James Ritchie thought of himself as a punctual man who was inexplicably never on time and he was - as usual - late to pick up his son, Wilbur, for their 'boys' day out'. These were always days which appealed more to James than to Wilbur and, competing for the boy's attention, his mother, Anna, promised him a roast dinner when he returned. The dinner would never be served, as James and Wilbur are the victims of a double stabbing on the beach. The case falls to DI Toni Kemp of Sussex police. She's feeling the pressure. You can always tell - she shoplifts Snickers Bars when the going gets tough.

All the clues lead to Blacklock House, a rather grand mansion in the Sussex countryside which has been converted into seven apartments. There are eight residents plus a peacock which struts about the lawn - and the more you hear about the residents, the more you think that the peacock could well be the best of them. Timothy Mew (who likes to pretend that he's an aristocrat) has moved in as a companion to former barrister, Rex Lomax who has been lonely since the death of his wife in a car accident. Garry Haslam seems to know everyone's secrets - and makes use of them. Lady Dorothy Erskine (generally known as Bunty) is from the family who owned the house and she lives in a grace-and-favour flat. She is perennially short of money.

Martyn and Sylvia Burnett are retired doctors: rumour has it that Sylvia is still prescribing for her husband who is addicted to pain killers. Patrick Bell is unpleasant and obsessive in his pursuit of Martha Merry, a local hairdresser and you constantly wonder just how far he'll be prepared to go. Finally, there's Barbara Major, a researcher for a 'well-known crime writer', whose relentless observing of people comes perillously close to stalking. You might warm to Rex Lomax but there's none of the rest you'd want to spend time with. The characterisation is superb - even very minor characters stay in your mind. It's not just the residents of Blacklock House, either: it's the local community and the police who are investigating the cases. You'll feel that you really know these people.

The best part, though - is the plot. It is superb. I had just about everybody inked in as the serial killer but I still didn't get it right despite all the clues being there. It's a book to read once to find out who did it - and then to read again in a few months, to find out how the author did it. It's a real cracker of a book which I read far too quickly and I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

I’d like to thank Head of Zeus, Aries and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Companion’ by Lesley Thomson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

James Ritchie is estranged from his wife Anna and collects their young son Wilbur so they can spend a day together flying a kite. When their bodies are found below the cliff it’s presumed they tripped and fell but DI Toni Kemp soon learns that they were stabbed and she has a double murder to investigate.

Not having read anything by Lesley Thomson and having heard good reviews I was keen to read ‘The Companion’, but I found the beginning tough going as there were so many new characters introduced at the same time that I soon became confused. The characters are interesting though some are more likeable than others, but it all felt very old-fashioned and straight out of an Agatha Christie novel. I was surprised that Wilbur’s mother Anna showed little emotion on hearing of her son’s death and although the plot initially held my attention it wasn’t long before it started to drift. I enjoyed trying to work out the secrets each character at Blacklock House was hiding but I wasn’t interested enough to want to find out the identity of the murderer. Nevertheless, I’ll be looking out for another novel by this author and hope that I’ll enjoy it more than I did this one.

I love the Detective’s Daughter series by this author, but didn’t feel this measured up to that high standard. It is peopled by very unpleasant characters and the beginning was hard to get into as it introduced too many of them at once. Plenty of red herrings, but the eventual motive for the murders was unbelievable. Nicer characters, or some redeeming features are a way of connecting the reader to the plot,so unfortunately I really didn’t care which one of them was the culprit. Overlong and with lots of repetition which slowed the story down and took away from any tension. More from the Detective’s Daughter please, as it was difficult to believe this was from the same author.

The Companion - Lesley Thomson


James Ritchie was looking forward to a boys' day out with his son, Wilbur picking him up late from his ex-wife Anna, she leaves the two of them to their day. But Anna will never see her family again. That afternoon, James and Wilbur are found dead, the victims of a double stabbing on the beach.
DI Toni Kemp, must unravel a case which has shocked the county to its core. What she discovers will lead her to Blacklock House, a grand country mansion, long ago converted into flats. Here in the middle of nowhere, where a peacock struts the lawn, and a fountain plays intermittently, seven long-term residents have seen more than they should.
But this is a community who are good at keeping secrets...

