‘A Man With No Past. A Case With No Leads’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to Head of Zeus Aria & Aries for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Monk’ by Tim Sullivan.

This is Book 5 in Sullivan’s series of police procedurals featuring DS George Cross of the Avon and Somerset Police. As is usual with ongoing crime series, the author provides background on characters and setting so that each book works fine as a standalone.

DS George Cross and his team at Major Crimes are called upon to investigate the death of a monk, who was found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic's past before he joined the monastery, which makes investigating his murder difficult. The question in everyone’s mind is why would someone want to harm a monk?

When they discover who Brother Dominic had once been it only makes the case more puzzling. No further details to avoid spoilers.

There is a great deal to appreciate in this novel and with the series as a whole. Aside from a twisty central case there’s the lively banter between the team members that helps alleviate the darker aspects of the narrative.

DS George Cross is a brilliant investigator though is awkward in his interactions with others. Having received a late diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition, he is seeking to improve his interpersonal skills. It was interesting to see how he related to the community of monks whose ordered, and quiet way of life clearly appealed to him.

Overall, ‘The Monk’ was an intelligent and engaging police procedural that I enjoyed very much.

Another tale of the quirky George Cross investigating a puzzling crime.
I have read and enjoyed all of the previous books but they also work well as a stand alone. The character of George is the highlight of these books with his literal interpretations and eye for the smallest detail.
I love the author's way of describing some of the various characters we meet, these descriptions are humorous and paint a vivid picture.
We follow the investigation from start to finish, hearing the evidence when George does but lacking his skill in piecing it all together.
A good read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HeadOfZeus for my copy of #TheMonk by #TimSullivan

George Cross is one of a kind. A policeman who doesn’t really connect well with others but brilliant at solving puzzles.
His partner DS Josie Ottey is the closest thing he has to a friend and they work perfectly together.
A superb series that just gets better.

When the body of a monk is found DS George Cross is posed with many questions. Who would want to murder a religious man and why being George’s main question. The order has few visitors and Brother Dom was reported missing a few days before he was found. The monks have no transport and he was found a way from the abbey. How on earth did he get there?

I love George. If you’ve not come across him before- he’s a wonderful, slightly acerbic, socially inept man. He’s on the spectrum which he acknowledges and DS Ottey, his sidekick, tries her best to gently explain to him (and others) and push him in line. His nuances make him all the more lovable as he’s the one who would say what we are all thinking, so I can't help but smile at his style and even as I'm writing this. This is part of a series but happily stands alone ( I’ve read the others but not in order- once I had read one I just had to read the others - I was that entranced). A brilliant very different crime read- one to perhaps make you smile along the way amongst a thrilling plotline one very cleverly thought out as always. Not saying I love this but please sign me up for the next one!

(amazon posted- misfits farm))

I’m new to this series; The Monk works well as a standalone, but I’ll definitely be looking out the books I’ve missed. Cross is an intriguing character. He’s different and this gives him an unusual perspective. This is far more than a murder mystery or police procedural. I feel as if I’ve invested in Cross as a person. I’m interested in who he is and it takes a skilful author to draw a reader‘s emotional energy.

The plotting and characters are excellent. I love the monastery setting and the backstory of the deceased monk. There are twists and tension, superbly paced and this is a thriller I’ve raced through.

A good police procedural murder story with two main detectives who seem to work well off each other. I wasn’t keen on the setting for some reason but that’s just my own preference rather than a criticism.

A monk is found dead in a country lane. DS Cross and DI Ottey are on the case. Based around Bristol this series is one that I will never tire of! Beautifully written, fantastic crime thrillers but written in a very gentle way. It is also about the friendship between Cross and his partner, and how Cross navigates the world, all of this is done with great sensitivity. Would really recommend this book.

DS George Cross is an excellent detective. He is however, an awful people person, being autistic, lacking the ability to read social cues, not understanding how to show empathy, and generally being focused on one task - predominately solving cases, to the detriment of all else. Everything in his life needs to be compartmentalised in order for him to deal with it. So when his mother suddenly comes back into his life after leaving him and his father when he was a child, he is having a hard time coping with it. So when he is thrown into a large murder case, he is thankful for something to distract him from his social angst.

The case is a challenging one. The body of a monk is found, badly beaten and bound, dumped in woodland near Bristol. Nobody in the monastery knows anything about the victim, Brother Dominic’s, past life, as all who join the order are welcome to take on a new name and start over free of their previous life’s connections. DS Cross and his partner DS Josie Ottey have to start digging into Brother Dominic's past to find out who he used to be. At the monastery, he was the one who kept bees, looked after the monastery's accounts, and bound books. He was known as an expert on ancient ecclesiastical books. Nothing that immediately shows why someone would want to kill him.

