This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

"When DCI Michael Lambert is called out to an apparent house fire, he knows it can’t be routine. Instead he finds the remains of a burnt house, a traumatised child and two corpses - one of whom is a senior police officer.

Lambert’s got other problems. Anti-corruption are onto his boss. His relationships is on the rocks. He can’t get over his ex-wife and he keeps blacking out.

But when a detective has been murdered the stakes are too high to get distracted. All is not as it seems. As the investigation continues Lambert realises he is getting drawn into something altogether bigger and more terrifying than he could ever have imagined."

An engrossing thriller full of murder, suspects, police officers, anti-corruption and an intricate plot to get your head around. Brilliant.

Dead embers by Matt Brolly.
This is DCI Michael Lambert book 3 in the series.
Another great read from this author. I do enjoy this series. Love dci lambert. Great story. I hope there is more to come. 4*.

3rd in the DCI Michael Lambert series, good read, can't wait for the 4th in the series
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Gripping Thriller which fans of "Line of Duty" are sure to enjoy:
Following an arson attack on the home of a Detective Sergeant, the hunt is on to find the culprit of this crime against one of the Police's own officers. The investigation starts with the hunt for an arsonist skilled enough to have triggered advanced incendiary devices planted in a Gated Community and avoided security. It is not long before the investigation is broadened as politicians and senior police officers take an unusual interest in the case. The involvement of Anti Corruption leads the reader to suspect that their interest may have more to it than meets the eye.
Matt Brolly has a solid plot but it is the characters which made the book for me. DCI Lambert never gives a toss where seniority is concerned and his disdain for Anti Corruption is a delight to behold. Meanwhile the target of Anti Corruption, Chief Superintendent Tillman never bats an eyelid as A C home in on him. He seems content that he has friends in higher places which turns out to be true.
This is the third novel in the Lambert Series and can easily be read as a standalone thriller. Never short on action, full of twists and turns , all those who enjoy police thrillers are bound to enjoy this book.

It starts with a house fire. A young child is found upstairs .. still alive. There are two bodies downstairs presumably the parents, one of whom is a police officer.

DCI Michael Lambert is called in to investigate as the fire was not an accident. With very little to go on, he digs in for the long haul. The longer he investigates, the more he's feeling something off ...

And things really get turned around when the corpses are not who they think they are .....

His boss is under investigation for corruption. His new partner is his boss' girlfriend. His relationship with his latest fling is going nowhere and as he still has feelings for his ex-wife, maybe this isn't such a bad thing. He's still blacking out when he gets too stressed, and only his boss knows. If it gets around, he knows he will be put on desk duty.

So who is he to trust?

Although this is third in the series, it does well as a stand alone. Dead Embers is well written and the plot is very detailed. His well drawn characters tie it up in a credible bow. I look forward to the next adventure of Michael Lambert and his team.

Many thanks to the author / Canelo / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Strong premise but I found it to be a slow read. I wish the pacing was faster. The main character's relationships were not engrossing enough to make me care about him so I just wanted him to hurry and solve the case.

Wow what a great read! Really enjoyed this, I loved everything about it, the characters, the story line and the twists and turns. I had a hard job putting this one down, a well deserved 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. Very clever writing and a great storyline. Loads of action to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thoroughly enjoyed - will need to read the first two books of the series now (not that it in anyway affected the reading of this book!) Fun, pacy, read!

This is the third book in Matt Brolly's DCI Michael Lambert series and my main problem is that I've run out of stars. Dead Eyed was a solid 4-star introduction to the series. Dead Lucky I devoured in one sitting and awarded 5 stars. Dead Embers has been the best one yet, but I'm stuck with 5 stars.
The first chapter grabbed me straight away and I wanted to get back to this as soon as possible when I was forced to put it down. The plot is complex, well crafted and clever. It involves arson, kidnapping, murder, explosions, corruption, and a whole lot of other stuff. I'm being intentionally vague here because there are several surprises along the way and it would be easy to include spoilers. I could not have guessed how the story developed. Very imaginative and intriguing.
You could get away with reading this as a standalone, but reading the series in order is preferable as there is a cast of recurring characters and their history and relationships are so well developed, it would be a shame to miss out on that.
We're into book 3 and I'm still not sure what to make of Lambert's superior, Chief Superintendent Glenn Tillman. The man is an enigma. I truly love DCI Michael Lambert although I couldn't actually say quite what it is that makes him so likable. He's certainly not the chattiest person ever and some of his actions are questionable, but he is so dedicated and struggling with his past, you can't help but feel for him.
Matt Brolly keeps the balance just right between delving into Lambert's private life and his investigative work and the crime thriller aspects. There were a couple of times when I felt Lambert's intuition or maybe his deduction skills were just a tad too convenient to be truly believable. However, the story was so fast-paced and gripping, I was far too involved to let it bother me too much. The ending left me with a huge grin on my face although that may not have been 100% appropriate.
More, please!
I received an ARC via NetGalley

