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Frost at Midnight

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Frost at midnight by James Henry.
DI Jack Frost Prequel.
August, 1983. Denton is preparing for a wedding, with less than a week to go until Detective Sergeant Waters marries Kim Myles. But the Sunday before the big day, the body of a young woman is found in the churchyard. Their idyllic wedding venue has become a crime scene.As best man to Waters, Detective Inspector Jack Frost has a responsibility to solve the mystery before the wedding. But with nowhere to live since his wife's family sold his matrimonial home, Frost's got other things on his mind.
Can he put his own troubles aside and step up to be the detective they need him to be?
Brilliant read. Love this series. 5*.

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Great story by James Henry!! Really thrilling read, great characters and an enjoyable story. Highly recommend to others!!

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What can I say I like the older Frost so found this prequel hard to take at times, being scruffy and riding motor bikes did not feel right. The story was ok but I would not bother to read the others in this series.

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I have read all the other Frost books (both the originals and this new writings) and felt this was as good as the others in the series. I enjoy the relationship Frost has with the others in the book - Mullet, Clark etc and the way in which he is initially viewed by others but how this can change. I liked the way the stories all came together and that there was a happy ending with the wedding!

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For those who loved R.D. Wingfield’s original crime series featuring DI Frost, James Henry has recreated this dishevelled detective in earlier times; Frost at Midnight is the fourth prequel in the series.
It’s 1983 and Denton CID are confronted with a dead body on top of a tomb in the local graveyard, the case is instantly a PR nightmare as the body is Rachel Curtis, a domestic violence victim who acting under coercion was jailed for murder but had now been released early. Added to the now increased workload there are more immediate problems as Detective Sergeant Waters is getting married and he’s unable to attend the rehearsal with his best man Detective Inspector Jack Frost.
With the police station in a state of flux a the officers get to grips with the new-fangled computers and pagers everything is taking longer than it used to – Jack isn’t the only one who is sceptical of the use of these new additions to crime fighting. Superintendent Mullett, as ever, has his priorities at total odds with Frost and it is only thanks to the habitual nifty footwork in ignoring his orders that the team have any chance of solving the crime.
Meanwhile DC Sue Clarke has finally reached the end of her tether; looking after a baby and having Frost sleeping on her sofa following the death of his wife is not compatible with a good life. Sue wants to return to work but Mullett aka Hornrim Harry is reluctant. And then a prostitute goes missing leaving a young boy to fend for himself and CID need all the help that they can get.
I’ve enjoyed all the prequels that James Henry has written and found that the language and the characters have been kept faithful to the original books. The sense of time with all the accompanying misogyny and racism along with the emerging new technologies are present and correct and a huge amount of my enjoyment is on a nostalgic level. The plotting is well thought out with the sense of urgency mounting as the team try to wrap multiple strands of the investigation up before the wedding takes place. It isn’t just dead bodies and missing women, there is also the mystery of the missing money left by a newcomer to Denton in a cement mixer along with the ever-present worry of where Frost’s next meal is coming from! On that note the Frost in this book is more chaotic, even shabbier and perhaps a little less sharp although he has time to woo a couple of ladies (I’m really not sure of the appeal here) as he deals with his changed personal circumstances. In a modern crime book there would be trips to the force doctor and supportive colleagues discussing grief but this is 1983 and there is no doubt Frost is struggling without a single nod to mental health.
I'd like to say a huge thanks to Random House UK for allowing me to read a copy of Frost at Midnight which is another excellent prequel, one that kept me thoroughly entertained as Denton once more comes to life with all its myriad of characters and Frost’s caring and clever mind fighting to the fore.

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With only days to go until his wedding to fellow police officer Kim Myles, Detective Sergeant Waters finds his preparations thrown into disarray when the body of a woman is found on a gravestone at the church where the ceremony is due to take place. Coupled with the fact that his best man is the dishevelled Jack Frost, this marriage looks doomed from the start! When another local woman goes missing, Frost knows that time is of the essence if he is to find her alive.

Frost at Midnight is the fourth of the prequels to R. D. Wingfield's Touch of Frost, the book that was the inspiration behind the incredibly popular TV series starring David Jason. I can remember reading, and enjoying, Wingfield's books but feeling as though the character of Frost, compared to the portrayal of him on TV, was completely different - a problem with watching the series before reading the books. In Frost at Midnight, however, I found that I was imagining David Jason delivering the lines, making this book a must-read for all fans of the ITV show.

By setting the prequels in the 1980s, we get the opportunity to experience the opinions of the time such as the attitudes some people had towards black officers. There are also some great cultural references, firmly placing the book in 1983. Watching Frost attempting to come to terms with the new computers and his much-hated pager was very reminiscent of the TV show where his filing system, or lack of it, left a lot to be desired!

