The Art Merchant

Esther Penman seems real. She is flawed and all too human. I didn’t always like her but I felt like she was hugely credible as a character. I enjoyed the mystery and the way in which the author brought the reader into the deductive process. One to read in a single sitting!

This is my first book by this author. It was a good read. I would definitely continue the series.

Detective Sergeant Esther Penman has a drinking problem and an attitude. But she’s a darn good detective. Regardless, her CI is wanting to boot her out and send her back to uniform duty. Will she be able to watch her step and keep her position in the department?

When a housewife is found murdered, Esther doesn’t buy that’s it’s a burglary gone wrong. She looks at the husband but suspects there is something larger at play. When the murderer winds up dead, her CI wants the cases closed. Will she do as she’s told?

The case leads to a man calling himself the Art Merchant. How do these cases tie back to him? Will Esther find the connection and solve the cases?

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

this was such a well done mystery novel, it had a great tense atmosphere that I was looking for when picking this book. The characters worked in the story and I really enjoyed going through this mystery with them. Overall this was what I was hoping for. I look forward to reading more from JK Flynn.

"They kept their sirens off on the way across town, but with their blue grill lights flashing they overtook what few cars there were on the road and made it to Marigate Street in about five minutes. As reported, the art gallery was dark and the shutter was pulled across the front."

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
Well what a quality debut,
A superb character driven Police procedural. Totally enthralling from first to last page. I loved out heroine ballsy brave clever fearless feisty and above all smart, troubled of course is there a Detective series out there where he or she has a normal carefree life away from work. Even better news this is the start of a series, so hopefully many more stories to follow.
Totally recommended.

This is the kind of book that all other thrillers aspire to be! I actually couldn't think of any negative points to say about it. The writing style flows like butter and carries you along, expertly dripping in twists and turns and never letting you know which direction the book will go in next. I loved the main character! She's so original and well written and it's impossible not to empathise with her. It's a police proceedural thriller but it doesn't get bogged down in the minutiae or let it interrupt the flow of the mystery. I couldnt say enough good things about it. This was my 1st time coming across the author but it definitely won't be my last

I really enjoyed this book it was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters especially our protagonist Esther. She was imperfect and flawed and all the more relatable for it. There book was twisty and had a good level of mystery and kept me guessing, A good read.

This is the first in the series of the DS Esther Penman and it doesn't disappoint! Esther, an in denial functioning alcoholic who likes to sleep with strangers is a thorn in the Chief Inspector's side. He thinks she has a bad attitude and turns up late for work constantly. He's had enough of her erratic behaviour and is threatening to send her back to uniform. But Esther is one hell of a detective and is one of the best at solving complex cases. Esther is like a dog with a bone, when a woman is found murdered in her home. The husband has an alibi, but he is keeping secrets and she won't rest until she's discovered what he's hiding. When a second body, that of a man is discovered hanging in the woods, Esther is convinced these deaths are linked somehow, and she is going to find out the truth. what will she discover? And who is the Art merchant?

Wow what a ride! I couldn't put this down! I thoroughly enjoyed every second! I really warmed to Esther, and her story becomes apparent as the book goes on, she's like a lovable rouge! The context of the plot was enthralling, with plenty of surprise twists and turns which I absolutely love in a book!

I can't wait for the next in the series, this is an author to watch! so so good!

Thank you for letting me read and review this book!

A woman is found murdered in her own home. Suspicion immediately focuses on her husband and when he runs from a visit by the police, they are pretty sure they have the culprit. However, after he is interviewed, DS Esther Penman becomes less convinced. She is pretty sure he is guilty of something but is it murder?

All the characters in this clever, debut novel are very well drawn but DS Penman really stands out. She is stubborn, insubordinate and drinks way too much but also a very talented police officer. Alongside her colleague DI Wilcox, who struggles to keep her under control, they dig deeper into the case, which their boss would rather have closed.

There is a smart balance of action, suspense and police procedural in The Art Merchant. The side story of why Penman behaves as she does is really moving. The plot is very well, thought out and concludes brilliantly. The writing is skilful and creates a really believable narrative.