Well, this one was a slow burn and then at times caught fire for me. I loved the police procedural elements, the murders themselves and their investigation. It felt quite real with the investigation going one step forward, then two steps back. The people living in Blacklock House I found difficult to engage with, except Rex, but that is the point. I didn’t trust them, didn’t particularly like them and slowly, slowly, suspicions build and tension rises.

As more murders occur, we are fed little breadcrumbs pointing this way and that, I felt like I was blundering about, somewhat like DI Kemp in fact. Although towards the end I had decided ‘whodunnit’, I enjoyed reading the threads of the story move towards each other until all the elements combined in a satisfying conclusion.

✩✩✩✰

This is the second installment in Lesley Thomson's new series set around Newhaven. I didn't read the first installment but this didn't detract at all from this novel, which can be read on its own. I enjoyed the settings around Sussex and the main characters. I particularly enjoyed the depictions of the grand but fading country house, with self-contained apartments let out to tenants, and found the inhabitants entertaining. I look forward to the next book in the series.

This book, which is apparently a book 2 in a series (who knew), gives many nods to Agatha Christie. There is a spate of murders in the sleepy environs of Newhaven. It is clear they are the work of the same killer or killers but it also soon becomes clear that there are strong links to Blacklock House. This former country manor, the home of a former Earl, has been converted to apartments. Quite nice apartments actually.

The residents are an interesting mix - a doctor couple (he is retired, she is not quite), a relative of the former Earl who has a lifetime tenure in her apartment, a retired defence attorney, a woman who provides ideas for characters and plots to ‘her author’ who shall remain nameless and a couple of others who are more mundane. Also in residence is Timothy Mew, the companion of Rex Lomax who is the former lawyer. The supporting cast include Freddy, the (female) fishmonger who delivers to the apartments weekly and Martha who is a hairdresser and a friend of Timothy’s. These people all have secrets. They are all unreliable narrators and they are mostly quite unlikeable! Trying to solve the murders is DI Antonia (Toni) Kemp and her team.

This story had so much potential but it started off slowly and never really got going. The characters were all thrown at the reader at the start and I struggled to keep track of them for a while. But my major problem is that, for the bulk of the story, the investigation into the murders went around in circles. We went over the same ground again and again and nothing seemed to progress the murder investigation, there were no real suspects put forward and it got quite tedious. When Gary Harlem, one of the residents, was murdered it seemed like everyone was a suspect as Gary was universally disliked.

The ending was very ‘Christie’ where all the players are assembled in one room and all the secrets are revealed. But it was too late to save the book for me. The rationale for the murderer, when finally revealed, made no sense to me. Many thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

2.5 stars rounded up.

The Companion by Lesley Thomson

I was really pleased to read this book by Lesley Thomson, especially when I realised she was revisiting Newhaven, and the characters from Death of a Mermaid.
The Companion in question is Timothy Mew a young man with delusions of grandeur, who comes to be a companion to a retired barrister. The barrister, Rex, lives in a country house that has been converted into apartments, containing an interesting mix of people.
At this time, a serial killer is on the loose, attacking families, and detective Toni Kemp is investigating the case. One of the attacks takes place on the woods behind the house.
With a slight Agatha Christie-esque feel, the country house, the many suspects/victims, Freddie the fish delivery lady, Martha the hairdresser, this book is still very modern and intriguing, and full of great characters.
Lots of red herrings, and I certainly didn’t guess the ending!
I look forward to reading more about Toni and Freddie.

(There were a few continuity errors which need ironing out, some confusion with names, but more importantly, the layout of the country house, where was Barbara Major’s apartment?)

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read this book.

When Timothy becomes a companion for Rex, little does he know how his life is about to take a dramatic turn when a local family is murdered the same day as he moves in.

The Companion follows the story from each of the characters point of view, changing character for each chapter. As there was Toni the police officer, her friend Freddy, who is also the fish monger, Tim, Rex, the other residents of the flats, and Martha the hairdresser and Tim's friend, it did get a little confusing at first.

