Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great mystery novel. I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns in this book and am in awe of that ending.

Great murder mystery with twists and turns that keep you guessing. This is the second book in the series and is set in 1995 in West Yorkshire.

When Adrian who is eighteen and is gay has his drink spiked on a night out by someone who befriended him threatens violence only to be interrupted by his flat mate. Sheila Hargreaves hosts a show called Yorkshire Crime time after writing a book about the Lollipop murders with her co host Tony Tranter. When Tony goes missing and his body turns up with stab wounds as the other victims.

Sheila's friend Jeanette who is a journalist informs Sheila that she is looking into information about Tony's sex life. This draws you into the sometimes sleazy world of gay men .and I loved how the story followed both Sheila and Adrian's journey to uncover the truth.

Would highly recommend and thanks to NetGalley.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A follow up to the Lollipop Man with the main characters again to the fore with this time a series of attacks on gay men then the murder of Sheila's co host on a television crime show sets it all up nicely. Lots of detail on the murky underworld of Leeds city nightlife with the threats to harmless individuals not initially helped by the local authorities attitudes. Sheila and Adrian eventually manage to bring all the strands together in a somewhat predictable but satisfying ending. Doubtless there will be more for these individuals to come, so it should be interesting.

Adrian is eighteen and gay, while out on a night someone spiked his drink and drives home home, just as he gets aggressive his flat mate interrupted him.
A few nights later his friend Sheila a crime TV reporter is on TV reporting on a similar case to his night out.
Sheila presents the show with Tranter who disappears and is found murdered, could it be related to past events or the secret life he leads.
A good thriller that keeps you in suspense.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

Book 2 of The Yorkshire Killings series and is just as chilling as the first book. It is October 1995 and Sheila Hargreaves has written a successful book about The Lollipop Murders and is currently co presenting a TV show Yorkshire Crime Time. Meanwhile student Adrian Brown, who was himself attacked, is venturing into the gay scene in Leeds, aware of the potential threats. Although the unlikely friendship between Sheila and Adrian started during book 1 this still reads well as a standalone.

Briefly, when Sheila’s fellow presenter Tony Tranter goes missing and turns up brutally murdered, there are numerous suspects and Sheila wonders if this is related to other attacks on men in the city. So Sheila teams up with again with Adrian who may well have met a dangerous man himself!

A dark chilling murder mystery which took me a while to get into but worth persevering. The more sleazy and scary side of the gay scene, not long after the age of consent was lowered to 18, was well written. I well remember some of the terrifying things my brother went through when he came out. The murderer was well hidden and came as a surprise to me, who knew. A dark, well paced thriller. Very enjoyable.

When Sheila Hargreaves co-presenter, Tony Tranter, goes missing, Sheila’s journalist friend, Jeanette, gives her information on an on-going investigation into Tony’s ‘secret life’.

Adrian Brown is studying at Leeds University, and after a horrific attack, he’s struggling to leave his property. When he sees on the news that a young man was recently murdered, he wonders if it was the same person who attacked him.

This is the second book in the series and is set in 1995 in West Yorkshire.

I enjoyed the two separate plots, it made for an enthralling book.

I found it interesting to learn how TV shows were filmed back in the 90s, this was informative.

The characters were believable and I do like Adrian’s character. I felt sorry for him and he made me feel as though I wanted to mother him and look after him.

The ending was a surprise, with all the twists in the story, I didn’t know what to expect.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Allison and Busby for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an entertaining thriller. The characters were compelling and the pacing was consistent for books in this genre. I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the first in the series (which I knew going in), but it is definitely not necessary to have read it.

