REVIEW: Five Down by Tom Sibson

Five Down by Tom Sibson

Genre: Crime fiction, Crime thriller, Police procedural

Read: 18th July 2022

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Published: 22nd July 2022

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Following a sinister murder in a sleepy suburb of York, a local crime journalist receives an email claiming to be from the killer. They've sent him a cryptic clue which, if he's right, will tell the police where the next murder will take place.

Teaming up with Senior Investigating Officer DI Gene Garland they discover the email is genuine, and as further emails arrive, the DI and his team face a race against the clock to solve each clue and stop a sadistic killer before the streets of York run red with innocent blood...

Five Down is a thrilling debut with a twist - can you solve the clues to stop a killer?

MY THOUGHTS:

A cracking debut by new voice Tom Sibson. I'm never sure what to expect with a new author but FIVE DOWN is a riveting edge-of-your-seat cryptic mastermind of a thriller that will have you turning the pages into the night. In fact, I read it in one afternoon/evening. I love puzzles but cryptic crosswords are so not my thing...and yet I was determined to solve the riddle before the final reveal.

There is a killer on the streets of York that is silent, stealthy and very very deadly. Striking late at night without warning and with no real rhyme or reason. Then crime reporter Paul Dobson receives a cryptic email he dismisses as a crank...until the first murder and another rhyme lands in his inbox. It seems the killer wants to communicate with him. Why?

Reminiscent of the Zodiac killer, these messages come in the form of rhymes which hold cryptic clues as to the next murder. And with each murder, the killer becomes bolder with each message, sending vital clues that the police must at first decrypt and then sift through every prospective possibility. And then there are the inferences to the Yorkshire Ripper sparking the memories of the cold shame of the police having needlessly chased one viable lead which turned out to be nothing but a prank. DI Gene Garland does not want a repeat of that. And so his team are in a race against time before the killer strikes again...and the clock is ticking.

Paul becomes a fixture in the incident room as the team brainstorm and try to decipher the cryptic clues hidden within each of the rhymes sent to the reporter. While together with DC Karen Parkinson, the pair bounce their own ideas off each other as Paul tries in earnest to teach Karen the nuances of cryptic crosswords and their clues. But can they decode the clues in time to prevent another killing?

A fantastic debut that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. The clever cryptic clues hidden within each rhyme was genius and had my mind boggling. Crime fiction that is more than just another procedural, FIVE DOWN is a thrilling debut from a talent to look out for.

Can you solve the clues to stop a killer?

I would like to thank #TomSibson, #RedDragonBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #FiveDown in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Born in Yorkshire, Tom spent his early career in a variety of scientific research and engineering roles and now in middle age hopes to share his love for the city of York with his readers — albeit via somewhat dark, intriguing, and mind-teasing scenarios.

When not writing crime fiction, Tom loves researching true crime, modern history, running, playing the guitar, listening to all genres of rock, and solving cryptic crosswords with a particular penchant for the one in Private Eye.

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