I found the book difficult to get into at first, due to all the head hopping, but perseverance paid off and eventually I really enjoyed it. It wasn't really believable but this is what made it so enjoyable. The characters were all well described and each one was very different. You are kept guessing throughout until the surprising twist at the end.

Overall a good read

Tremendous..
A truly tremendous read. Reminiscent of a golden age whodunnit in traditional vein, complete with a plethora of deftly drawn characters and hence suspects, a tautly woven, clever and compelling plot and even the grand country house albeit modified. The reader is completely invested in this contemporary mystery as the twists and turns pan out, red herrings appear aplenty and the tale moves to an exciting and, perhaps, wholly unexpected denouement. Perhaps this author’s best to date. Brava!

I loved this ! I am a huge fan of Lesley Thompson, especially her Detective Daughters series and was so pleased when I could pre read this book. This was just as excellent as I thought it would be. With a seemingly country house murder but with deceptively dark undertones. The characters of Freddy and Toni are very likeable and quirky also. #TheCompanion #NetGalley

A motley cast of characters inhabit Blacklock House, an old mansion that was the pride of an aristocratic family years previously, but now split into separate flats. It still has some of its old grandeur, especially when resident peacock King Tut is strutting around the gardens commanding attention. Martha is taking her friend Timothy to his new job as companion to a retired criminal defence lawyer called Rex. This is a live-in position and Timothy can’t wait to take up residence, with an arrogance that suggests he was born to live in a place like this. Sadly, in the countryside surrounding the house there’s been a killing spree. First a father and son out flying their kite. Then an entire family are killed while having a picnic on the Heath. DI Toni Kemp is on the case and thinks the killing’s proximity to the house is no coincidence.

At the house are a group straight out of Agatha Christie, but less memorable. We get to know them through Freddy - the woman who visits with the fish delivery once a week. As residents come out to choose their fish there’s a lot of banter and whispering behind backs - such as the respectably retired Burnetts who may have a secret addiction, a lady who researches for a crime novelist, the charmer and chief gossip Dave. I didn’t find any of them particularly memorable and kept confusing them, it was the strange dynamic between Rex and his companion that held my attention, as well as Freddy who is friends with the DI and Martha who only visits the house to drop Timothy off but becomes embroiled in the comings and goings of the house. Tim is easy to dislike and his idiosyncrasies made him stick in my mind. He seems obsessed with status and seeming more well-to-do than he is. He seems less interested in helping Rex and more interested in his prestigious new address, the Jaguar he can borrow from Rex and discarding Martha who has outlived her usefulness in helping him move. There isn’t a single one of these characters without a secret, but I was interested in Martha’s storyline, the friendship she forms with Freddy over the course of the book and her secret link to the murdered family.

There were other great little back stories or details that really brought a character to life and grounded the story in it’s time and place. I felt the section with Tristan’s wife Sally was so relatable. She is caught up in appearing the perfect family on social media, constantly posting what they are up to, including their fateful last picnic. The tension between mother and teenage daughter was so believable and Sally’s attempts to record their afternoon for social media still reads as if Maddy was with them, causing a lot of confusion. Both she and Timothy are trying to be something they’re not and I found this need to feed friends and relatives a fake life rather fascinating. Freddy and Martha are likeable characters, both live alone and work for themselves. In fact they’re both quite lonely, Martha had convinced herself that Tim was a friend, but she realises that she doesn’t really know him at all. No one knows that Freddy is missing her old role of taking Rex to church and has found her friend Toni Kemp so busy they’ve not had time to catch up. I enjoyed watching the women get to know each other.

I found some of the action parts confusing and had to read a couple of times to be sure I’d understood who had done what. I don’t think I cared enough about any of the characters to really be invested in who had done it and who became a victim. This had some great ideas but didn’t gel together well enough for me.

‘Death of a Mermaid’ introduces readers to the characters of Freddy Power and DI Toni Kemp who in the second book in the series are involved in solving a sequence of murders. Central to the case is Blacklock House, a mansion that has been turned into apartments with grounds around which King Tut the peacock struts in all his feathered splendour. The occupants of Blacklock are a colourful bunch ranging from the eccentric to downright creepy. The Companion in question is Timothy Mew who is employed by resident Rex Lomax who is suffering from Parkinson’s.