I really recommend this book and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and BooksGoSocial for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

A gritty, dark tale of organized crime that goes off the rails and becomes a public incident. Add in political, ego driven supervisors in the police department and a couple of borderline alcoholic detectives who get the job done, but are sloppy in their personal lives and you have a twisted story to entertain you for hours. The plot is layered with multiple storylines that overlap and twist together to make one very cohesive story. Characters that are extremely good at what they do, but with flawed personalities makes them even more realistic and relatable. I must say that this was a great introduction to these characters and this author. I am absolutely looking forward to reading more and hope this develops into a full series.

The Art Merchant by JK FLYNN.
Detective Sergeant Esther Penman is a mess. She drinks too much. She sleeps around. And her chief inspector is threatening to kick her out of CID and send her back to uniform because he doesn’t like her ‘attitude’. Luckily for Esther, if there’s one thing she’s good at, it’s solving cases… When a woman is killed in one of Belfield’s wealthiest neighbourhoods, Esther quickly realises it is no straightforward homicide. The husband has an alibi, but he’s hiding something, and Esther is determined to find out what. A few days later, a man is found hanging in nearby woodland, and Esther’s suspicions of a deeper conspiracy begin to grow. It isn’t long before Esther’s hunt for a killer sets her on the trail of forces far more sinister than she imagined… And puts her on a collision course with the man they call the Art Merchant…
Brilliant read. Loved Esther character. 5*.

The Art Merchant by J.K. Flynn is a better-than-average police procedural focusing on Detective Sergeant Esther Penmen.

Penman is a homicide investigator known to burn like a candle at both ends and with a penchant for drink and one-night stands, oftentimes waking up in places and with people she has a hard time remembering. While she can mostly afford to do so due to her investigative abilities and consistent results, people like her that do so eventually run up against administrators more concerned with gathering statistics and maintaining the bureaucracy rather than well-conducted criminal investigations.

Penman’s immediate supervisor, Jared Wilcox, acknowledges Penman’s productive skills, but is nearing retirement and seems to be more satisfied with coasting until his last day rather than metaphorically pounding his head against the wall defending the behavior of Penman to his boss.

The novel opens with the home invasion and killing of a housewife and with little suspect information, initial attention is focused on the husband, Charles Gorman. Gorman has an alibi, but when under scrutiny, his behavior causes investigators to believe he is either responsible for his wife’s murder or is hiding something more sinister.

Soon, because of her obstinance, habitual tardiness, and disrespect toward her supervisor above Wilcox, Penman is demoted back to uniform services, but rather than dampening her resolve to get to the bottom of the Gorman murder, her drive to do so only becomes more intense.

As the novel moves forward, Flynn further develops the Penman character and creates a tale with progressive plotting that does not require a suspension of belief to enjoy.

The Art Merchant is recommended to those favorable to police procedurals with flawed characters and believable plots.

An advanced reader’s copy was provided by Netgalley for the promise of a fair review.

The book centers around the life of detective sergeant Esther Penman, she drinks way too much shows up to work late, and rarely listens to the person in charge of their unit. She does listen and respect her boss and partner Jared Wilcox who can only go to bat for her so many times before she burns her own bridges.
The story opens with a murder and who committed it was only supposed to scare the person, instead, the wife of the person is dead and now after going through everything he is hoping that his boss won’t do the same with him. Esther after looking at the crime scene tells Jared that the house was not burglarized just made to look that way, this begins your look into her skills as an investigator but these skills will also lead her back to a uniform because she disobeyed an order by their boss and still investigated when they found the original murderer hanging from a tree making it appear to be suicide, well as you read this story you will find that the evidence she collected that day will go to proving part of the case against the man who owns the art gallery hence the name art merchant. There is a lot going on in this story but you will find that the character does evolve in the story as you get to the end. Some twists and turns along which altogether makes for a very good book with really good characters, very much worth the read.

The Art Merchant was a procedural crime mystery investigation. This book also the first of seri with very interesting and not so innocent Detective Esther Penman.

This is my first read from the author and I think this book is better than another debut crime investigation book I ever read. I like the writing style, the convo and banter between characters are naturally flow and not sound weird. The plot is little bit loose and less in investigations parts but still on track. And most of us tired with super perfect detective or detective with all baggage and sob stories as background. Ester give fresh blood into the group with her wild personal preferences but great brain at work. She still make me headaches with her hurricane attitude but I wish to see some characters depth and development at the future book. So far with several conflicts and issues for our characters, this crime mystery part from this book
still better than other, enjoyable and smooth enough to read.

Thank you Book Go Social for provided me with this copy. My thoughts and opinions are my own.