[AD/Gifted - I received a proof copy of this book in order to take part in this blog tour. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]
The Art Of Death by David Fennell - 5/5
Blurb:
"An underground artist leaves three glass cabinets in Trafalgar Square that contain a gruesome installation: the corpses of three homeless men.
With the artist promising more to follow, newly-promoted Detective Inspector Grace Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, must race against time to follow what few clues have been left by a savvy killer.
As more bodies are exhibited in London landmarks and live streamed on social media, Archer and Quinn's pursuit of the elusive killer becomes a desperate search.
But when Archer discovers that the killer might be closer than she originally thought - she realises that he has his sights set firmly on her...
He is creating a masterpiece. And she will be the star of his show.
Review:
What a brilliant debut.Grace Archer has taken a new Detective Inspector position at Charing Cross Station, the same position and workplace of her late father. On the first day of her new job three glass cabinets show up, each displaying a murdered homeless person floating in formaldehyde.
The anonymous "artist" claims that there are more of their "art installations" to come so Archer and her colleagues must work fast to find out who is responsible before more people die. But is our killer getting too close for comfort?
This is such an easy read and it is so fast paced. I didn't want to put it down! Told from the perspectives of both Archer and the killer, Fennell really builds suspense and honestly scares you a little. How easy it is to find out information about someone through social media is very unnerving. Hearing about the victims, their lives and how they came into the killers crosshairs was unsettling to say the least.
I loved the character of Grace Archer and her colleague DS Harry Quinn. Hailing from Belfast, I loved seeing a Belfastian written in and particularly enjoyed the colloquialisms of "so it is", "what's the craic?" and "beamer". The addition of a transgender character was great too and it really showed the realities of life with a particular officer refusing to acknowledge it and referring to her by her deadname.
The Art Of Death really delves into the back story of DI Grace Archer and it makes the reader want to come back and follow on with the story. I really hope we get to see more from Archer and the team because I imagine that this could be a fantastic series.
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About The Author
David Fennell was born and raised in Belfast before leaving for London at the age of eighteen with £50 in one pocket and a dog-eared copy of Stephen King's The Stand in the other. He jobbed as a chef, waiter and bartender for several years before starting a career in writing for the software industry. He has been working in CyberSecurity for fourteen years and is a fierce advocate for information privacy.
To find out more, visit his website www.davidfennell.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @davyfennell
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A massive thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers for organising the blog tour. You can find information about the other bloggers that are taking part in this tour in the graphic below.
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