I have to admit to having not read the first book in the DI Ridpath series - an oversight I must rectify at the earliest opportunity. .
The action and tension starts straight away and continues to build up with the turn of every page.
DI Ridpath is trying to get his life back together . He is in remission from cancer ,dealing with family problems and resentful at being seconded to the Coroner's Office - even though this was seen as a way of easing him back into work..
On his way to collect his daughter he is caught up in a motorway accident. A young man ,dressed only in new blue boxer shorts,runs across the motorway,rests his hands on the bonnet of Ridpath's car (he'd managed to brake in time ) , looks over to the hard shoulder then runs on to be hit by a truck..
Ridpath had seen an armed man on the hard shoulder so proceeded to close the road down and declare the area a crime scene...As this then resulted in gridlock when a big match was due to start he became very unpopular with 'the powers that be' - especially when no other witnesses came forward and nothing showed up on CCTV.
And so the plot unfolds with more bodies who appear to be unconnected , Ridpath having a hard time convincing anyone that there is a connection and looking increasingly like being made a scapegoat. as the threat of a turf war between rival gangs once again rears its ugly head.
This is a fast paced , compelling read. and I look forward to coming across DI Ridpath again.

An excellent crime thriller which gripped me from the start, I just couldn’t stop reading. DI Ridpath is now working for the Coroners office but still manages to unravel a very complex set of murders. An excellent story - looking forward to book 3.

I love a good British crime/police drama and this book did not disappoint. I found the story thrilling and the writing excellent. A great read for lovers of the genre and a really good read for everyone else!

DI Ridpath seems to be at something of a crossroads in his career, he's recovering from cancer and as a result seems to have been put on a version of light duties by being assigned as a Coroner's officer. However when he witnesses a fatal accident that he believes is no accident he gets thrown into the thick of it. Initially he's on his own in believing it's more than just an accident and ruffles a few feathers before eventually others come round to his way of thinking. Due to his working with the Coroner he's able to tie a few loose ends from other cases together and that's when the book goes into overdrive and becomes one you don't want to put down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the others in the series (including the one that preceded this).

A naked man runs across the M60 and is mown down by a lorry, he must be off his head on drugs or is he? One witness is DI Ridpath and he thinks he saw the man being chased by a gunman. Attached to the coroner's department Ridpath comes across the case of another man accidentally drowned but there is a strange link to the motorway case, both men were naked except for their blue boxer shorts. Also the drowning victim is the image of the gunman but he died a week earlier. As all the deaths are linked to two prominent Manchester crime families, the police are aware that any false move could result in all out gang warfare.
This is the second outing for DI Ridpath in the series but a welcome new book from Lee. The experience of Lee's writing shines through with complex but not unbelievable characters, and a satisfyingly twisty plot which is also not so farfetched.

This story bounds along with DI Ridpath trying to self-destruct at every opportunity. Estranged from his wife and daughter, he turns what little energy he has to solving an apparently unconnected series of deaths. Caught between the Coroner's Office and police work, he works the case without the approval of his two "guvnors".
Lee propels the reader along, suspending disbelief, linking history, forensics and police detail in a great ride.
Ridpath is frustrating, never quite getting his personal life untangled and his illness hangs over him like a sword.
If you enjoy a rollicking British mystery, this one is a treat.

I enjoyed the second in the series probably a little bit more than the previous one. I quite like Ridpath, he's working on me.
The story is good, solid and written well.
A book that you don't want to stop reading as it gets under your skin and I found myself thinking about it, do I gave in and finished it with several 'what the' moments.

Thanks to NetGalley, Canelo and M J Lee for the opportunity to read this book.

Theis crime novel started out reasonably with tied up victim suffering from having been kidnapped and starved of food and water. So we believe DI Ridpath but no one else does! But then other deaths follow .. we are privy to perps in this tale and realise they are after revenge, no matter how incoherent. But unfortunately there are myriad repetitions and about halfway through we are fighting with tedium to continue.

