Dead Flowers by Nicola Monaghan
Genre: Crime Fiction, Thriller
Read: 30th August 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 5th September 2019)
★★★★ 4 stars
Although I am not familiar with the author, I am a huge fan of British crime thrillers, and I always gravitate in their general direction. I'm not sure what it is but British crime thrillers and/or mysteries are just so much better and hugely intriguing. Maybe it's the setting, the history, the characters - I don't know. But if it's British, chances are I'm going to read it!
So without knowing anything about or by the author I wasn't sure what to expect when beginning DEAD FLOWERS...but what I got was a riveting thriller that had me captivated throughout. The concept, the narrative, the plot - it was all very cleverly layered with dark secrets and timely twists to make this a wonderfully gripping read.
The idea of the central character being a DNA analyst is a novel concept, though I'm not sure when she trained up in that area since she was a police officer prior, rising to the rank of DCI. That part was a little bit vague, but a minor aside. However, the over descriptive narrative involving the DNA testing, I must say had me thoroughly confused as it was way too scientific for my right-brain. I felt that much of that process could have been eliminated without confusing the reader or sending them to sleep in those couple of chapters with maybe just a slight reference to the procedure instead of the in-depth approach.
DEAD FLOWERS opens directly in 1967 Nottingham. The setting - the Loggerheads pub (love the name!). Here, we meet some interesting characters who will go on to be the cornerstone of the story that is yet to come as we the scene is masterfully set. There's Harry MacKenzie (Mac), a Scot who has dreams of being bigger than The Beatles but somewhat of a big mouth; his best mate, Bobby Q, an almost silent partner; Angela, who is seeking an escape from an abusive marriage and has the voice of an angel; Marilyn, Angela's sister who may not have the voice but certainly has the looks; and big Pat Walsh, who "wasn't a man you talked about". Harry also had dreams of owning the Loggerheads and set about buying it from Big Pat where he, Bobby and the two sisters set themselves up in a band called Midnight Roses, playing both covers and originals, hoping that one day they would be famous.
Fast forward fifty years and it's 2017. Sian Love, ex-DCI now doctor specialising in DNA analysis, has recently inherited her uncle's old pub - the former Loggerheads - surprising both her and her family. She was quite fond of her uncle and he would often regale her with his tales - one about his wife that she was never quite sure was truth or fiction. Because for as long as she'd known him he had never been married. And the story often changed so she wasn't sure what to believe.
Now she is moving into Loggerheads (as she still refers to it) with her German shepherd Elvis, an ex-cadaver dog, when she makes a gruesome discovery. The skeletal remains of two bodies, one partially mummified, secreted behind a door that has been plastered over in the cellar, injuring herself in the process. As an ex-copper familiar with the corruption in the local nick, she doesn't trust the police and is reluctant to get them involved but her Idris Elba-lookalike boyfriend Kris, who is also a DI, insists on doing so and calls it in.
But before they arrive, sporting her broken ankle complete with cast, Sian sneaks into the cellar to seize a tissue sample from the mummified remains to run her own tests. She's not sure what it will reveal but she doesn't trust the police to conduct a thorough investigation. She is even less confident in their ability to cast a wider net which would then inevitably result in the blame being placed on her uncle Rob for the murders, of which she is convinced of his innocence.
When she discovers that Detective Superintendent Dominic Wilkinson is the acting SIO on the case, she is less than happy. She's worked with Walker; she knows his style. Suspecting he is in the pocket of many a criminal, Walker is corrupt and she detests him. So when her Family Liaison Officer is revealed to be a Detective Inspector, Sian grows even more suspicious knowing full well that it is outside the remit of a DI to act as an FLO.
Sian doesn't know who she can trust. She barely trusts herself and struggles to do so with Kris and she knows she can't trust the police to do their job! So it's left to her to run the tissue sample she obtained to see what answers they may reveal. But is she prepared for the truth of those answers?
More than once Sian finds herself in danger as she is followed late at night, fearing for her life, in a case that turns out to be personal, uncovering the long buried family secrets and tragedy of the past. The deeper she digs, the more questions she finds. Just who was buried in that cellar? And why?
DEAD FLOWERS is a cleverly written multi-layered mystery that is atmospheric throughout. As the story unravels between the past and the present, there is something of a dark edge laced with menace which just exudes the right amount of suspense and tension.
The musical references in the chapter titles were a nice touch as a sign of the times - late sixties and early seventies - but in some aspects I didn't feel they reflected the content they titled. I won't give an example as that would just create a spoiler. But it was still a fitting nod to the past.
I cannot say I liked Sian a whole lot, especially to begin with. I found her a little closed off, detached, stubborn and somewhat unlikable at first. I know she has trust issues and I get that. But she did grow on me so she wasn't all bad. Elvis, however, was a star! (Thank you, Nicola Monaghan, for NOT hurting him!) Truly, he is...playing a key role!
I love the dual timeline feature, as it brings both stories together in a penultimate climax at the end. But just when you think you have it all figured out, there's another twist or two thrown our way, leaving readers gobsmacked.
I'm not sure where the reference to DEAD FLOWERS comes from; it's not from any song I know. I guess it could be kind of fitting "flowers" for the "dead"...maybe?
In any case, DEAD FLOWERS is a riveting thriller that weaves both the past and present together in a tapestry like no other, revealing the picture in its entirety with a final twist.
Recommended for those who love their crime fiction dark and thrilling, DEAD FLOWERS is a gripping read.
I would like to thank #NicolaMonaghan, #NetGalley and #Verve for an ARC of #DeadFlowers in exchange for an honest review.
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