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Kate Linton #1
A Means of Escape
A grizzly and cold November morning. Detective Sergeant Kate Linton is called on Glastonbury Tor where a young woman has been strangled. Twelve holes are found at the scene, surrounded by wax, evidence of garden flares - the only connection to two other unsolved cases. When another young woman and a TV celebrity go missing, Linton is in a race against time to find the serial killer before he strikes again. But, when her journalist ex-boyfriend is singled out as a chief suspect, Linton feels that events are heading a bit too close to home. A Means of Escape presents an intricate, gripping mystery plot, combined with a focus on the heroine's personal life as she juggles an unwelcome attraction for her good-looking and charismatic superior with her efforts to become closer to her estranged family. A Means of Escape is the first in a series of psychologically driven crime novels.
281 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Joanna Price
10 books9 followersI live just outside Glastonbury with my husband, 2 children and our mentally challenged cat. When I’m not writing crime fiction I’m a copywriter. And when I’m not writing copy I’m supposed to be training to run a marathon. I spend far too much time worrying and not enough time doing the housework.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 19, 2014
This review is from: A Means of Escape (Kate Linton Series) (Kindle Edition)
This is a great first book for a new series of books about Kate Linton, a Detective Sergeant. Kate is likeable, very tidy with complex family issues, although currently single there is an couple of ex-boyfriends to complicate the current investigation.
The police are trying to find a murderer, a girl has been found strangled at the Tor in Glastonbury which may be linked to some other deaths in nearby Avebury. This is a good police procedural with enough red-herrings to muddy the waters along with a cast of potential suspects. This book is an easy but enjoyable read, with both lead detectives DS Linton and her superior Rob Brown being flawed but likeable characters. The plot moves along at a good speed with enough detail to keep it feeling realistic but not so much it slows the story. I am now looking forward to Eeny Meeny Miny Moe (Kate Linton) due out May 2012
This is a great first book for a new series of books about Kate Linton, a Detective Sergeant. Kate is likeable, very tidy with complex family issues, although currently single there is an couple of ex-boyfriends to complicate the current investigation.
The police are trying to find a murderer, a girl has been found strangled at the Tor in Glastonbury which may be linked to some other deaths in nearby Avebury. This is a good police procedural with enough red-herrings to muddy the waters along with a cast of potential suspects. This book is an easy but enjoyable read, with both lead detectives DS Linton and her superior Rob Brown being flawed but likeable characters. The plot moves along at a good speed with enough detail to keep it feeling realistic but not so much it slows the story. I am now looking forward to Eeny Meeny Miny Moe (Kate Linton) due out May 2012
November 23, 2021
Not that good and not that bad. Classic police procedural. The main character is Kate Linton, the murders aren't too gory (I started two other crime novels that have been sitting in the Kindle for ages and both times gave up within a chapter as it was all too horrifyingly sadistic), the plot of solving who was being held where and what had happened was reasonably believable. The 'thing' about the police in the story was that they fancied each other and didn't know it, but while they were both in themselves quite likeable, this plot thread was just overplayed - no nuance. But I finished it - it wasn't bad. But not a series I'd look for more in either.
November 19, 2017
Kate Linton is a likeable detective sergeant trying to solve a murder on Glastonbury tor. A promising first in a series.
September 4, 2019
Average
A decent read but not a page turner full of twists as I’d hoped. Interested to see the relationship develop between the two main characters.
A decent read but not a page turner full of twists as I’d hoped. Interested to see the relationship develop between the two main characters.
September 30, 2011
ARC received from and reviewed for Real Readers/Book Dagger
On a cold November morning the body of a young woman is found on the Glastonbury Tor. The girl has been strangled and her body is surrounded by twelve small holes surrounded by candle wax.
Detective Sergeant Kate Linton is one of the police officers working the case, together with her superior Detective Inspector Rob Brown.
