I enjoyed this book! I would go between a 3 and a 3.5 rating.
It is an interesting and engaging cat and mouse game between Detective Paul Czarcik and a serial killer.
The author doesn't hesitate to give us insight into the serial killer's mind and motives which I liked. So to know both the main characters makes you think and question your own moral compass.
I liked the paciness of the book. I was, however, hoping for a slightly more thrilling end. So I was a tad disappointed that there wasn't a better twist to the story.
But still, it's worth a read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A thrilling debut from Thomas Holgate. The mind games played by the serial killer with the flawed detective is interesting and keeps you hooked till the end with their cat and mouse chase. Every killing in this book is made to question the readers' moral compass. Can we justify something as monstrous as this? Is this a game of evil against evil or is it justice well-served in a twisted way? The book makes ourselves ask these questions and leaves us with understanding the human need for fair-play. This was equally gripping in its writing and the plot was very interesting to work through. I definitely recommend it to all the Thriller Junkies out there. Don't miss this book. A satisfying gruesome thriller.

Rain Will Come Thomas Holgate

Sometimes a character is so well written, and is that “off-the-wall”, I can associate them with a real person or a character I’ve seen on TV. This is one of those books

Detective Paul Czarick reminded me of Rigs from the Lethal Weapon TV series. He is a man who breaks rules, does what he likes, and is fuelled by nicotine, caffeine, and Columbian marching powder, turning to bourbon when he wants to relax.

Czarick works for the unpopular Illinois Bureau of Justice, and thanks to the fact that he solved a very high profile case, he is benefitting from a certain amount of immunity within the Bureau, and in this case he uses it to its full advantage.

Daniel is a killer, he’s a revenge killer, and he has a plan. Czarick picks up one of his murders and starts to connect the dots and links his case to another murder.

As Czarick becomes aware of the killer, Daniel becomes aware of the cop, and so the game begins.

A game of cat-and-mouse that stretches the length of the states. Every time Czarick gets close Daniel surprises him.

For some, there are lucky escapes, for others there is a terrible death that is somehow linked to something they have done in the past.

This is a simple plot, but a cracking story. It is as much a psychological thriller as it is a police story.

A great read

I really enjoy crime/police novels but this didn’t draw me in. I found I couldn’t get attached to Czarcikat all. I like flawed characters but he just didn’t come across as real. The premise of the book is wonderful and I liked the back and forth with each chapter. I just found that the story was quickly revealed and it lacked the suspense that most books offer. I found myself skimming several paragraphs to find something exciting or interesting to read.

This was a well written novel with a straight forward timeline and clearly delineated good guys and bad guys. The pacing was excellent and the characters stayed true to their established personas.

Personally I had a hard time with the less-than-legal (and downright illegal) habits of our hero. To me that was a real detriment in the enjoyment of the story. It posed a juxtaposition in the morality of his personification.

All in all it was a most enjoyable read. I’ll look forward to more novels by Holgate.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas and Mercer, in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sorry to say, this book wasn't my cup of tea. It was very fast past but a little too much for me. Lots of gory details about the bodies and the torture scenes.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview Rain WIll Come by Thomas Holgate.
I do like police and crime books, but quite frankly, I look for something different to get me hooked. This is good - you have a cop who is less than perfect going after a serial killer.
This is a solid procedural - and it has alot of good dialoge. I did find myself skimming some parts - I would leave alot of the relationship stuff out of this book because it didn't fit too much or develop the character more.
3 stars.

Gruesome scenes, back-and-forth between a troubled police detective and a serial killer. A fast pace and a little bit of romance thrown in. The romance could have been left out, wasn't really necessary and not really sure what I feel about it yet.
This debut novel from Thomas Holgate is well worth your time to read if you like police detectives like Harry Bosch or Jack Caffrey. The book flowed at a nice pace and the 2 point of views throughout the story were nicely done.... Just stay away if you don't like your descriptions too graphic.

Rain Will Come is a unique twist on a cat and mouse story. The narrative switches between Czarcik, a hardened Chicago detective with numerous vices, and the killer, who continues to elude being caught.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I was enthralled by this novel. I couldn’t put it down. The duality of the detective and the killer make for a thrilling read from start to finish. Rain Will Come is noir meets the movie Heat in a fantastic way.

I will warn those with queasy stomachs that this may not be the novel for you. The depictions of violence are very gritty and graphic.

I’d definitely recommend this book to those who love crime noir. I’d discuss more detail, but then I’d spoil the book, so I’ll just leave it at this: read the book!

The cat and mouse genre requires delicate calibration to work. If a reader is going to have two opposing forces driving a book’s narrative, it is often better to know one intimately and the other only in passing. Ran Will Come, the pseudonymous debut of screenwriter Thomas Holgate, gives near equal footing to its leads. It’s a bold move, and it pays off in places and confounds in others.

After preternaturally intuitive cop Detective Paul Czarcik investigates a double homicide, he makes a connection with a torture murder scene across the country. Going off book, Czarcik searches for the “rush” that comes from knowing precisely where a serial killer is going to be next but not knowing whether he can stop him.

