4+

After the breathtaking cliffhanger of the last book in the excellent DI Thomas Ridpath series, I couldn’t wait to get my mitts on this one. It’s six months on from the death of his beloved wife Polly and he’s due to return to work after compassionate leave. He soon finds himself involved in a very distressing case when the body of seven year old David Carsley is discovered in Chorlton Ees in Manchester. DCI Paul Turnbull is in charge though DCS Claire Trent asks Ridpath to run a parallel investigation.

The author always writes powerful storylines and this one is no exception. One of the strongest elements is the characterisation with Ridpath’s slow recovery being extremely well conveyed so you feel his loss and pain. Although he is vulnerable and full of guilt, struggling to overcome the mental trauma of losing Polly, his intuition is still at maximum strength. He is able to utilise his well known antenna for detecting flaws in inquiries. This does not necessarily win him friends though it would be a tough call to be friends with Turnbull who is vile. He’s always quivering with barely suppressed anger, he snarls like a pit bull and wants investigations solved yesterday. He makes an excellent contrast to Trent who is ice to his volcano. The story contains a lot of tense moments in particular between the police officers especially Ridpath and Turnbull who are polar opposites. I enjoy some of the wry dark humorous comments from the police team which are often pertinent to these Covid times (eyes and Barnard Castle being one example!) and I think including Covid restrictions makes the book feel authentic. The plot is chilling not least because it centres on a child but also because some of what you learn about the killer freezes your blood. It’s extremely well written and makes you ask questions as pieces of evidence emerge that don’t fit the narrative, there’s suspicion, conflict and the frustration of an inquiry going nowhere. As the case reaches the end, the breakthrough leads to an exciting finale and a good end to the book. I’m not keen on inclusion of journalist Molly Wright as it’s not the most flattering portrayal of the fourth estate but if the cap fits...... She does redeem herself at the end!

Overall, another very good instalment in the series, it’s fast paced, well written, easy to read with strong characters.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Canelo for the much appreciated arc for an honest review.

I have read all this authors books and loved them. This one didn’t disappoint either. I loved it. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to netgalley and M J Lee for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

When The Evil Waits is the sixth book in the DI Ridpath series, Ridpath returns after the shocking ending of the previous book When the Past Kills. This book can be read as a stand-alone but the previous books are extremely good so if this is your first read you’ll definitely want to go back and read the others.
I must admit I had hoped Mr Lee would of given Ridpath a break, but oh no, no easy way out for his readers.
Ridpath returns to work after a 6 month break from the loss of his wife, suffering from PTSD he realises he needs to get his life back on track for the sake of his daughter and his sanity. He had already decided to return to working at the coroners office rather than return to full time policing before the tragedy, but after a 7 year old boy is found dead and had been sexually assaulted he finds himself being split between his duties to the coroner and investigating this crime with his previous colleagues.
Here we have a detailed view of the police investigation with its highs and lows and set in the time of the COVID restrictions.
A cast of characters that as usual with this author have you cheering and booing in equal measures.
All in all another page turning, exciting crime thriller which made me lose sleep as I could not put it down.
Yet again...well done Mr Lee!
My thanks to net galley and publishers Canelo for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Ridpath is back to work, back at the Coroner's office. And he has PTSD.

There's a child in an unmarked grave. The police are getting nowhere. And another child goes missing...

Another great instalment in the Ridpath series

Another triumph from MJ Lee! I love this character and have such empathy for him. Another twisty tale with lots of surprises and heartache. I cannot wait for the next instalment #WhentheEvilWaits #NetGalley

When the Evil Waits is the latest book in the consistently excellent DI Tom Ridpath series by M J Lee and it is another winner!!!

The previous book ended on a cliffhanger and this one picks up the story as Ridpath is asked to provide a fresh pair of eyes on a stalling investigation.

The book is set during 2020 and the author reflects the impact of the worldwide pandemic without drowning out the main storyline which is as strong as ever.

This is definitely a highly recommended book

Great writing and good characters, but in my opinion, this is the weakest in the series. It's a great series, so this is still better than many of its kind, but not enough Mrs C and too much Turnbull, who should surely be suspended by now? The main thing I have loved about this series are the court scenes, which sadly this one doesn't have. After the shock ending of the previous book, I was expecting more

Wow! A real page turner, I read this book in a day, I just couldn’t put it down! Tense, harrowing and fast paced this is definitely the best in the series so far.

Excellent, fast paced and chilling - a compelling read. The lead characters were well developed and likeable with their own multi faceted backstories and complex relationships. The added layer of one of the detectives having been a bereaved victim himself and working between the Police and being seconded to the coroner’s office also gave extra unique interest. I enjoyed the contemporary but non gratuitous, references to Corona Virus as it made the story fresh and relevant.
There were many twists and turns to the story and I really felt the urgency and vulnerability of the investigating officers as the time ticked by, aware there would most likely be another victim and with no leads to follow. An added bonus I didn’t guess who did it and the ending moved quickly and was real edge of the seat stuff. Very enjoyable, I would love to read more by this author.