They soon discover that similar holes with wax were found surrounding two women murdered at Avebury’s stone circle and fear they may be dealing with a serial killer.
When, shortly afterwards another young woman goes missing and a star from a reality television show also disappears their fears become more urgent. The suspected killer may be holding two more women, while waiting for a chance to kill them too, and the police haven’t got any clear clues about his identity.
The case however is not the only thing occupying Kate Linton’s time and mind. She has quite a few issues in her own life concerning her relationship with her parents, her troubled brother and a messed up love life. And there are also the very mixed feelings she has about her superior, Brown.
With time running out for the missing girls, Kate and her colleagues appear to be fighting an uphill battle.
I enjoyed this mystery. It was well written, with plausible characters and an interesting story-line. I found myself compulsively turning the pages in order to find out what exactly was happening and how it would all be resolved.
However, there were one or two things I was less happy about.
It seems to me that Kate Linton may have one or two issues too many in her life. I understand that it is important to give a main character a good back story in order to make her come to life, and that this is even more important when the book in question is the first in a planned series. However, since there are more books involving this character to come, I felt that maybe the issues could have been spread out over future stories a bit more. Having said that, I also think it will be interesting to see how those story-lines develop in future books.
The way in which the story shifted perspective between quite a few characters in the book, including quite a few minor ones, did throw me off the reading rhythm at times. But, those sections were usually short and it wasn’t long before I would find myself back to the main story and captivated again.
Overall I would say this was a good first instalment in a planned series, and I will definitely pick up future books featuring Kate Linton.
On a cold November morning the body of a young woman is found on the Glastonbury Tor. The girl has been strangled and her body is surrounded by twelve small holes surrounded by candle wax.
Detective Sergeant Kate Linton is one of the police officers working the case, together with her superior Detective Inspector Rob Brown.
They soon discover that similar holes with wax were found surrounding two women murdered at Avebury’s stone circle and fear they may be dealing with a serial killer.
When, shortly afterwards another young woman goes missing and a star from a reality television show also disappears their fears become more urgent. The suspected killer may be holding two more women, while waiting for a chance to kill them too, and the police haven’t got any clear clues about his identity.
The case however is not the only thing occupying Kate Linton’s time and mind. She has quite a few issues in her own life concerning her relationship with her parents, her troubled brother and a messed up love life. And there are also the very mixed feelings she has about her superior, Brown.
With time running out for the missing girls, Kate and her colleagues appear to be fighting an uphill battle.
I enjoyed this mystery. It was well written, with plausible characters and an interesting story-line. I found myself compulsively turning the pages in order to find out what exactly was happening and how it would all be resolved.
However, there were one or two things I was less happy about.
It seems to me that Kate Linton may have one or two issues too many in her life. I understand that it is important to give a main character a good back story in order to make her come to life, and that this is even more important when the book in question is the first in a planned series. However, since there are more books involving this character to come, I felt that maybe the issues could have been spread out over future stories a bit more. Having said that, I also think it will be interesting to see how those story-lines develop in future books.
The way in which the story shifted perspective between quite a few characters in the book, including quite a few minor ones, did throw me off the reading rhythm at times. But, those sections were usually short and it wasn’t long before I would find myself back to the main story and captivated again.
Overall I would say this was a good first instalment in a planned series, and I will definitely pick up future books featuring Kate Linton.
October 21, 2012
Kate Linton is a Detective Sergeant living in Glastonbury. A young woman is found dead in strange circumstances in what looks as though it could be some sort of ritual or sacrificial killing. Then another young woman disappears off the streets of the town apparently into thin air. Kate and her boss – Rob Brown – are desperate to prevent another killing especially when they realise that there have been two similar deaths in Avebury. Sam Jenkins needs to be found quickly because she is an insulin dependent diabetic and doesn’t have her insulin with her.