The Devil’s Smile
Adrian Brown is a student in Leeds who is still trying to come to terms with what happened to him and his family at the hands of The Lollipop Man as well as beginning to explore the city’s underground gay scene. He is in first love mode with the handsome and seemingly unattainable Lee and ends up being taken home by a stranger called Edmund from a club. Later he suspects that his drink may have been spiked. Edmund has other plans for how the evening will end at Adrian’s’ flat but is thwarted by the return of Gavin, his flatmate. All Adrian can remember is Edmund’s rictus smile and the other attacks on gay men in the city, one of which resulted in murder.
Sheila Hargreaves, the co-host of Yorkshire’s ‘Crimetime’ is furious. Tony Tranter, the other co-host hasn’t shown up for that evening’s show and no one knows where he is. She is persuaded to carry on without him while inwardly fuming at his lack of professionalism. Jeanette Dinsdale, a local and ambitious reporter contacts her about Tony’s secret double life involving dubious sex parties with underage participants as the story is about to go public. Tony’s car is found with broken windows and blood on them. And then a body is found. It’s now a murder investigation…
Sheila and Adrian join forces again as they realise that the two investigations may be linked and that Tony Tranter may be involved in both of them…
This is a follow-on book from ‘The Lollipop Man’ and is the second in the Yorkshire Murders series, featuring Sheila and Adrian, although it could work equally well as a standalone. Adrian’s nervousness at getting involved in Leeds gay scene and also his determination to see his attacker and potential murderer brought to justice was well portrayed. Sheila has access to people like Jeanette who can give her information that even the police don’t know about. But, after a couple of nasty incidents with a white van driver, she realises that her life may be in danger.
I felt that a couple of minor sub plots could have been dispensed with as they didn’t add anything to the main story. However, I really liked the scenes in the half built university building at night as Adrian chases Edmund and thought that perhaps the author could have made more of them.
The actual murderer of Tony Tranter was a complete surprise as the author had so adroitly set up another character for it. I thought that the atmosphere of the ‘90’s, the book takes place in October 1995, was very convincing with references to faxes, Teletexts and CKOne amongst others. The shadowy world of the underground scene in Leeds at that time was also well described.
‘The Devil’s Smile’ was a pacy easy read with enough action and twists to keep any thriller fan enthralled.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

It is 1995, and Adrian Brown, an 18 year-old student, is out in the Leeds Gay Scene. Although legal, this is not without risk, as he is well aware. Rebuffed by someone he fancies, he accepts a (spiked) drink from a stranger, but is saved from a possible stabbing by the intervention of a friend. He is reluctant to report this until he watches an episode of a Crime Reporting show, hosted by his friend Sheila Hargreaves (aka Yorkshires Auntie) which features the fatal stabbing of another young man, and flags up a number of other recent, similar knife attacks. Sheila usually co-hosts the show with Tony Tranter, but he had not turned up that night, and has not been seen for at least two days. As the show finishes, Sheila sees some people arriving in the studio and realises they are police. Tony, it soon transpires, has been stabbed to death. It also soon transpires, that Tony was a closeted, predatory, border line paedophile, homosexual. Is this one case or two?
This is the second book in a new series, the first being “The Lollipop Man” which introduced Adrian and Sheila and established their unlikely friendship. However, this book can be read as a standalone. The story rolls along at quite a fast pace, flipping between, Adrian trying to identify his assailant (who might be a murderer) and Sheila trying to identify Tony’s murderer, who might be involved in the gay scene, or something worse. The plot is moderately twisted, and the background is quite evocative of the time in terms of the limits of the technology and the febrile atmosphere of a time when the age of homosexual consent had only just be lowered to eighteen. The solution to the mysteries is hard to spot, the misdirection is good. However, the rush to that resolution and the tidying up at the end is satisfactory, it is a bit underwhelming.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

A British police procedural, The Devil's Smile (2025) by Daniel Sellers is another tale in the Yorkshire Murders series. It’s now 1995 and Adrian Brown is in his second year at Leeds University and friends with Sheila Hargreaves, a TV host compare. When Shelia’s co-presenter Tony Tranter goes missing, his body is discovered under a railway archway. Detective Nikki Rawnsley is investigating, and Shelia turns to her when Adrian is attacked by a man he met in a night club. Shelia discovers a possible connection between the two investigations as she and Adrian once again get caught up in the hunt for another murderer. An interesting crime mystery with an enjoyable three and a half star read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Allison & Busby and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