I had read the previous book in this series and thoroughly enjoyed it and this one was just as good. I love the setting of Manchester which is familiar to me and the characters are well written and likable. I also enjoy the different angle of a policeman working as the Coroner's Officer, which gives a different perspective to the story. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended. I will look forward to the next one in the series with great anticipation.

As someone from Manchester I really enjoyed the locality of this book. Well written and the protagonist was relatable.

Excellent follow up to the series debut. Tight plot and prose.

Can’t wait for the next instalment.

I've read other books by the same author and like the style of writing and the characters. I enjoy a crime novel and this one didn't disappoint. I'm hoping there will be more with the same characters.

The beginning is tense and perhaps even more gripping as the victim is male - more often than not with this style of detective murder novels, the kidnapped person is female. Lee continues to hook the reader with his approach and style of writing throughout 'Where the Dead Fall'..
Work in his new role for the pathology department should be less demanding for Detective Inspector Thomas Ridpath following his treatment for cancer but the brutal death of a young man triggers a sequence of events that are anything but straightforward and stress free. Ridpath's investigations are unwelcome but he persists doggedly, taking the reader with him on an exciting journey full of twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst, not something I would usually read, I was gripped throughout and will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author in the future

So pleased to be able to review this new DI Ridpath book. The last one was excellent and this didn't disappoint either.

Ridpath narrowly missed hitting a man who runs in front of him on the busy M60, but the man is sad!y hit by a lorry and ki!led. Ridpath is convinced there was a man at the side of the road, could the dead man have been running from him? And can he convince his former colleagues in the MIT team to investigate the case?
Still working in the coroner's office he's asked to look further into an apparent suicide case, but it appears there might just be a.link between the two cases.

It was great to have the story in the background of Ridpath''s determination to win back his wife and daughter, as well.as his health worries.,which continued from the first book. Roll on the next book!

Fast paced, gripping, and well written...definitely unputdownable! Great read! Now all I need to do is read the first book in the series!

This is just an all round fun series.

A different take on police procedural stories, Ridpath is an officer working for the coroner's office when he sees a man chased onto the motorway by a gun toting masked figure. Twists and turns abound, as he gradually unravels why he was there and who was chasing him.

Strong characterisation elevates these nicely crafted tales to create a compelling, easy to read series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

This book is an epic page turner. I love Karin Slaughter’s works and this one is as exceptional as her previous works. Recommended to anyone who enjoys thrillers and great characters, woven with great storylines. Brilliant

I was so pleased to receive the second installment of the DI Ridpath series from Netgalley as I enjoyed the first so much; it would read just as well as a standalone novel I hasten to add.

I was not disappointed, this police drama, with Ridpath at it's centre with one foot in the Coroner's Court and the other in MIT's camp, built up the suspense in solving what was initially one murder that was closely followed by several others.

Whilst having an overall view as the reader did lead me to think the police procedure was long and drawn out as I felt sure I knew who was responsible, but of course it was down to Ridpath to join all the dots and make it a viable case to pass the CPS and get to court.

On a more personal level I really do not understand what Ridpath sees in Polly. She is pretty one dimensional at this stage and doesn't offer much as a wife or indeed as a teacher; how many in real life would get away with not showing up to work a couple of hours ahead of the kids she teaches. I think you can see how I feel about the final scene, haha!

Overall, if you like police drama then I am sure you will love this book.

As usual in my reviews, I will not regurgitate the plot (plenty of other reviews like that around if that's what you want), but will simply record my thoughts and views.

This is a fast-paced and compelling page turner - the second in the DI Ridpath series. I was rather annoyed that I didn't manage to finish it in a single day as I didn't want to put it down!

For me, it's very important that I like the main character in a book - and DI Ridpath is quite a likeable chap. He loves his job, but we find him seconded (unwillingly to begin with) to another team (coroner's office), and soldiering on despite personal illness (the aftermath of cancer) and family problems - a determined and dedicated police officer.

A good plot with some unexpected twists makes for a cracking read - well worth packing if you're going on a journey.

As a bonus - being a native of Greater Manchester, I was pleased to realise that I knew some of the settings in the novel (I even Googled some of them to catch up on developments since I left the area!).

Looking forward to more in this series - always a good sign.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.