I found this an interesting start to a police procedural series. Sam’s disappearance and the glimpses the reader gets of her with her kidnapper provide a tense background to the police investigation. I liked the Glastonbury setting with its New Age influence. I thought the characters were well drawn especially the spiky relationship between Kate and her boss. I did get a little confused by the continual changing between the police and Sam’s relatives and friends though I could see why it was done. I could have found it confusing because I read the book in small chunks but altogether I found that aspect of the book didn’t work for me and it is the reason why I have given the book four stars rather than five.
If you like police procedural crime novels with a different setting then give this one a try – I found it an interesting read in spite of my criticism above and in spite of the rather too prevalent use of swear words. The story kept me reading because I liked the characters and wanted to find out whether Sam was rescued in time. I have just started reading the next one in the series and I’m finding that a good read too.
I found this an interesting start to a police procedural series. Sam’s disappearance and the glimpses the reader gets of her with her kidnapper provide a tense background to the police investigation. I liked the Glastonbury setting with its New Age influence. I thought the characters were well drawn especially the spiky relationship between Kate and her boss. I did get a little confused by the continual changing between the police and Sam’s relatives and friends though I could see why it was done. I could have found it confusing because I read the book in small chunks but altogether I found that aspect of the book didn’t work for me and it is the reason why I have given the book four stars rather than five.
If you like police procedural crime novels with a different setting then give this one a try – I found it an interesting read in spite of my criticism above and in spite of the rather too prevalent use of swear words. The story kept me reading because I liked the characters and wanted to find out whether Sam was rescued in time. I have just started reading the next one in the series and I’m finding that a good read too.
August 31, 2011
I was delighted to be given an early reading copy of A Means of Escape to review for bookdagger real readers.
On a cold November morning a woman’s body is discovered on Glastonbury Tor. Detective Inspector Rob Brown and his colleague Detective Sergeant Kate Linton head the murder investigation. When a second woman is abducted in Glastonbury, there are real fears that the killer may have struck again, the only problem is that the mystical community around Glastonbury creates more questions than answers.
This is an accomplished debut novel, with good character analysis, and a well driven and gutsy plot. There is enough information about the investigative process without it being too cumbersome, and some genuinely funny moments which help to lighten the mood. I especially warmed to both lead characters – the details of Linton and Brown’s separate personal lives adds a nice dimension to what could develop into a strong partnership. The added frisson of a “will they, won’t they” atmosphere to their relationship, makes the book all the more enjoyable to read.
It is refreshing to have another British female crime writer on the scene, and I am pleased to discover that this is the first book in a proposed series featuring Kate Linton. I am sure that the series will gain in strength and popularity, and I look forward to spending more time in the company of this gutsy and intelligent detective sergeant.
On a cold November morning a woman’s body is discovered on Glastonbury Tor. Detective Inspector Rob Brown and his colleague Detective Sergeant Kate Linton head the murder investigation. When a second woman is abducted in Glastonbury, there are real fears that the killer may have struck again, the only problem is that the mystical community around Glastonbury creates more questions than answers.
This is an accomplished debut novel, with good character analysis, and a well driven and gutsy plot. There is enough information about the investigative process without it being too cumbersome, and some genuinely funny moments which help to lighten the mood. I especially warmed to both lead characters – the details of Linton and Brown’s separate personal lives adds a nice dimension to what could develop into a strong partnership. The added frisson of a “will they, won’t they” atmosphere to their relationship, makes the book all the more enjoyable to read.
It is refreshing to have another British female crime writer on the scene, and I am pleased to discover that this is the first book in a proposed series featuring Kate Linton. I am sure that the series will gain in strength and popularity, and I look forward to spending more time in the company of this gutsy and intelligent detective sergeant.
November 1, 2011
A very well thought out and consistently gripping storyline. The reader has constant hypotheses throughout the book as to who is behind these murders, arousing more assumptions as to – why?
