Burn the evidence is the followup to Dig Two Graves. We are back with DS Gray.. he’s flawed to the max but he’s good at what he does.

Gray has one hell of a back story which continues to unravel during this book. He can’t let go of the past, his son went missing years ago and when potential new information surfaces he can’t focus on the job at hand. That job being a triple murder.

When 3 bodies are given up by the sea Gray is trust into the case but are the bodies connected and if so how?

Something I really enjoy about the book is the back and forth from past to present..slowly giving the reader the full picture. If I’m honest it’s this type of writing that really grips me with a crime fiction book..the suspense, I want to put the pieces together just like Gray does.

Keith Nixon has written a brilliant follow-up book which combines multiple plots and twists that converge to keep you hooked. The author even dropped a bombshell which will no doubt be explored during the next instalment… it’s endings like this that keep me coming back to an author. I’m left with a thirst that can only be quenched by reading the next installment as soon as it is released…other books can be put on hold but after an ending like that how could the next installment not be put on my most anticipated releases list!

This is what crime fiction should be for me. We have a flawed lead, (let’s face it no one is perfect, we just do the best we can) with a mix of personal and work issues to deal with. The cases develop at a good pace which keep me engaged and I must certainly want more. Chapter length was perfect, development felt natural rather than forced and there’s plenty of twists and turns to keep a real crime junkie happy also.

I’ve read a lot of Keith’s books and this is certainly a credit to his increasing collection of works and I hope there’s plenty more to follow.

Top notch work.

I was very happy with this book. Very enjoyable and it was my first book from this author. I am so nervous when i start a new auithor , especially if it is not a debut. But this was great!! 4 stars from me!!

Synopsis/blurb....

Mixing business with family can be a murderous affair ...

A body washes up on the beach near Ramsgate in the South of England. For DS Solomon Gray, the case appears cut and dried—a drowning. An immigrant. Another victim to the sea in his desperate attempt to reach the UK.

As the tidewaters recede, two more corpses surface. One appears to be a refugee, stabbed to death. The other, Gray recognises immediately. Regan Armitage: son of business tycoon Jake Armitage. Gray knows this means trouble.

A post mortem reveals ligature marks on Regan's wrists. Drugs in his bloodstream. All signs indicate murder. Armitage swears to track down his son's killer and avenge his death.

Gray's investigation points to a deadly fire ten years prior, and soon Armitage comes under suspicion. But DS Gray knows what it's like to lose a child and puts aside his distrust of Armitage to help.

How are the dead men connected to each other—and to the infamous fire?

It's then that Gray gets another tip on the whereabouts of his own missing son, Tom...

Burn the Evidence is the second book in a series featuring Detective Sergeant Solomon Gray. The crime series is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart MacBride, and Peter James.
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My take.....

Another encounter with Nixon's Solomon Gray on the Kent coastline and another read with murders to be solved, while at the same time touching on some topical issues of the day.

Dead bodies on a beach - drownings maybe, only one of the bodies has been stabbed. One victim is the son of a local criminal turned businessman and and old friend from way back when of Gray's. The others - refugees-cum-illegal immigrants. A quick sweep of the area, indicates someone survived the encounter and is on the loose - witness, potential victim or perpetrator?

There's more going on here than immediately meets the eye, which is as it should be....... murder, revenge, family, secrets, history, people smuggling, drugs, criminal enterprise, competition, Syria, deceit, arson, corruption, abandonment, shelter, charity, re-connection and plenty more.

Lots to like, the same police team as before in Dig Two Graves, the same frictions. Gray still has the shadow of his son's loss hanging over him and while it distracts him temporarily during the investigation it's a minor chord in the background which doesn't detract from the main narrative.

It's another shortish book and none the worse for that. We spend a bit of time in the company of the surviving refugee and we see a snapshot of his life..... loss, pain, separation, sacrifice and bereavement which gives pause for thought. (Maybe not if you're Katie Hopkins, but anyone else with a beating heart and an ounce of humanity.)

Characters - tick
Setting - tick
Plot - tick
Pace - tick
Resolution - tick

My kind of book.

4.5 from 5

Keith Nixon has his website here.
http://www.keithnixon.co.uk/

Dig Two Graves was reviewed here.
https://col2910.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/keith-nixon-dig-two-graves-2017.html
The third in the series - Beg For Mercy drops in June.