MJ Lee's latest offering in his Manchester based series featuring DI Thomas Ridpath is a dark, troubling and harrowing affair, both in terms of Ridpath's traumatised personal life, and the case he finds himself working on after returning from a 6 month absence, both for the Coroner's Office where he is based and with the MIT team, in a below the radar, parallel investigation reporting to the steely eyed Detective Superintendent Claire Trent. Ridpath is not in a good way, his life has gone off the rails since events in the last book led to the murder of his beloved wife, Polly. His daughter, Eve, is staying with her Chinese grandparents, although this is not a situation she is happy with, but he just cannot cope. He has been drowning his sorrows and grief by drinking, unable to cope with the guilt he feels, and the unbearable pain of missing Polly so much. He is seeing and communicating with her ghost on a regular basis, although he is careful not to mention this to anyone.

The only light is that his bone cancer remains in remission, and that he has been approved to return to work, albeit still having to see a psychiatrist regularly about his PTSD. This is the first novel that I have read that is set entirely in the Covid 19 era, detailing the new ways of working and living as a police officer and the new systems and procedures that have to followed in the Coroner's Office. To keep himself busy, Ridpath takes on the demanding and difficult case of a young 7 year old boy, David Carsley, found by dogwalkers, posed, naked and strangled in a meadow by the Mersey, and people are making links with the infamous Moors murders. The odious head of MIT, DCI Paul Turnbull is heading the inquiry, but it is going nowhere after 2 weeks. Ridpath has 2 officers, including DS Emily Parkinson, as he races against time to identify a killer before he sexually assaults and kills another child, and to prevent an innocent man from being charged with murder.

MJ Lee really puts the pressures and stresses on his flawed central protagonist, Ridpath has to learn to handle his PTSD and grief, reconnect with Eve, work a challenging case with a child killer on the loose, with a DCI Turnbull who hates him with a passion, threatening him that he will get him, without fail, in the future, and once again he finds himself in grave danger. What makes this series stand out from other crime reading fare is the unusual placement of Ridpath at the Coroner's Office, and how it opens up the reader to see the interesting ways that coroners operate, advocating for the dead to safeguard the living. This was such an engaging, intense and dark addition to this great character driven series, hunting a child killer is always going to be a harrowing experience for police officers, especially as the investigation garners so much focus and attention from a hungry media looking for their exclusives. Many thanks to Canelo for an ARC.

My favourite protagonist, D.I. Thomas Ridpath is back. Ridpath returns to work after the murder of his wife 6 months ago. (See previous novel, When the Past Kills). And straight away he is plunged into a murder investigation when a body of a young boy is found and the present DCI is getting nowhere with the case. Asked to go over the case to see if any clues are missed, Ridpath is up against the clock when an innocent man is arrested. Fast paced and set in covid times this is a real nail biter of a novel. I have read all in the series and M J Lee is one of my favourite authors. A must read !!

I was desperately waiting for this instalment of the wonderful DI Ridpath series after the ending of book five I just couldn’t wait to find out what the outcome would be and this book six picks up the story some six months after the events of the previous book , that’s all I’m going to say about that so as not to spoil anything.
So the story begins with Ridpath’s first day back at work at the coroner’s office and he thrown right in at the deep end when he is asked by MIT to assist with the enquiry as after two weeks no progress has been made with the case of the murder of a young boy who was found dead by dog walkers.
So once again we are treated to the joy of being back in Ridpath life and his uncanny knack of being a brilliant investigator as well as being one of the best characters I have ever read about. There is something about the character of Ridpath where you just can’t help but love him to pieces, his vulnerability, charm and wit are so integral to the series and is what makes it so enjoyable and this surely is down to fantastic writing of MJ Lee.
I can’t fault the book I loved everything about it, I want the next book right now as I miss Ridpath already and long may this favourite series of mine continue.
This is a read that something for everyone and more than a five star read in my opinion and can highly recommend it and also every other book in the series, do yourselves a favour and read them all because they are really worth it.
Many many thanks to MJ Lee I can’t thank you enough for wring such excellent thrillers.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Canelo for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ridpath returns a very changed man, )I'd advise that the previous books are read first) and it's back in with both feet following the murder of a child. Ridpath can see links nobody else can and working with his small team sets out to prove that they have the wrong man.

Another excellent book in the Ridpath series. I read this straight after book 5 as I wanted to find out what happened after the cliffhanger ending of book 5. A fast paced storyline with a few twists and the main character is so likeable you just feel for him with the death of his wife 6 months before and his rocky relationship with his new DCI . It’s bang up to date with the mentions of COVID-19 and social distancing throughout the book I can’t wait for the next instalment, bring it on! I highly recommend this book and author.

After the cliffhanger ending of book 5 I could not wait to read this and find out the resolution. Teasingly it wasn’t revealed until chapter 4. I thought this need to know was the reason I was racing through this book but having finished it within a day I realise it’s just an absolute page-turner of a story. DI Ridpath is still seconded to the coroner’s office but working with MIT colleagues on an investigation into a murdered child. This is set in 2020 and is the first book I’ve read set in the Covid era. As I was reading I was hoping there’s a time when folk are reading this and saying ‘gosh I remember when we were social distancing etc’. I feel like everyone has worked for someone like DCI Turnbull and he is almost a boo hiss baddie here. With great characters and great storytelling this may well be my favourite instalment of this series. I highly recommend it but be advised that it’s difficult to put down so you might want to clear your diary before starting it.