We follow the happenings and investigations of our TV host and journalist in Yorkshire. Sheila's co- host has gone missing which has her head occupied and for Adrian hes got his own baggage going on.a night out goes further to shake him up. is there a link here. between murders of gay men? and then possibly Sheila's missing colleague?you kind of get a big wide map of things going on when you hit this book. but then when that settles it all starts to go from there and play out nicely. its a gritting and chilling read with an undertone of unease of whats going on throughout. i liked how are main characters are fleshed out and you really feel like you can see where they come to each plot point in this book. the scene setting was really good right down to locations and time period. it was fast paced and didn't hold back from showing some of the dark moments of the themes at hand. i know times haven't changed enough but hearing the attitudes of the time played out in this book was sad but also done with realistic views of the culture we lived in in the 90s,which sometimes still shock me. but then even today's shock me so there we go.
overall once i got into it i really enjoyed it and this unlikely pairing really work well.

What a great second book by Daniel. This was so much. Water than the Lollipop Man and it was great to catch up with Adrian, Sheila and Jeanette again.

October, 1995. Adrian Brown's second year at Leeds University is a blur of throbbing bass line and neon-lit nights out. However, a violent encounter with a man he met in a basement club has the power to sober him up.

Sheila Hargreaves, who has grown fond of Adrian following their brush with the infamous Lollipop Man, has written a book about the murders and is busy with a new TV show, Yorkshire Crimetime. And then her erratic co-presenter Tony Tranter goes missing, and his body turns up riddled with stab wounds. Could his death be linked to several violent attacks on men?

Moving from dark city corners to the glare of the TV studio lights, Sheila and Adrian find themselves on the trail of another killer.

There were two crimes taking place but the way the story was written made you think it was all connected. Some great twists with a fab ending.

So happy to see Adrian finally sort his head out and to see both him and Sheila heading for better life choices.

Would love to see more from this fab trio !

Thanks to Netgalley, Allison and Busby and Daniel Sellars for the chance to read an early, early ARC for an honest review

I really enjoyed this follow on from The Lollipop Man. it was a slow burner but I didn't mind that. I was kept guessing and i found the tension in the book to be really good

ARC Review on behalf of Daniel Sellers and NetGalley

3.5⭐️
The Devil’s Smile starts out slow set in London about men being attacked and then there are 2 murders.


The premise was that of a true crime series that is popular and now they must investigate crime happening to one of their co-hosts. Because as usual the police are just moving too slow.

It was very easy to get into the characters and follow how everything unfolds. I was able to get close to who the culprit would be pretty early on as well, however the build up to who did it seemed to never come.

It came at chapter 40 and ended in 43 chapters.

Don’t take my word for it. Try it out for yourself. Release date is 8/21/2025.

This is another great read from Daniel Sellers. The author has taken a break from the Lola Harris detective series to write a new series featuring an ‘odd couple’ of protagonists: Adrian Brown, a student exploring his gay sexuality, and Sheila Hargreaves. presenter for Yorkshire CrimeTime Sheila’s co-presenter, Tony Tranter, has disappeared and Sheila with Adrian investigate. We have met Adrian and Sheila before in ‘The Lollipop Man’ and their knowledge is now used in discovering what has happened to Tranter. We’re still back in the 1990s and there is great period detail for example, in revealing how live broadcasts were managed then.

The strength of Sellers' writing stems from never overstretching credulity. He convinces us to read and believe through the credibility of his characters and plots. This has the effect of readers engaging with the novel and never having to step away from it and ask if now we have to suspend disbelief. To take another example of these great characters, the portrayal of DS Nikki Rawnsley as the investigating officer in the case is completely convincing. I would say that the impact and forcefulness of DS Rawnsley is so compelling that she needs a series all to herself.

My only reservation is the last few chapters where issues are dutifully resolved in a rather pedestrian manner.

But overall this is a straightforward read which has enough twists and turns to keep the crime thriller enthusiast engaged but without serving up an overly complex plot which so often has us all scratching our heads about what’s going.

If you’ve read ‘The Lollipop Man’, you will want to read this. If you’ve read neither, then you’ve got two good novels to look forward to.

I’m grateful to the publishers Allison and Busby for making available a pre-publication copy so that I might make an honest review.