Rain Will Come opens with a scene emblematic of the lead character: Czarcik likes the platonic company of escorts and is more than partial to cocaine. He is otherwise a misanthrope, and he prefers to work from home. This establishes the character well, although one wonders how well he is paid if he is able to afford $500 escorts on an almost daily basis.
As the book progresses, Holgate loses some of the laser focus that defined his character in the outset; while a case is integral to a detective novel, much of the work’s success relies upon how willing a reader is to spend time with its protagonist. The pro-activeness engaged in early scenes seems suddenly to be swapped for a narrative leading by the nose, and Czarcik suffers from it.

The reader knows from chapter two what the killer’s motive is, and his identity from chapter four; from our perspective, there’s no mystery to be solved, only justice to be meted out. We know almost all there is to know about this killer almost immediately, and his actions are deliberately telegraphed. Holgate makes multiple ballsy moves in the developmental stage of the novel but not all of those balls stay suspended mid-air; the killer’s case study is significantly weaker than Czarcik’s and laying out the entirety of his plan so early on plays havoc with the suspense.

Holgate writes with a firm grasp of what is expected of the genre, repeatedly pointing out the difference between movies and the “reality” of Czarcik’s investigation. The adherence to a general realism (albeit one with reference to legitimate psychic powers and a literal gut reaction to key information) is welcome, but somewhat undone when one character says to another “we’re not so different, you and I,” a phrase that needs to be banned from all storytelling in perpetuity.

Chapters are structured dynamically, with Holgate able to pivot between character viewpoints mid-scene without compromising flow or integrity. The multiple viewpoints help to establish that Holgate's own narrative voice isn’t quite as cynical as Czarcik, who is often pointedly rude for the sake of it. Paradoxically the killer is written as a bit of a weenie, but he is afforded the dignity of mostly logical motivation — even if he should have kept some of it to himself.

Rain Will Come reveals too much of itself too soon, and thinks that its final development is surprising rather than the inevitability that it turns out to be, but Czarcik is a strong enough character to ride again. Whether Holgate has already written him into a corner remains to be seen.

I love a good mystery thriller, and this one did not disappoint!
Told in alternating points of view between Paul, the flawed investigator from the Bureau of Judicial Enforcement, and the serial killer, I plowed through it in one day - just couldn't put it down.
The more I learned about the killer, I found myself almost empathizing with him and his cause, which was in itself, a very interesting twist. I liked the twist at the end too!
I can't wait to read more by Thomas Holgate - this was a fantastic debut and if you are mystery reader you will definitely want to check this quick read out.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

Rain Will Come provides an alternative twist on cat & mouse, detective vs serial killer. The relationship which builds between the two really stands out and a few chance (or not so chance) encounters in-between gives a quick thrill.

Detective Czarcik a man with many vices, makes it his mission to bring down a new serial killer, the difficult part about the case - is the killer in the wrong? Both men are at the end of their lives, one literally and one figuratively, and determined to complete their final tasks.

Oddly, my favourite character was the killer, Daniel. Holgate did a very good job explaining the justifications of Daniels crime and you feel yourself almost cheering him on in hope that he will succeed.

This uncomplicated, easy read would be a perfect holiday book. With a mix of love and crime the book should appeal to many.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Thank you #netgallery for the eARC!

This is a remarkable debut novel for Holgate. It was very fast pace and kept me hooked. It transitioned seamlessly and was easy to read.

I'm going to be honest I'm not sure I liked this book, I finished it a few days ago, but was still mulling over what to write for the review.

The main police character Paul Czarcik, is a troubled character, drinks copious amounts of alcohol, takes cocaine, and hire's prostitutes, merely to chat to. I didn't find him very likeable and had no empathy with him at all, didn't care what happened to him.

Now as for the killer, I liked him, probably the only character I did like in the book! All very strange

The book opens with the killing of a judge, from there we meet Czarcik who is investigating a double, very gruesome homicide, he connects the two deaths, which is only the start of serial killer spree, but the reasons for the killings are also disturbing

The books are very gruesome and really not for the squeamish.

Rain Will Come was well written, and I am sure it will appeal to a lot of people.

Rain Will Come is the debut from Thomas Holgate. A cat and mouse Detective thrill featuring a serial killer playing mind games with the police. The writing is good and the books is fast paced. Fans of the genre will enjoy this one for sure. Those who aren’t fans probably won’t be converted by this one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this eread ARC.

Addictive, engaging, fast-read, intense.

The novel pulls you in quickly with graphic details of murder, and abuse. I found myself feeling disgusted but then thrilled. The detective Czarcik gets a "rush" during a muder case that goes into twistie, twisted, twists my head was spinning. I love stories like this, that make you feel, make you think, make you talk to the book like the character can hear you. The story flows nicely, with the perfect balance of suspense and detail. I never found myself getting bored reading this novel.

I felt this was a cat and mouse type story with a vibe of James Patterson. Thats not bad I love James Patterson. So, yes I would recommend this book as a must read.

Rain will come was an excellent, fast paced thriller which drew me in from the very beginning. This was an excellent debut and I look forward to reading more books from Thomas Holgate.

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC which I received for free in exchange for the honest review which I posted above.

Rain Will Come is a tightly written and plotted thriller by Thomas Holgate. Looking forward to this being sold for the movie rights!

ARC FROM NET GALLEY

Paul Czarcik detective vs. Daniel Langdon avenging angel. That is all I can give you of a great debut, fantastic pieces that fir if you pay attention. Gruesome in parts but winner winner chicken dinner here for all who read!!