When the body of a missing seven-year-old child is discovered in woodland, Major Investigation Team (MIT) are hot on the case. The lead detective is known to be a bit of a hothead and when the team is no close to solving the case his boss asks DI Thomas Ridpath, who has just returned to duty working for the Coroner’s Office after six months off, to go over the case and make sure everything has been done thoroughly and to see if there has been anything missed, without the lead detective knowing.

Choosing two officers to help him, DI Ridpath sets out to meet with the child’s family, the person who discovered the body, and to follow up on similar investigations in the region. He is just putting his ideas together when MIT arrest and question a suspect that Ridpath knows is innocent. He now has just a matter of hours to find the real murderer or an innocent person could be put away for a crime he didn’t commit and a murderer left on the loose to kidnap and kill again.

When the Evil Waits is the sixth book in the DI Thomas Ridpath series by author M J Lee. The book begins six-months after the explosive end to ‘When the Past Kills‘. The plot is quite a tough one as this time Ridpath is investigating the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of a young boy, found naked in woodland. He has been placed there after death and cleaned so that no DNA evidence has been left. As is the norm for Ridpath he is meticulous in his investigation and comes up with ideas that MIT hasn’t thought of, but even he is starting to feel like they will never find the culprit until they get a sudden break.

The book is set in Covid-19 times and there are plenty of mentions of the virus, social distancing, masks, etc, keeping the book bang-on-trend and up-to-date.

The pace is fast and the writing perfect, especially as I never once suspected who the culprit turned out to be. I raced through it and read it in just two sittings. The investigation felt spot-on and you can tell that it has been written by someone who has done their research into criminal proceedings and police work.

If you love thrillers/police procedural novels then this is the series to read. All the books have been amazing, enjoyable, gripping, and have become my must-read series. They leave me wanting to hear and see more from Ridpath and I can’t wait for his next investigation.

It's fair to say DI Thomas Ridpath has been through the mill lately but finally after a six month sabbatical as the result of the outcome of his last investigation he has finally returned to his job with the Coroner's Office and Manchester's major crimes unit.  He is hoping for a quiet reintegration but the discovery of a young boy's dead body throws him right back into the spotlight.

With office politics as strong as ever Ridpath must rise above it all to provide the bereaved family with the service they are entitled to while also ensuring justice is served for the child they mourn. There is no love lost between him and the new DCI and when the clues don't quite add up Ridpath finds himself battling against most of his colleagues once again.

The press are clamouring for a resolution to this distressing case but with very little to go on and most leads reaching a dead end Ridpath knows the police and Coroner's Office are way off the pace. Struggling with his own circumstances as well as needing to identify the perp before things get totally out of hand he is left reeling when a second boy is snatched, one far closer to him than he could have possibly imagined.

Ridpath's private life has always been an integral part of his story and this book is no exception. His private musings show the reader what makes him tick and for me were the highlight of book six. It is clear the author has a great affinity with his main protagonist and has the ability to make him both far from perfect and infuriating to work with as well as sympathetic and empathetic as he tries to do an almost impossible job.

For me DI Ridpath is right up with the very best of the life weary cops in crime fiction right now. His background is unique, as is his working day. The additional work he undertakes for the coroner's office adds an extra dimension to each of these brilliant books as well as a humanity which suits him totally.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I highly recommend this excellent novel.

This is such a great book! I haven't read the ones before this one! But now they are on my list!
I loved the main character. This wad a fast paced book. Which adds to my liking of this read. I scanned through and found the hours had passed me by..... Couldn't stop reading!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

ridpath is back...have been waiting for the book since the last book and its cliff hanger and this book doesnt disappoint

two dog walkers out enjoying their pleasant morning walk when they come across the body of a dead boy, as the couple didnt want to be outed in their secret affair they decided that one of them would go and the other one would stay behind and ring the police

their actions didnt help with the investigations

ridpath is assigned to look at the investigation of the young boy and see if they had missed anything pitting him against his boss..and he had to do it without him finding out...

a set up and one that has the protentional to bit him in the arse, if his boss ever finds out...

brilliantly written and keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the very end... i love this series and ridpath has a special place in my heart... and the coroner

cant wait for the next book in this series

Ridpath fans will love this. Picking up, six months after the murder of his wife Ridpath is just about to return to work.
When he arrives his Superintendent tasks him to run a parallel investigation into an ongoing murder investigation.
The new DCI is getting nowhere fast and the Super’ is getting pressure from above
So when Ridpath starts to find little things that the initial team missed, and those little things start to add up to a hypothesis that is at odds with the DCI Ridpath is not the most popular person in the Police Station
But by far the best thread in this story is the personality emotions Ridpath is going through and how he is coping with life as a single father
An absolutely cracking book.
All five stars because it could be read as a standalone