A truly gruesome, gritty edge of your seat read that is certainly not for the faint hearted but I absolutely loved every minute of it and look forward to the next book in the series. The book gives you a look at police procedures at their worst with lots of politically incorrect banter and inappropriate jokes which I think makes it more true to life. I do hope the author continues to avoid D.I.Y. and gets cracking with the next in the series.

I found this book quite good with a surprising twist. And I would read more of this authors books. I am looking forward to them

A fast paced, dramatic and very gory police procedural with a good balance of characters and dark humour. Intrigued to see how this series will develop.

A young woman is found dead on the streets of London. Her throat slashed, her body mutilated, and one word carved into her flesh: “DON’T.” Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is fast on the case. He is a rich, young, ladies-man who is making a fast rise to the top in the South London police. He and his team are working hard to identify the killer, and once they do, desperately seeking to catch him before he kills another, which he does. Finding the killer is a real chore, because in his team, one of the detectives, Johnny Clocks, is someone that Paterson hates. Hopefully their contentious relationship won't get in the way of solving these gruesome murders.

Their Last Words is dark and often crude, which left me cringing more than once, especially with the graphic descriptions of the ghastly murders. All I could imagine was the author's previous employ as a detective and how it most likely lent to providing the realism displayed in this book. Also, the cops here were not a great team like you generally see on television often where they behave like a well-oiled machine. There is often extreme disgust towards one another. I did enjoy the brief moments of profiling to identify the killer as they sought to identify and arrest him.

The first half of the book was a bit difficult for me as I am rather sensitive. But, once they had a bead on the killer, it then became a matter of locating him before he could continue to murder people. This fast-paced book truly became a page turner from this point on. I had a surprisingly emotional reaction to the shocking conclusion. Haven't not read much crime fiction before, I was impressed. Definitely four stars!

Many thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Detective Superintendent Ray Patterson is looking for a serial killer. A killer who seems to enjoy killing women, mutilating them and carving words on them. With the help of his fellow officers he Hope's to find this murderer. Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan has his back, until he doesn't. And foul mouthed Detective Johnny Clocks is there to help if he doesn't mess up. Detective Constable Adam Walker is also there. Young, quick tempered. With these partners how can he go wrong? Except he does, which causes him to render his resignation. Meanwhile more young women are being butchered. Well written, good twists in the story. Interesting.

I have a confession to make (my second of the evening so far). Prior to receiving an e-mail from Joffe Books, I hadn’t actually heard of Steve Parker- sorry Steve. After finishing reading ‘Their Last Words’ I find myself asking myself why haven’t I discovered Steve Parker before now? I absolutely, totally and utterly LOVED reading ‘Their Last Words’ but more about that in a bit.
The main character of this book is Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson. He’s an ambitious man, who is on the graduate fast track scheme for police officers. He has soared up the career ladder and despite his rank, he is still relatively young. I got the impression that to a degree Paterson is a bit like a fish out of water. He has risen up the ranks that quickly that he hasn’t gained the experience that comes with either age or practice in the form of leading major investigations or interviewing key suspects and so on and so forth. Paterson relies heavily on his friend and mentor, Detective Sergeant Dave Jordan to help him gain the experience. Paterson has led something of a privileged life and he is financially secure, having inherited a vast amount of money. Some of those who work for him can’t understand why he wanted to become a police officer if he has enough money already to live comfortably. I must admit that initially the same thought crossed my mind. Paterson is a determined and compassionate police officer, who strives to bring the guilty to justice and achieve some kind of closure for the victims of crime. Paterson is like a dog with a bone in that once he has got his teeth into a case, he doesn’t easily drop it or switch off from it. He lives, breathes and eats the case so to speak. I took to both characters really easily, even if sometimes DS Jordan had even less tact and diplomacy than me and that’s saying something. The author’s writing style is so convincing and so realistic that the characters seemed real to me and I could literally imagine them standing in front of me and acting out what I was reading.
Blimey oh riley, this was one hell of an unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride of a read. The story hit the ground running and maintained the pace throughout. As soon as I read the first sentence I just knew that I was going to become addicted to reading this book and so it proved. For me ‘Their Last Words’ really is a ‘CPID’ (can’t put it down) book. My Kindle wasn’t glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it came everywhere with me. I just had to keep reading to see if Paterson and his team were going to be able to solve the case without any further loss of life, to see if Paterson managed to gain confidence and keep the respect of his team and to see if Detective Sergeant Johnny Clocks managed to get to the end of the book without having suffered a reprimand or the sack. Clocks was one character who made my skin crawl, my toes curl and my fists want to punch him. The page numbers and the time flew past in a blur and before I realised what was happening I had finished the book, which I had conflicting feelings about. I was pleased to finish because at least I knew how the investigation ended but I wasn’t pleased to finish because I was enjoying the story, the characters and the writing style so much that I just wanted the book to continue.
Some of the details of the crime are rather graphic to say the least. It’s just as well that I have a strong stomach because I was eating my tea, whilst reading about the graphic nature of the injuries of the first murder victim. Thank goodness I wasn’t eating meat or sausages at the time. Although the nature of the injuries was graphic I didn’t feel that it was in any way gratuitous or gory for the sake of being gory. If anything, it only added to the story and the authenticity of the investigation.
In conclusion I absolutely, totally and utterly flipping well loved reading ‘Their Last Words’ and I wholeheartedly recommend it to other readers. I can’t wait to see what comes next from Steve Parker. Here’s hoping that I don’t have too long to wait. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This is not a book for the faint-hearted - it is quite gruesome but a fast-paced tale. I can only give this book 3 stars because the crude language (I HATE THE C WORD) detracts from the book. The police officers in this novel have no respect for each other and some no respect for the dead. Tone down the language a little and it would have been 4 stars.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Steve Parker/Joffe Books for a digital copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.