Cross and Ottey get to work, and the question everyone keeps asking is “why would someone want to kill a monk? Why indeed is the question Cross is on a mission to find out.

The DS Cross series can be read as stand alone books, but you will get so much more from them if you read them as a series from the beginning. You will follow the growth and progression of Cross in his career and personal life and understand him so much better. He is an endearing character, and the more you uncover of him in this series, the more you find yourself drawn to him, just like his friends (who he doesn’t even realise are friends) in the book. In particular the working relationship between Cross and Ottey is wonderful to see blossom. Cross’s view of the world in a very black and white manner allows him to pick at threads in an investigation that nobody else sees, or would follow as doggedly as he does. While he may annoy at times with his blunt and direct ‘no filter’ manner, he is also funny and caring in his own way.

As with all the previous books, this one was just as gripping, with the story taking wonderful leaps of deduction, and leaving you turning the page as fast as possible. The investigation takes a look into the life of monks in a monastery, and spins out into unforeseen places from there. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to spoil the story, but this is a definite recommended read, and one of my favourite new detective series.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

George Cross repairs an old organ.

*****

This new tale of the investigations of DS George Cross commences where he and his partner DS Josie Ottey are in attendance at the rural Somerset scene where the body of a Benedictine monk has been found, taped to a chair and brutally murdered.

George is well on to the autistic spectrum and habitually annoys many around him by his directness and single mindedness, but these and other qualities of his diversity are what make him an exceptional investigator. Josie is a black, single mother, who has the unfortunate and unenviable task of both supporting him and trying to ensure that he does does not offend his colleagues or witnesses unnecessarily.

In this book, as in the previous ones in this series, we follow the investigation as it progresses. They work very much in a 9 to 5, Monday to Friday routine, methodically and relentlessly pursuing the perpetrator of this horrendous crime. We also learn more about George’s leisure time activities and interests.

Once again Tim Sullivan has produced a gripping story but one with considerable incidental interest. The character of DS George Cross is the glue that locks the reader in, just as Agatha Christie did with Hercule Poirot or Arthur Conan Doyle with Sherlock Holmes. It is another triumph in the series. Let’s have more of your magic, Tim! This is a character with a long life ahead of him.

I read this book from a pre-publication copy kindly supplied by the publisher, but this is an honest review with no concession to their generosity.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1QQN5JXIAM3GT/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0B2FDB5T2

The body in the woods near Bristol was a nasty shock - a monk strapped to a chair and dumped in a ditch. He'd been savagely beaten. It's a while before D S George Cross and the Major Crime Unit establish that this is Father Dominic. He'd been missing for a few days and certainly hadn't asked permission to leave his abbey. As the team gradually unpick the monk's past it becomes clear that he'd been well-loved as an investment banker, brother, neighbour and friend. He'd also been very wealthy but had given it all up for his faith. Why would someone savagely murder him?

If you've met DS George Cross before, he'll need no introduction from me. He's on the autistic spectrum and probably has Asperger's Syndrome. He can be hard to get on with but none of it is intentional: George simply doesn't understand the niceties that oil the wheels of everyday life. If you say good morning to him, he's unlikely to respond as he takes it as a simple statement of the obvious. He might offend you or he might say something which you take as being complimentary: neither is intentional. To George, they're just statements of fact.

But D S Cross is an exceptionally good detective. He's not easy to have around the MCU but he has an impressively high success rate when it comes to solving crimes. He owes a lot (but never realises it) to his partner, D S Josie Ottey, who will explain him, or nudge him when he's not delivering the social niceties which people expect. Other than that, he just chips away at the case until he gets the answers he needs.

Cross is safe in Tim Sullivan's hands. It would have been simple to make him a figure of fun and whilst we might smile at some of the things that George says, we sense that there's affection there. I've read quite a bit about autism but Sullivan, through George Cross, has brought the neurodiversity to life.

It's the plot you want to know about, though, isn't it? Well, pretty early on, I had it all worked out. I knew who had done it and why. I was convinced that this was going to be a boring, disappointing read but, good little reviewer that I am, I kept reading. I was, of course, completely wrong and Sullivan was still surprising me right up to the final few pages. It's another absolute cracker and I can't wait for the next in the series. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag.

My first outing with George Cross was The Patient.

