce is a former soldier who now works for the police in Scotland. He leaves his days in the army behind him yet the memory of the experiences are still very much with him and Truce is a PTSD sufferer.
His boss is no fan of Truce and does not value his contribution to the squad so when a serial complainer visits her local police station each day to report the same crime Truce is sent to meet her. The complainant is June, a feisty widow who manages to convince Truce that she has indeed witnessed a murder. The only problem is that the alleged victim is still very much alive.
Truce is an expert on body language and firmly believes that June is telling the truth – or what she understands to be the truth. So how can he persuade his grumpy boss that the old “time waster” may have witnessed a crime? His problem intensifies when June is the victim of a road traffic accident – is this a tragic coincidence or was June murdered?
Only the Dead Know was really enjoyable reading. CJ Dunford tells a great story and this was nicely paced – I just wanted to keep reading. Truce was an engaging lead character and his personal life looks like it is going to keep us entertained when he returns in future outings as the book is billed as ‘the first book in the Daniel ‘Uneasy’ Truce Mystery series’.
This is exactly the type of story I enjoy. A police procedural, a nicely plotted mystery to try and solve, realistic characters (June’s pals were perfectly depicted) and a twist I had not expected – makes for a happy reader.
Only The Dead Know is available in digital format and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Only-Dead-Know-Daniel-Mystery-ebook/dp/B07B6752H2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529931954&sr=8-1&keywords=only+the+dead+know