Holy %#@%! This book! ( Its okay...this was written for mature audiences)

Its a James Patterson-ish storyline meets the gore of Jack Ketchum or Karin Slaughter ! In quoting Clocks aka Timex I agree that I wish I could wash my brain out with bleach and forget what I just read because I will NOT be sleeping tonight!

First and foremost as always thank you to Netgalley & to Joffee Books for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review 🙏🏻❤️ I have joined Joffee's email list.

Hmmm...Where to even begin?

Let me first start off by saying that I'm the kind of reader that always has a thriller book " on hand" whether in my car CD player, an iPad e-book sitting on the coffee table, or a physical copy stuffed in my purse. I just can't seem to get enough of them! So needless to say when I see a new novel advertised as an " absolutely gripping serial killer thriller with a huge twist..." I'm all in--bring it on! But....you have to assume that it takes a LOT for me not to see the plot twists coming.

Knowing that this book is written by a cop makes it so much more hyped for me because he sees, hears, witnesses brutal things such as this all the time-- it is a norm and is probably spoken with ease. My heart was literally pounding the entire book even when they were just having a meeting.

I have to admit about 25 percent into the book I already knew who the killer was and I was immediately dissapointed when my suspicions were confirmed half-way! I thought to myself, " what could possibly keep this book interesting for another couple hundred pages now that the major twist is revealed?" I wanted to put it down. But Thank GOD I didn't....knowing who the killer was early on did not take ANYTHING away from the excitement of this book!

Paterson is a rich, arrogant, cocky --recently promoted Superintendant that needs to get his confidence knocked down a few pegs, and in this story I have to say he gets his ass handed to him! Brilliantly done, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, I read it in one day and am sad that it's over!

I can't wait to see what Steve Parker has in store for us in book two -- hopefully the protagonist learns to keep his hands to himself by then!

I'll end with my favorite part of the ENTIRE book - I licked the life right out of her 💔😳🙌🏻 Yikes!

I really enjoyed this story. The way the characters interact with each other, the way the try and figure out who the serial killer is and why. Yes, if your not into graphic killings, this book may not be for you. I found it to be very interesting and I did not think who the killer was. I was surprised at the identity. I would like to thank Joffee Books and Net Galley for a copy of this book. Looking forward to more from this author. I voluntarily reviewed this and this is my opinion of it.

Young women are being horribly mutilated and dumped on the streets of London, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson is put in charge but out of his depth he turns to DS Dave Jordan and his team to help catch this ruthless killer.

It’s so difficult to write about this book as there is so much more to it than the synopsis gives away but then I don’t want to write any spoilers in this review! I’ll try my best anyway.

It’s nice to see Joffe books has a new author, well not exactly new, this book was previously published under the title, The Sky Is Crying, but he’s certainly a new to me.

Now the first half of the book really put the procedure into police procedural. Steve Parker really puts his experience of being a police officer into the pages which as a civilian I appreciate but it wasn’t until the second half of the book that I felt the story get really juicy with plenty of shocks and action packed moments.

This also has a little twist on the usual crime books, as the superintendent is one of the main characters investigating the murder. I can honestly say I haven’t seen before, usually they’re in the background making it harder for people to do their jobs. Also Ray Paterson is a bit flash, driving round in an Aston Martin wearing Gucci shoes and posh suits, coming from money he doesn’t really have to work either unlike your usual copper.

A character who I really didn’t like but eventually grew on me, a little anyway, was DS Clocks. He’s offensive, sexist and hates authority but as the story goes along really steps up and shows he is actually a good policeman under all of that.

A warning to those of you with a sensitive disposition, this may not be the book for you. There’s extreme violence and bad language, which even shocked me while I was reading it.

An exciting start to a new series that I’m interested to see where it goes next.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Their Last Words, the first novel to feature Detective Superintendent Ray Paterson of the Met.

Paterson is called out to a murder scene where a young woman has had her throat slit, her body mutilated and the word "don't" carved on her chest. Unfortunately she is not the only victim and Paterson is soon hunting a serial killer but with no forensics he isn't getting far.