George Cross is a Detective in the Avon and Somerset Police force. He is on the autistic spectrum, which makes his approach to the murder victim and the interviewing of suspects quite amusing at times. George is blunt, direct and doesn’t always pick up social nuances about people and their grief, he relies upon logic and seeing the scene first hand, both are admirable traits that seem to be in short supply today.
His long suffering partner, DS Ottey helps George with the more sensitive details of how to read people, and the story is mainly told from her perspective, I admire her patience and forbearance in dealing with George, while simultaneously dealing with his abrupt insights into aspects of the case that makes perfect sense to him, but need further investigation to make it apparent to all others involved.
A Monk is found murdered. Why would anyone want to murder a man of God wonders George. The secrets are hidden in his past, but such personal details are very hard to find. I absolutely adored the details of monastic life, the services, prayers, such peace and calm on the surface, can hide many forbidden secrets. We also learn a great deal about book binding, and bee keeping( a great favourite of Sherlock Holmes), and George becomes involved in the monastic life when he undertakes repairs to the organ pipes, his curiosity knows no bounds, and perhaps these facts will emerge in future books in this series?!!
The first book I have read in this series, I found George to be a very likeable and compelling character, curious, naive and there were some giggles in some wholly inappropriate places, which only added to the charm! A brilliant police procedural murder mystery, the ending was a complete surprise to me, and I have the added delight of catching up with the previous books.
My thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus, and Aria and Aries, for my advance digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. A five star rating. I will post to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

EXCERPT: . . . the first thing they saw was the back of a wooden chair protruding from the ditch that ran alongside the path. Many people had walked past this chair in the past few days, doubtless bemoaning the lack of respect some others had for the countryside and how fly-tipping had become something of an epidemic in Somerset. They couldn't have ignored the smell, however. That sweet and sour sickly smell of human decomposition, so familiar to the squad. But, this being the country, they'd probably put it down to an animal carcass lying somewhere nearby. The actual source of it was taped to the chair with industrial duct tape.

ABOUT 'THE MONK': To find a murderer, you need a motive . . .

THE DETECTIVE
DS George Cross has always wondered why his mother left him when he was a child. Now she is back in his life, he suddenly has answers. But this unexpected reunion is not anything he's used to dealing with. When a disturbing case lands on his desk, he is almost thankful for the return to normality.

THE QUESTION
The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic's past, which makes investigating difficult. How can Cross unpick a crime when they don't know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

THE PAST
Discovering who Brother Dominic once was only makes the picture more puzzling. He was a much-loved and respected friend, brother, son – he had no enemies. Or, at least, none that are obvious. But looking into his past reveals that he was a very wealthy man, that he sacrificed it all for his faith. For a man who has nothing, it seems strange that greed could be the motive for his murder. But greed is a sin after all...

MY THOUGHTS: Although The Monk is, by my count, the fifth book in the DS Cross series, this is my first encounter with George Cross, a socially awkward but brilliantly persistent detective. People find him difficult to deal with, his behaviour puzzling. He doesn't understand people, has no empathy, although he is trying to learn to display some at the behest of his work partner, DS Ottey.

While George can cope with the curveballs his work life throws at him, they are something he finds difficult to deal with in his personal life. He generally gets by by ignoring them. However, in The Monk, life throws two personal curveballs at him that he is unable to ignore: the reappearance of his mother, whom he has not seen since she walked out when he was a child; and the discovery that the murdered monk has close links to the closest person he has to a friend.

Although this is labelled a 'Thriller', it is more a character driven murder mystery. The violence is talked about, not described in great detail. But what a murder-mystery this is! I was feeling quite cocky by halfway through the book, quite sure that I had it solved, and was feeling quite smug even by the 90% mark when it seemed I was right. But right at the last moment, Tim Sullivan throws in a curveball of his own, one which left me reeling but was so, so good.

As I said, I haven't read any of the previous books in this series, but had no difficulties, so this can easily be read as a stand-alone.

I could talk about the setting, and the other characters, but really? Just pick this up and read it. I did, and fell for this complex, quirky, but quite delightful character.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.8

#TheMonk #NetGalley

I: @timsullivannovelist @headofzeus

T: @TimJRSullivan @HoZ_Books

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #policeprocedural

THE AUTHOR: Tim Sullivan has written a series of crime novels featuring the eccentric and socially-awkward, but brilliantly persistent DS George Cross. Set in Bristol in the south west of England, Cross’ methods often infuriate his colleagues and superiors “not so much a thorn in my side as a pain in my arse,” according to his boss DCI Carson. But his conviction rate, thanks to his dogged persistence and attention to detail, is the best in the force.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Monk by Tim Sullivan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

The Monk is the fifth book in Tim Sullivan’s series about Detective Sergeant George Cross, and is another good British police mystery by the always reliable Sullivan.

The book opens with the discovery of the body of a monk, who has been beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Brother Dominic seems a humble and harmless man, but as Cross and his colleagues investigate it becomes clear that nothing is really known about the monk’s past. It emerges that Brother Dominic was once a very wealthy man, who gave it all up for his faith. For a man who has nothing, it seems strange that greed could be the motive for his murder.