Read in March, 2018
Published - 2017
Page count - 229
Source - Net Galley courtesy of publisher Bastei Entertainment
Format - Kindle

https://col2910.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/keith-nixon-burn-evidence-2017.html

One of the new books I’ve enjoyed was my most recent pleasure, Keith Nixon’s Dig Two Graves (US). It’s the first in a series following Detective Solomon Gray. Billed as ‘a gripping crime thriller’, I can confirm that it lives up to that promise.

When a teenage boy is found splattered into the concrete outside a block of flats in Margate, it stirs the muddy pool Solomon Gray’s past. Things become complicated when murder is suspected and a direct link is found between Gray and the case.

The detective begins to unravel. While he follows the threads in his personal and professional lives, further deaths close in on Gray in ever-decreasing circles until even he struggles to understand why everything he touches crumbles to dust.

Gray is anything but. While he may have a sullen exterior and is haunted by unrelenting ghosts, he also wears a beating heart on his sleeve. His past is bleak. His career is on the ropes. His future offers no hope and if he doesn’t seek medical help he’ll lose his job. He drinks to remember and to forget and rage forever lurks just beneath the surface. As he wanders from case to case and the world around him paints him into ever-tighter corners, the exploration of his personality drills deeper than many reads in the procedural genre. When married together with the details of the murders he’s investigating, you have a multi-faceted novel that will satisfy much more than just the curiosity as to the identity and motivations of the killers.

There’s a lot of promise here and if you’re looking for a new police series to take you through your reading in 2018, this may well be exactly what you want.

„Burn the Evidence“ continues the story of DS Solomon Gray begun in „Dig Two Graves“.
Solomon has cut down on cigarettes and alcohol, but he still has some health issues. The case he has to investigate is rather complicated. What looks like an accident in the beginning, the case of a drowned man of foreign origin who seems to have been an illegal immigrant having died in the attempt to reach the UK in a small boat, takes a more sinister turn when two more bodies are washed ashore: one of them is Regan Armitage, the son of influential Margate businessman Jake Armitage.
Regan has been stabbed to death and there are several possible motives for his murder. It might have been revenge as Regan had a bad reputation as a womanizer, but the murder might also have been a way to get back at Regan´s father Jake Armitage who is suspected of having been involved in some shady deals in the present and the past.
For Solomon who has been a friend of Jake´s for many years it´s not easy to view the facts concerning this case objectively. This leads to conflicts with his immediate boss Yvonne Hamson and with both their boss, Jeff Carslake, who seems to follow an agenda of his own.
The case is quite complicated with lots of suspects and motives, so the reader has to concentrate on the different interwoven storylines in the present and the past. The fluent and graphic narrative style keeps the reader´s interest awake. Not all the loose ends are tied up in this story which makes for an effective cliffhanger.
„Burn the Evidence“ can be read without the knowledge of „Dig Two Graves“, but it makes sense to read both novels in the correct order.
I´m definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

This book is a very strong 4 stars. Gray is investigating the deaths of three people. He also trying to find his missing son. I think that this book is the right length. It kept me gripped the whole way through. The characters in it are believable and there are a few twists in the plot which kept me reading. I definitely want to read more books in this series. I want to know more about Gray and how his life develops and what happened to his son.

Incomplete? I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Written by Keith Nixon, and published by Bastei Entertainment, an imprint of Bastei Lübbe AG in 2017, the book seems incomplete to me. Loose ends abound at the conclusion of the story. Although the novel has a good pace, and although the protagonist, Detective Sergeant (DS) Soloman Gray, is a relatively likable character, the story leaves us with too many unanswered questions. We are not told, for example, the circumstances of the disappearance of his son, Tom. We only know that he disappeared ten years ago, and that Gray is still searching for him.

One of Gray’s superiors and close friends is “bent” (corrupted). We know which one, but nothing seems to come of it. This story seems to be only a part of a much longer story that probably includes the first Soloman Gray novel, plus one or more yet to come. That makes it a partial story, and it is incomplete. The author fails to make the book a complete standalone novel by tying in important events that he probably described in the first book of the series (which I didn’t read). I really expected much more from this story. Gray is an interesting character and the story development is also interesting. The dialogue is relatively realistic, but I was left hanging and unsatisfied by the conclusion. In addition, I thought the relationship of the title of the book to the plot was tenuous, at best. As a result, I can award no more than two stars for this one, which you should feel free to skip.

https://crimefictionlover.com/2017/12/burn-the-evidence/

DS soloman grey is back and he has more cases then ever to solve.