This book can be enjoyed as a standalone, but it is the follow-on to "The Lollipop Man". I found this book enjoyable and interesting, with lots to intrigue and hook the reader. I haven't read the previous series by this author but will do so now after enjoying this book,

I loved the beginning of this book but then it felt like it dragged to much. I would've loved the same energy throughout the book instead of slowing the pace down. It's well written and the plot is interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

"The Yorkshire Killings #2"
...

Set in Leeds in 1995, this is the second story to feature Sheila, middle-aged, a onetime journalist and now successful local television crime show presenter and Adrian, her much younger friend, recently come out to identify as gay with his family and friends, now pursuing his dream of a university education. An unlikely pair of amateur sleuths, who have become good friends, and who have so far been front and centre of their cases, having been personally involved in both. Whilst it might be a good idea to have read 'The Lollipop Man', the debut novel in the series, so that the central characters and their relationships are more familiar, enough background detail is provided in just the right places, to make 'The Devil's Smile' work perfectly fine as a stand alone story.

Before I began reading this gritty, murder thriller, I had to get straight in my own mind the policing methods and restrictions of the era, when e-fit pictures were in their infancy, mobile phones were relatively still few and far between and many crimes only came to light and were subsequently solved with the help of the public, following the several regular dedicated television series which aired at that time. Also, the gay scene in most cities was still conducted very clandestinely and behind closed doors, so the attitudes of the times were also suitably reflected in the well researched and authentic, narrative and dialogue, which flowed well between some short and well-signposted chapters.

Adrian is picked up by an older man in a local gay bar, who drugs him, then takes him to his own home, where he attacks him at knife-point. A terrified Adrian puts up a fight and is grateful when he realises that his straight flatmate and oldest friend Gav, is at home too! The attacker flees, but Adrian having heard that there has recently been a similar attack on a local young gay man who subsequently died, with the perpetrator still at large, soon discovers that there has been a much more organised series of attacks on young men from the gay community and realises that, in all conscience, he really should report the matter to the police, try and get some of his fellow gays to break cover too, whilst asking for help from his friend Sheila.

Meanwhile, Sheila works with a regular co-host called Tony, with whom she never seems to see eye to eye. However, when heavy drinker Tony suddenly goes missing, leaving Sheila to host the show alone, it becomes obvious that this is no regular 'bender' and that the police need to be involved. Sheila is left to front the show alone and then, when Tony's body is found and the details of his very murky life outside of the marital home and his workplace begin to emerge, it quickly becomes clear that her own life might also be in danger.

When Adrian plucks up the courage to contact Sheila and the police with the details of his attack and even manages to persuade a few of the other victims to come forward also, it looks to all intents and purposes, when certain evidence comes to light, that the two separate cases are in fact linked. However, this wouldn't be such a good mystery if there were not some excellent red herrings and twists and turns, thrown into the mix for good measure, so assume nothing!

The author certainly knows how to cultivate and develop a central core of characters, around which he builds a cracking good storyline, which challenges their relationships and leaves them stronger for the experience. It also calls into question then, as it still does today, the integrity of the police, from the lowest ranking officer right to those at the top of the ladder and how the institution closes ranks to protect the miscreants.

The action takes place in Leeds, in the north of the UK, not an area I am familiar with at all, although the relatively narrow theatre of action is described well enough that I can visualise the seedy underbelly of the 1990s culture. My journey as a confirmed 'armchair traveller' was therefore more than satisfactory.

Author Daniel Sellers also has another successful crime/mystery series under his belt, which I hope to be able to add to my reading list very soon. I have no hesitation in recommending his writing.

I wanted to love this book so much as I absolutely loved the lollipop man however I only enjoyed the beginning and end, the rest just seems to go really slowly.

The characters are lovable and I really liked that we caught up with Adrian and Sheila and how they were doing.

The plot was great, I really enjoyed it because I didn’t see where it was going it had loads of twists and turns but I did really enjoy it

Overall a good book but the pacing was a little off

his was a very enjoyable book with plenty for the reader to get their teeth into. Although I suppose to get the full picture, one needs to read the prequel “Lollipop Man” to understand what’s happening.

I think when time permits I will do just that.

The darker side of Leeds was a bit ominous, but then every city can be like that.

All in all, I enjoyed it but prefer his other series if I’m honest.