Well, the body count mounts in this one! I really like that Lesley Thomson always creates characters that are unusual, they’re often quirky and a bit different and that is certainly true here. There is friendship and trust between Freddy and Toni who are both very likeable.

This has a definite Christie cozy mystery ‘nods’ and that is especially apparent at Blacklock House which could very easily be a setting for one of Agatha’s works with dialogue and atmospheric weather to match. This element is very enjoyable and entertaining as the author makes a good job of it and it’s interspersed with plenty of humour. I especially like the idea of King Tut strutting about and making everyone jump with his screams! It sure adds an extra dimension! I really like the setting in and around Newhaven and Lewes which I’m able to picture.

However, don’t settle down too much and get too comfortable as there is some ominous dialogue and moments of chill and creep which really stand out against the cozy feel of the rest. The ending is very surprising and one I definitely don’t see coming. Nicely played.

My only negatives are that it is very confusing at the start as we are introduced to a lot of characters at once and there’s quite a lot of over detailing although this does set the scene. Once the story gets going it’s a very enjoyable read. I hope we get to read about Freddy and Toni again

Ps. This can very easily be read as a stand-alone.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Head of Zeus, Aries for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy of The Companion, a stand-alone novel set in Newhaven.

James Richie and his nine year old son, Wilbur, are murdered when out flying a kite. DI Antonia “Toni” Kemp is assigned the case, but with few clues the going is tough. What she does know leads her to take an interest in Blackstock House, a former country house turned into flats, and its residents.

I quite enjoyed The Companion, which is as much an examination of the characters and their interactions as it is a murder enquiry. I’m glad I read it as it held my attention, but not to the extent that I would want to read a sequel.

I liked the plot premise and the way it developed with several twists and turns and a well concealed perpetrator. There is a certain amount of misdirection, but I didn’t feel it worked particularly well, because one character it was aimed at was simply too unlikeable to be a possibility and the other has a voice so is accounted for. I was less keen on the execution of the novel. It is told from various points of view, so initially keeping up with who’s who is a challenge, especially when there is a host of characters involved. I found it difficult to keep my concentration when the novel slips from one voice to another quickly and regularly. Ensemble pieces like this do not suit my reading style. I would also note that this is a relatively long novel and that makes it slow and to a point meandering. It is certainly not a crisp, sharp read.

Everyone of the characters has a kink or a secret, except perhaps Freddy, Toni’s best friend. She seems honest and straightforward, almost out of place among the other characters.

The Companion is a solid read.

Having read most of Lesley Thomson's Detective's daughter series, I was curious to see where she would go with this. I am still a little bit on the fence but most likely because the backstory of the returning characters is what makes her books so attractive to me. If this is the beginning of the series I can imagine the characters will become a bigger part of the story which will make it a lot more interesting. It took me a while to get into this one because there were so many different characters and none of them familiar, so the storyline only really became clear after I had read about a third. She did provide us with a bit of a twist and some very likeable main characters. It was fine but if she continues with this it may become more than that.

Sheer escapism, beautifully written, I will look for more of this author’s work.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title. I highly recommend it.

This is the second novel in this series by Lesley Thomson. It is a ‘country house murder’ with lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed reading it but as it was a pre publication copy it did contain some crashing errors. At one point the names of the two main characters, Freddie and Toni are confused. I hope the publisher will correct this before it is released. That having been said, I did enjoy it enough to look out for the next book in the series. I hope there will be one.

I liked the country house setting of this book but I couldn’t really empathise with any of the characters. The first few chapters seemed to jump about quite a bit which meant the book didn’t grab my attention. I also wasn’t sure about the whole companion set up. It seemed unlikely these days.

Perfectly good read, but I found it slow to go anywhere.
At one point on being introduced to ALL the characters in a short space of time, it felt a little confusing.

Likeable main characters, and decent story.

I was gripped by this book and couldn't put it down. It was well written with a compelling sotryline and well developed characters who were likeable but unreliable in temrs of not knowing who to trust. It was twisty and unpredictable and I loved the setting. A great book that I will be recommending.