Three different people turn up washed up on a beach and that have been killed in other ways and its down to Soloman to find out who did it and why.

If that was not enough he gets a tip about his son who is missing.

Soloman is not a character I could warm to at all.

The ending was also a big let down I did not like the big cliff hanger the book ended on.
It was a bit disappointing and it would be nice to have the book finish better an okay book.

Thanks to #BurnTheEvidence #NetGalley and the Publisher and Author for the opportunity to read "Burn The Evidence".
I have to admit, I have yet to read the first book in the DS Solomon Gray series (Dig Two Graves), so I am not completely up on what occurred prior to the events in this book. I do plan on reading it soon, though.
#BurnTheEvidence starts out with the discovery of a body on the beach near Margate, and the subsequent discovery of two more. Are they related? Do they have anything to do with what occurred in the past when an arsonist killed part of a family? All will be revealed (sort of, as this is an ongoing story).
Along the way we find that Sol (as he's called) is having some health problems and has received some (possible) information regarding the disappearance of his son.
There are twists and turns, and a cliffhanger, but all in all a satisfying read. The characters are all believable - though some are the stereotypical people found in a lot of detective fiction. The plot is easy to follow and the truth (or some of it) is revealed. And there's a surprise or two along the way. Recommended.

I received a ebook copy  from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The novel follows the journey of DI Solomon Gray as he investigates the murder of Regan Artimage. Regan was the son of the business tycoon, Jake. Regan's body was found along with the bodies of two immigrants. The police find evidence that there was a third immigrant who has escaped. In the meantime Jeff provides some information on Tom, Gray's son who has been missing for 10 years.

Will Gray and team find the third immigrant?
Are the murders related?
Who wants Regan dead?
Will Gray find Tom?
Read to find out

It was a good suspense thriller. I feel bad for not having pieced the puzzle together earlier, but that what makes the book interesting. I would like to read other Solomon Gray books. As I didn't read the first book, did feel left out at certain parts, on the whole it was manageable

Recommended for suspense thriller readers

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bastei Entertainment for a review copy of Burn the Evidence, the second novel in the Margate based DS Solomon Gray series of police procedurals.

Solomon is called in to investigate when three bodies are washed up on the beach, two are obviously illegal immigrants and the third is Regan Armitage, son of the shady Jake. Regan was not a pleasant individual but there are no obvious suspects until the investigation gets underway and the team uncover several surprises. In the meantime Solomon's friend DCI Carslake has uncovered a new lead in his son Tom's ten year old disappearance.

I must admit that I was not enthralled by Dig Two Graves, the first novel in the series, as its emphasis on Tom's disappearance and Solomon's anguish over the crime element did not appeal to me but Burn the Evidence has a different approach and I couldn't put it down. Solomon's hunt for Tom still features in a low key, background way while Mr Nixon concentrates on the murders on the beach and their extensive ramifications. It is amazing how much ground he manages to cover in such a short time, illegal immigration, corruption, the tentacles of crime, family and the shadow the past casts. It's a fascinating and assured read which had me turning the pages furiously.

I like the way Mr Nixon portrays life in a small town where everyone knows everyone and relationships tend to be ambiguous and uneasy, like Solomon and Jake Armitage who were childhood best friends but are now on opposite sides with Solomon trying to distance himself and Jake trying to play on old allegiances. It's great stuff. Solomon, himself, is not an easy character. Essentially he's a loner with one goal in life, that of finding his son, but he's a good investigator whom people talk to although his judgement is not always sound which leads to strife and more damaged relationships.

Burn the Evidence will work as a stand alone but it is better to look at it as episode 2 of an ongoing series and read Dig Two Graves first because there are several ongoing strands to the novel and characters which are still unresolved at the end of it. I'm not a big fan of cliffhangers but in this case I'll make an exception as they have really whetted my appetite for the next novel which I wish I could start now! My curiosity about where Mr Nixon is taking it is fully aroused.