The crimes within the book are well thought out and entertaining. One of the cases is particularly gruesome and I had much sympathy for the poor officer who chanced upon the body! Like all Frost books, though, there is an element of humour running throughout, making this a gripping and enjoyable read. There is definitely more scope for further prequels!

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I love Frost and these prequels are great reads. Such a fantastic character and these books are so well written. Brilliant!

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I have been a TV fan of Frost for years and then had the delight of finding the books and was totally charmed by them. You can not help but associate David Jason as the wonderful rumpled Jack Frost. To start reading him as so dirty and vile as this totally put me off and just could not put the two characters together. Totally missed the mark for me and could not get past the first couple of chapters. If you are going to carry on with a beloved character like this, please do not take it upon your self to change them.

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An excellent read, you can hear the voices as you read the book.

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Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Another fantastic book, i enjoyed the original Frost books and series and reading this you can see David Jason. Brilliant

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My next review is as follows:-
"Frost At Midnight", written by James Henry and published in hardback by Bantam Press on 18 May 2017. 352 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0593073636

It is a hot August in 1983 and Denton is preparing for a wedding. Detective Inspector Jack Frost is to act as best man at the wedding of his friend Sergeant Waters when he Waters marries his betrothed in less than a week. But the Sunday before the big day, instead of a run through with his best man, the church is sealed off as a young woman's body has been found in the church yard on top of a grave. So the church is now a crime scene.

Newly promoted Detective Inspector Frost has been homeless over the past three months, ever since his late wife's family had sold the matrimonial home and he has been staying with Detective Constable Sue Clarke but with a baby to look after and her mother about to arrive he has found that he urgently needs new accommodation. But as best man to Waters, he’s got a responsibility to solve the mystery of the dead girl in the churchyard. Can he put his own troubles aside and be the detective they need him to be? All in all, August looks set to be a wicked month in Denton…

The deceased girl is identified as a stripper and it requires Frost to check out a local night-club called The Coconut Grove which is run by a local gangster named Harry Baskin who curiously also plays golf with Superintendent Mullet! There is much wry humour directed at the night-club. These books, just like those of R D Wingfield, move very fast and I was completely gripped all the way through and as there are many different changes to the plot it is important to keep fully attentive.

I always loved reading the original Frost books by the late R.D.Wingfield and his books describe a detective who unlike other detective mysteries that you read, always seems to be dealing with many different crimes concurrently as well as trying to sort out his own bizarre living arrangements out. He seems quite chaotic in his organisational matters and always has Superintendent Mullet after him for one thing or another but always manages to wriggle his way out of a direct confrontation. Now author James Henry has been invited by the R D Wingfield estate to write a series of prequels to the original books and this one is the fourth in the series so far. Each book is complete in its self and it is not necessary to read the earlier ones except for completeness. I read for review the third one which was called "Morning Frost" and it was published in 2013.

The author seems to be following the style of Frost that is shown in the TV series rather than the format in the original books which seem's a pity. However, these stories are superbly well written and I enjoyed it very much. Recommended.

Best wishes,

Terry
(To be published on eurocrime.co.uk)

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I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a review copy of Frost At Midnight, the fourth prequel to R. D. Wingfield's original Frost series.

It is summer 1983 and Frost is gearing up for his role as DS Waters' best man but first they have to solve the murder of a young woman found dead on a gravestone in the church they were about to rehearse the wedding in. The victim is Rachel Curtis jailed the previous year for shooting a security guard but recently released on mental health grounds, not a popular decision in Denton. At the same time 10 year Richard Hammond reports his mother, Jane a local prostitute, missing.

I thoroughly enjoyed Frost At Midnight. It never drags and is full of sly humour from the dialogue to the way Frost runs rings round Superintendent Mullett, aka Hornrim Harry. I particularly liked the running gag about the stolen line marking paint and its very neat solution. The plotting should appeal to most readers as Rachel's killer is unknown to the reader and provides a good old fashioned hunt the killer mystery while the reader knows what happened to Jane so it's a watch the police catch up scenario.

It is hard to review a novel about Jack Frost without recalling David Jason's television role which I understand R. D. Wingfield hated but it's equally hard to remember the original creation as it must be at least 20 years since I read them. I like this incarnation. His personal life and hygiene might be in absolute chaos and outwardly his work life appears the same but he has a mind like a steel trap, well able to best Superintendent Mullett and solve his crimes. He is also a good judge of character and a kind man to his very loyal team when the situation requires it.

Frost At Midnight is a very good addition to the series which I have no hesitation in recommending.

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