Thanks Netgalley. Matt Brolly I am looking out for you on my list of new fab authors. Wished I had read the first 2 books though but no latter I shall go back and read them. This was an absolutely fantastic brilliant read.

Dead Embers by Matthew Brolly is the third in his DCI Lambert series. I have not read the previous books, but the book works fine as a stand-alone.

DCI Lambert is summoned to the scene of a house fire; a three-year-old has been rescued, but the parents did not survive. Arson is not part of DCI Lambert's usual purview, but one of the victims is a fellow officer. At the same time, an anti-corruption investigation is in process concerning Lambert's boss, complicating certain aspects of the investigation.

DCI Lambert has plenty of other problems as well, but his determination to solve this case is evident. (Have to admit that I was not all that taken with DCI Lambert, but perhaps if I'd read the earlier books, I would have a better opinion.) The first two books in the series received excellent ratings.

NetGalley/Canelo

Mystery/Suspense. March 6, 2017. Print length: 287 pages

*4.5 STARS*

DCI Michael Lambert is called to attend the scene of a suspicious house fire where a three year old girl was the only survivor. Her parents charred remains were discovered huddled together. Lambert wouldn't normally be assigned to a case of arson, but this one is different - one of the bodies is that of a senior police officer.

Lambert has numerous problems in his personal life, he still has feelings for his ex- wife, his current relationship is taking a nosedive, and he isn't in the best of health ( he keeps having blackouts ) and to add further to his woes, his boss is under investigation by Anti-Corruption - can he even trust him any more?

However, all these problems have to be put on a back burner to enable him to solve the mother of all cases, resulting from the house fire. This case is extremely complex, and, not only will it challenge him, but it will take him into a dark and deviant world that will haunt Lambert and his team like no other case.

Gosh this was such a twisty, gripping, claustrophobic storyline, and I have huge admiration for the author, and the way he managed to come up with the concept for this book, it was particularly good. The characters were great too, really interesting, and very believable.


As I finished this book I found myself thinking " How did we get from a house fire to what has transpired by the conclusion"? My reason for this thinking is that SO much happened to get us from A to B, and my mind is still processing all the events and twists and turns!

I hadn't read any of Matt Brolly's previous books but it read perfectly well as a standalone, and would I read more by Matt Brolly? Of course I would!

* Thank you to Netgalley, Canelo and Matt Brolly for my ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review*

I would like to thank Netgalley and Canelo for a review copy of Dead Embers, the third novel to feature London based DCI Michael Lambert.

Tillman, Lambert's boss, takes him direct from a secret MRI to try and discover the cause of his blackouts, to the scene of an arson and tells the locals Lambert is in charge. This is news to both but when Lambert finds out the house belongs to DI Caroline Jardine and her husband and that 2 badly burned dead bodies have been found he knows why he has been parachuted in and the pressure is on to find the killer of one of their own. What he uncovers is deeper and darker than anyone could have imagined.

I always enjoy Lambert's investigations and Dead Embers is no exception. Mr Brolly has a very readable style of writing which draws you in and doesn't let go. I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down until I knew everything there was to know. The plot has plenty of twists and turns, not least that early identification of the arsonist is only the start. It is fast, exciting and only slightly implausible (what more could you want?) I was gobsmacked by how Mr Brolly takes the plot further - he is fast becoming one of my must read authors.

The characterisation is good. DCI Lambert is the perennial outsider as he doesn't trust his boss and doesn't have the people skills to make allies. What he does have is an appetite for justice and the nous to get it, by fair means or foul. He is a troubled man but essentially moral and dedicated. I love him.