Burn the Evidence is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

The second book in the D.S. Solomon Gray series and a great follow up to book one. Very good character development and fast paced. Jake Armitage is a very unlikeable character, controlling and arrogant but Solomon empathises with him in the loss of his son. A very inconclusive ending means that I will read book 3! If you like solid and well written police procedurals, this is one for you. Read Dig Two Graves first though for the background to the characters. Thank you Net Galley for my copy.I reviewed on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook.

Catchy cover, tight who-dunnit, cop with a tortured-soul finds redemption. Great addition to the series, I will keep my eyes on this one.

I was really enjoying this book and the plot. However the ending happened too quickly.

Burn the Evidence is book 2 in the Solomon Gray series.

I really enjoyed this book, there were lots of twists and a lot going on but once I sorted out who was who and how they all connected it was fine.

You have to feel sorry for Sol, he lost his son 10 years ago and it’s constantly on his mind yet still he manages to do his job and do it well. For more on the back story of Sols son you will need to read book 1 Dig Two Graves.

This story was exciting and suspenseful, it kept me on the edge of my seat turning pages really wanting to see what was going to happen next.

This really was a gripping thriller which I enjoyed very much and highly recommend.

I’m going to give this a big well deserved 4 stars.

Very solid followup to "Dig Two Graves" finds DS Solomon Gray looking into the case of 3 bodies that wash up on the beach of a well known refugee landing area. What starts out looking like a fatal attempt by immigrants to reach English soil quickly turns into so much more when they find one of the bodies has stab marks and another one is the privileged son of a very wealthy, very powerful businessman/gangster. The investigation takes Gray all the way back to a deadly fire 10 years ago that raises more questions than answers as he simply doesn't know who he can trust.

Once again, Solomon Gray continues his heart wrenching search for his son who went missing 10 years ago at the age of 6 as new leads arise and I thought the author did a great job with this part of the story as he touched on it a few times but didn't make it the main focus of the book.

A new series that I recommend and look forward to continuing with. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, be-ebooks and Keith Nixon in this the second Solomon Gray book.
When a body washes up on shore, it's that of a refugee but when 2 more bodies wash up, one of them is definitely not a refugee. He is Regan Armitage, the very spoilt, womanizing son of a prominent, rich business man, who swears to find Regan's killer.
Soloman's investigations into the reasons for Regan's death, and why he was with two unrelated bodies take him to the past, 10 years to be exact.
A deadly fire in which Armitage came under suspicion is not making him a likeable character, but Solomon empathizes with him. He is an overbearing, totally unsympathetic man, but a man who has lost his son and Solomon knows how much heartbreak that causes. He is still mourning the loss of his own son, still looking for him...He is determined to solve Regan's murder.
This is a well written police procedural, a quick and engaging read. I disliked Regan's father, but that added some spice to the book. Solomon is a brooding man who still hasn't got over is son's loss, but there are signs this may change.
All in all I really enjoyed this book, but the unresolved end was a bit disappointing. On the other hand that means I will definitely be reading the third in the series! A must read for fans of British thrillers.

Gray hardly seems to set foot inside the police station yet always solves the cases nobody else can!
A conclusion that leaves the reader looking forward to the next instalment.

3 stars

Be aware that this is a cliffhanger. To determine the ending, you’ll have to wait for/read the next book in the series.

DS Solomon Gray is called to the scene of a body in the surf. It appears to be an immigrant. There is no identification on him. Shortly, two more bodies are noticed. One was stabbed – another immigrant? The other is none other than the son of a wealthy businessman Jake Armitage. Regan Armitage was into much that caused him trouble, especially women.

The autopsy reveals that Regan was bound and there is evidence of drugs. Armitage senior swears he will track down the killer himself and deal out his own brand of justice.

This book shifts in time from the past to the present. In the past, the reader learns that there was a fire ten years earlier in which some people were killed. It appears as though Jake Armitage may have had something to do with it? Jake is a thoroughly unlikeable character. Controlling, arrogant, pigheaded are just some of the appellations I’d ascribe to him. He is a completely despicable human being.

This book is fairly well written and plotted. It does have a tendency to disconnect at times. Perhaps it was me, but I would be reading along and then go, “Huh? Where did that come from?” I’m not sure I liked Solomon Gray. I understand his being upset at the disappearance of his son, but he was unable to get past it. (And I hate cliffhangers…)

I want to thank NetGalley and be-ebooks for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read and enjoy.