This book was a huge disappointment and not for me at all
I felt it could have offered so much more

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Canelo for the ARC.
I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review this second DI Ridpath story, having really enjoyed the first. This, may I say, is even better. DI Ridpath, part of the Greater Manchester Major Incident Team, is working for Mrs Challinor the Coroner, and continuing his hospital check-ups for a cancer which is now in remission. He is temporarily estranged from his wife and daughter but one April afternoon, on his way to meet them for an evening together, he's involved in a motorway accident on the M60. An almost naked young man is running all over the lanes of traffic and Ridpath, although braking just in time to avoid hitting him, witnesses him stepping into the path of an articulated lorry. Glancing up he is sure he sees an armed pursuer on the embankment.
Poor old Ridpath - he's hacked-off the traffic division by closing the M60 on a match day, as well as the Armed Response Unit who searched for the gunman; his MIT DCI Charlie Whitworth can hardly believe the chaos he's caused, and then there is the fact of disappointing his daughter.
Back at the Coroner's office Ridpath has a lot of catching up to do; an inquest is to be opened on a young man found apparently drowned in a park lake the week before but the new pathologist concludes it was murder.
The story takes us into the realms of gangland Manchester where the bosses are legitimising their enterprises and living in relative harmony. So what can you expect when a son of each rival gang boss has been found to have been murdered?
Ridpath has a fine line to walk between the MIT and the Coroner's Office and gradually makes connections between the deaths. Of course he does! This is very cleverly written, and you really don't see that ending coming. There is misdirection, and the final twist - well - you really should read it!

There can be nothing more satisfying than starting a book that you know is going to be good and it turns out to be so very much better than you could ever expect. I was thrilled to receive the arc of this second instalment of the DI Ridpath series as I loved the first book ...well this one is just bloody brilliant !!
The writing is just superb, full of northern humour and as with the last book a plot line that is both complex and full of twists, Ridpath (my favourite character) is fighting his own demons and throws himself full on into the case as always but to say more about the story would spoil it. If you love an excellent thriller with one hell of a great ending, a police procedural with a difference, characters that’s are well rounded and believable then you really do have it all here and if you haven’t read the first book I would urge you to try before you read this one these are books not to missed out on. So I loved the book and am sad to finish it and look forward to reading more from the wonderful MJ Lee please write fast as I need the next book now !!!
My thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.