Dark Embers is an excellent read with its twisty plot, exciting readable style and great protagonist so I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Another fabulous installment. Hooked from the start.

4 Stars

DCI Michael Lambert is a competent detective, often relied on to do the most difficult cases, but has blackouts and is not well liked by his superiors. DCI Sarah May is his girlfriend – or is she?

Chief Superintendent Glenn Tillman – Lambert’s boss and a policeman who traverses the fine line between appropriate and sometimes dangerous.

DS Mathilda Colville has recently returned to duty after convalescing following an explosion. She teams up with Lambert for this investigation.

Lambert responds to a fire at a home. As he arrives, a little girl is rescued from the blaze. There are no adults rescued. The home belongs to a police officer, Caroline Jardine, and her husband, an investment analyst. A startling autopsy result has the police department scrambling. As they follow clues to arrest the arsonist, many officers are involved. They work well together as a team, with a few exceptions. Solid police work keeps this novel moving along nicely.

Uncovered along the way toward solving this series of crimes, horrific goings-on are uncovered.

The man ultimately in charge of the goings-on is a surprise, but – oops, can’t say any more, or I’ll give the story away.

It is both well written and plotted. This is my first Matt Brolly book, but it certainly won’t be my last. He is a very good writer and his characters are interesting and believable. His descriptions are apt and colorful.

I want to thank Netgalley and Canelo for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read.

Another gripping instalment in the Lambert series where the lines of the law are always slightly blurred and the cases horrific.

Matt Brolly, you keep digging away towards my circle of go-to authors, and I have to admit you have crossed the finish line. From book one of the DCI Michael Lambert series (Dead Eyed) to book two (Dead Lucky), now to book three (Dead Embers), Matt Brolly’s stories get better and better. I have now officially hit the star ceiling with 5 big ones for this installment and fear how I am going to adequately reward the next book.

Michael Lambert is a troubled guy since falling asleep behind the wheel and crashing his car, killing his 4-year-old daughter in the process (not a spoiler). His marriage couldn’t survive the carnage and now he is lost. He does however have a tenuous relationship with DCI Sarah May that is again visited in this book, and he has his work, which is keeping him afloat. I really love this guy and always root hard for him. Other characters that grabbed me included the charismatic DS Matilda Kennedy and the enigmatic Chief Superintendent Glenn Tillman, both making reappearances from previous books. I would like for Mr. Brolly to continue to delve more into these two characters in future novels.

Lambert has a history of going off the grid in terms of how he goes about solving cases. This time around he and his team become involved in a complex series of events involving the death of a fellow cop, a suicide pact, and a series of near death experiences involving explosives. All of this turns out to be just the tippy tip top of a huge web of deceit, corruption and evil. From the first two sentences of the book I was ensnared, and watching this all play out made for compelling and fascinating reading. Even at 95%, there are pieces of the puzzle still to be worked out. The last sentence gave me goosies all over. This was definitely one that was enormously hard to put down.

I have to admit that there are a few deductions Lambert makes that made me wonder if he is a mind reader or just incredibly intuitive. Personally, I was so carried away by the story, I was happy to suspend my believability suspicions and go with it. I had a big smile of satisfaction on my face at the end, and can’t wait for Mr. Brolly to churn out another Lambert book.

Do you like Angela Marsons, Robert Bryndza or Michael Wood? If so, you will definitely enjoy Matt Brolly’s Michael Lambert series. Though the central plots of the three novels are all self-contained, you will get a much better feel for the characters if you start with book one, Dead Eyed. Happy reading!

Many thanks to Matt Brolly, Canelo Publishing, and Net Galley for inviting me to read an ARC of Dead Embers. All opinions are my own and are not biased in any way.

This is the third book in the DCI Lambert series and the book can be read as a stand alone. it is a gripping read, well written and a terrific plot. I really could not work out the 'whodunnit.' The plot is certainly full of twists and turns and Lambert is, at times, an unlikeable character. Having said that, I did feel sorry for him also. Matt brolly is now on my list of favourite authors and i look forward to more adventures from Lambert in the future. many thanks to Net Galley, the publishers and the author for my copy. A very enjoyable crime thriller which I would recommend. I reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.