Review + Giveaway: Dance with the Dead by James Nally

Dance with the Dead by James Nally

Series: P.C Donal Lynch Book 2

Release Date: 28th July 2016
Publisher: Avon

Genres:  Crime / Thriller

Aspiring actress Elizabeth Smart lands her centre stage role: her mutilated body is found dumped in North London’s red light district. Clasped in her hand is a piece of human hair belonging to an unidentified body of a woman murdered two weeks ago.

PC Donal lands himself a place on the murder squad just as his unconventional brother, journalist Finton, unearths the secret double life of Elizabeth.

The bodies mount, each clinging to the strands of hair belonging to the previous victim. The police are convinced it’s the act of a serial killer. But how does Donal convince them it’s not?

The only people he can trust are the victims he dances with in his dreams.

This is the second book in the Donal Lynch series and every bit as good as the first! Policeman Donal Lynch has a strange and terrifying gift - the dead visit him. A victim of sleep paralysis (just like me!) the victims of murders he is investigating haunt him, trying to direct him to catching their killers. After an incident where his special 'skills' became public knowledge, Donal has been consigned to the scrap heap aka The Cold Case Team or otherwise known as The Cemetery where all good careers go to die! But Donal is determined not to be another victim of the team and fester there. He wants his career back and so therefore sets about trying to actually solve some of the crimes. When a young woman, an actress is found brutally murdered, Donal thinks the murder may be connected to the murders of prostitutes. Aided and abetted by his brother, a newspaper reporter with quite a different way of working and some very questionable morals, Donal must find the murderer. But, it seems that there isn't that much interest in catching the murder of prostitutes. 

Dance with the Dead is an excellently written book. Although the second book in the series it is not necessary to have read book one as James Nally has managed to get across all the releveant details from the first book into this one. However, I do recommend reading the first book simply because its really good. The relationship between Donal and his brother is somewhat strained with both being polar opposites of the other and like Donal, I cringed at some of the tactics Finton used to gather information. Despite their strange relationship I really enjoyed the interaction between the two and the book had quite a few comedic moments throughout. Donal is a really likeable character who really does have it difficult. His father appears to hate him and this causes Donal quite a bit of heartache. He will never live up to his father's expectations of him. He is absolutely useless around women and when his brother sets him up with Zoe, Donal tries and sometimes fails to not make an ass of himself.

The story is pretty gruesome in places but the humour peppered throughout seems to diffuse this a little. The book is thrilling and very exciting. Donal's sleep paralysis is extremely interesting and adds an unusual element to the story. I loved this book and would highly recommend it to those of you who enjoy a really good crime story with interesting and complex characters with their own brilliant back stories.

 

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Harper Collins for my free copy of the book. I have an extra paperback copy of the book to give away. The competition is open internationally!

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