The DS Cross books are a very entertaining series, and The Monk is probably one of the best so far. The mystery around the past identity of Brother Dominic and why someone would want to kill him is well developed, and Sullivan ably scatters around false clues and a good range of suspects.

Cross suffers from autism spectrum disorder, and his condition plays a significant part in the story. Sullivan handles his condition in a sensitive and credible manner, and weaves it smoothly into the story. I particularly liked Cross’s methodical approach to interviewing suspects and the resultant scenes are a joy to read, and probably the best parts of the book.

Some may find the frequent digresses into the Cross’s private life a little tiresome, but it helps to build his character and actually leads to the resolution of the mystery. Readers of the earlier books will gain extra pleasure from following the developments in Cross’s personal life, but The Monk also works well as a stand-alone mystery, and it is not necessary to have read its predecessors.

Overall, The Monk is an enjoyable mystery and aficionados of mild British police detective novels will find much to like here.

D S George Cross is a truly wonderful character, his autism described beautifully and blended brilliantly into his investigation into the murder of a monk. Links to the financial crisis with the collapse of a family bank and the connection with the murdered man is eventually revealed. The pace at times hectic then peaceful as George fixes the organ at the monastery on his weekends off all work entertainingly. Another intriguing episode in this excellent series.

D S George Cross is on the case of a tortured and murdered monk, George is quite a character with his autism he has his own way of solving the case.
The question everyone is asking is who would kill a monk?
You will see George's interaction with his family and mother who had left the family home when he was young.
This is the 5th in the series and will definitely read his previous ones.
Well worth reading.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

DS George Cross is a character that I totally empathise with and I just love the way that he (mostly) unwittingly tramples his way to success whilst getting up the noses of anyone who thinks they can benefit from his insights. Go George Go!!

As you can guess from the previous paragraph, I loved every word of this book (and of the rest of this series). If you like quirky characters, this is most certainly a book for you and, if you do not, you should read this book and discover how beneficial to the society that we live in are the people who are able to think outside of the box: to the extent that they are not aware of the box.

Thoroughly enjoyed The Monk with a plot line that keeps the reader guessing until the last page. The central character DS George Cross is a carefully crafted interesting character who has his difficulties when out in certain situations but his thoroughness although irritating for his colleagues actually leads to the right result. Looking forward to more books from Tim Sullivan where DS Cross features. It is a smart move to include on the cover a comment from Stephen Fry of 'Perfect Detective'. This is the fifth full length D'S Cross book but could easily be read first. Tim Sullivan also has a background of writing and directing for films and TV.

This is the second book I’ve read of Tim Sullivans detective George Cross series & they are becoming a great favourite of mine.
I love everything about them as they are so interesting & hold you all the way through.
Superbly written with a great storyline & one really unique detective who is on the spectrum of Asperger’s/ autism.
He is socially awkward & he needs to deal with things in certain ways & is very literal in the way he talks.
Thankfully his team have come to understand him & the way his mind works, as well as the straight unvarnished way he has of talking to them.
Ottey his partner understands him well & she is even trying to learn him social etiquette although at times this is hard work.
On the whole though in spite of George’s problem he is a brilliant detective & a very loveable & likeable one.
All the characters are well developed & work well with this unique detective.
The storyline was brilliant yet again & held my attention throughout so much that I just couldn’t put it down.
The body of a monk has been found dead & brutally beaten.
Detective George Cross & his team, set out to delve deep in to the monks past, in order to find any link, to who would do such a thing & why ?
The story takes on many twists & turns along the way & the more they find out the more complicated it gets.
I really can’t get enough of this wonderful series & I will be patiently waiting for the next as I catch up on all the ones I’ve missed.
I would definitely recommend this series.

I never repeat the blurb. Yet another mystery for our favourite Detective Sgt George Cross to solve. Full of astonishingly accurate insight into the world of autism and a venture into the monastic life, this was another awesome read.

I’m loving the George Cross series from Tim Sullivan. Understanding the intricacies of the detective work required for the mystery with George’s view on life makes this such a wonderful read. With twists and turns aplentyas usual in this series, the murder of the Benedictine Monk is a complex case for Cross and Ottey to solve.
In The Monk, we’re learning more of George’s family dynamics and seeing how this impacts and aids with his detective work. The peace and restoration he finds at the monastery is an interesting link to his own need for calm and order and I found it fascinating watching him interact with the monks both in questioning and whilst working on the organ.
His relationship with Ottey as before is wonderful and I’ve loved how Swift and Mackenzie are more involved in this investigation again.