Their Last Words is a novel of two halves with the first being the hunt to identify the killer and the second the hunt to locate him. As it is not a particularly long novel it means that both plot lines are a bit superficial. I also think it is a bit derivative and brings nothing new to the genre. It does, however, have some exciting action scenes and works well as a no-thought required, entertaining thriller. It should be noted that it is not for the faint hearted with bad language, violence and some extremely graphic descriptions of the mutilated corpses.

I might have enjoyed the novel better if I had taken to Ray Paterson but, to be frank, there is nothing attractive or likeable about him. He is rich with no need to work and is on the Met's fast track programme so he has an unconscious sense of entitlement which he acts on. In the first few chapters he comes across as a racist with uncomplimentary comments about the Scottish pathologist and laughing at a joke about Muslims but this is quickly superseded by his attitude to women as he's a tomcat, to put it politely. Yuk. Add to this that he's no detective, unable to find his ass from his elbow, and you get the picture. Where he comes into his own is in the second half when he goes off piste and does his best Rambo impression.

Their Last Words is not for me but I have awarded it 3* as it is fairly well done and will appeal to many readers.

The author wrote a thriller that is fast paced and hard to put down. The twist and turns kept coming until the end!

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A HEAVILY REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “THE SKY IS CRYING.”


There are cops who hate each other, but have to work together to catch the most brutal serial killer to date. There are multiple vicitms ... women savagely slashed with missing body parts. There are words carved into each victim .. but what's the message? And who is it for?


DS Ray Paterson is assigned to investigate these cases. He's new to this team and it's meant to be a stepping stone for a brighter future in law enforcement. This case threatens to bring a close to his fought for career ... it may take his very life.


The author, a retired police officer who served for 20 years in numerous high-profiles squads brings a lot of credibility to this story. It's very well written with outstanding characters.


This is the first in a series of action-packed, edge-of-your-seat crime thrillers, with an ending that will have your heart in your mouth.


Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley and Books n All Publicity for the advanced digital copy of this crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

4.5 STARS

Serial killer story with a difference. Ritualistic type killings leaving a message, the killer is revealed but the story goes on to give the reasons for his messages and continues to a thrilling climax and then on to a surprising end.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough a true onesitting read I didn’t put it down till I finished it great plot

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Detective Superintendent Paterson is a wealthy man who was fast-tracked up the promotion line. He basically has no real police investigative skills. Luckily, he has DS Dave Jordan who is Paterson’s partner and good friend.

When a young woman is found murdered and badly mutilated, the police know that they have a real problem on their hands. They make very little progress before another woman is also murdered and mutilated. Each of the women has a single word carved onto their chests. The police come up with a couple of suspects, but it turns out that neither man is the correct one. One of the DC’s on the team, DC Walker has a forensic psychology degree and offers some very good ideas. They call in a profiler who comes to many of the same conclusions.

Another woman is found dead. It is now clear that they have a serial killer on their hands. There is a tragedy for the team, but especially for Peterson. Then an explosive fact is revealed to the reader.

The race is now on to catch the killer. He is very smart and crafty. He is determined. In an exciting and action-packed conclusion, Clocks and Paterson face the killer who is intent on killing again.

I didn’t care for Detective Superintendent Paterson. He is too quick to temper, acts immature and frankly, has been promoted beyond his skills. I’m not sure if this is how Mr. Parker intended to portray him, but if this is the quality of superintendents that populate the British police force then remind me not to travel there. I’m not even sure what Paterson found so irritating about DS Clock’s sense of humor. I agree that the man was not funny, but he wasn’t all that irritating. I liked DS Jordan and the rest of the team. The writing in this book is not bad. The plotting is good. The transitions were, at times, a little difficult to follow and Mr. Parker needs to work on those. All in all, a pretty good read. I am looking forward to the next in this series to see if Superintendent Paterson has grown up a bit.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good debut book to read and review.

** I cannot link any other reviews as the book is not yet on GoodReads or Amazon.

This book is police/detective mystery novel. Roy Paterson is the new detective in charge of a team trying to solve the horrible murders of young woman before another one is killed. The killer appears to be very sadistic in the manner he carves up the woman after death and also in the "messages" he leave behind. What is he reasoning for such brutal murders? After a few unsolved murders the killer gets personal with Paterson as the team race on to try and stop him. The relationships between Roy and his team members especially "Timex" (Johnny Clocks) and Dave Jordan also add to the depth and interest of the book. When a very personal murder affects Roy he must race around the clock to try and catch and maybe kill this most sadistic murderer.

Wow!!!
When girls are found dead, throats sliced not once but twice, their insides cut out and words carved into their chests, Senior Investigating Officer Ray Paterson takes on his first case of his new rank.
Who is the Murderer?
Edge of the seat book. Lots of twists and turns.

What a great book. I couldn't put it down. It's convoluted, and twisty. Can't recommend it enough to anyone who loves a good murder mystery and police procedurals