After a young woman is strangled to death on the top of Glastonbury Tor, we are introduced to the main character Detective Sergeant Kate Linton. Kate and her colleagues soon discover two other murders have occurred and are possibly linked. There swiftly follows an abduction of a local girl, so they are now under much pressure to find this killer before he kills again.
The unfolding of Kate Linton is very nicely done throughout the book in a non-obvious ‘let’s write four complete pages describing her character’ fashion. The reader warms to Kate instantly as she is droll, intelligent, compassionate and acts very much like a friend we’ve all got in our own lives. Her personal and family life is somewhat of a disaster area which adds to the overall likeability factor.
The author has a sound style to her writing which is consistent and most appealing. She introduces sub plots that create much intrigue and suspense without overcomplicating the storyline and there is good use of observational humour through each character which adds to the overall pleasure of reading this enthralling story.
Immensely looking forward to the next book as I feel only the surface has been scratched on D.S Kate Linton.
March 26, 2012
This is a very promising start of a new police series set in Glastonbury featuring DS Kate Linton who has a challenging task -- to find the killer of three young women and a third missing girl who has been kidnapped, possibly by the killer.
Just to make her job more complicated, a reality TV star also goes missing in Glastonbury at the same time, but is this just coincidence or has the killer now kidnapped two women as well?
Kate, newly single since her split with her boyfriend, is confronted with the embarrassment of a past liaison in the shape of a local journalist who becomes a suspect. Her strained relationship with her male colleague changes as the case progresses which adds an interesting light touch to the dark storyline.
As the police search continues we are given several tantalising glimpses of just what's going on in the head of the kidnapper by the way he talks to his kidnap victim, which didn't make any sense until the reveal.
Joanna Price kept the suspense building until the very end when all the answers to the questions are neatly tied up -- I didn't guess the ending!
Altogether, an unpredictable storyline that features characters that I'd like to read about again as this series develops.
From Carole's Book Corner
Just to make her job more complicated, a reality TV star also goes missing in Glastonbury at the same time, but is this just coincidence or has the killer now kidnapped two women as well?
Kate, newly single since her split with her boyfriend, is confronted with the embarrassment of a past liaison in the shape of a local journalist who becomes a suspect. Her strained relationship with her male colleague changes as the case progresses which adds an interesting light touch to the dark storyline.
As the police search continues we are given several tantalising glimpses of just what's going on in the head of the kidnapper by the way he talks to his kidnap victim, which didn't make any sense until the reveal.
Joanna Price kept the suspense building until the very end when all the answers to the questions are neatly tied up -- I didn't guess the ending!
Altogether, an unpredictable storyline that features characters that I'd like to read about again as this series develops.
From Carole's Book Corner
August 31, 2012
‘A Means of Escape’ by Joanna Price
Published by Aston Bay, November 2011. ISBN: 978-0-956830-0-8
The discovery of a body on the Glastonbury Tor on a cold November morning has DS Kate Linton investigating ritual and sacrificial killings, as found next to the body are twelve small holes surrounded by candle wax.
Attending the crime scene with her is DI Rob Brown who flaunts his female conquests which irritates Kate, who rather likes him but cannot fathom him. Also at the scene Kate espies an ex-boyfriend journalist Simon Talbot, who she is at pains to avoid.
A few days later another young woman is reported missing just when Kate learns of two further bodies found at Avebury’s stone circle, where identical holes were also in evidence. Then a reality TV star disappears. With three dead bodies, an abducted woman and a missing reality TV star, Kate has much to occupy her.
Cleverly plotted this is an intriguing mystery which kept me reading into the early hours. Kate is a most engaging protagonist, feisty and yet vulnerable, her interaction with her immediate boss Rob Brown adds much to the story. Whilst, the solution was satisfactorily tied up, there is a good hook at the end to make me want to keep an eye out for the next book. Highly recommended.
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Lizzie Hayes
Published by Aston Bay, November 2011. ISBN: 978-0-956830-0-8
The discovery of a body on the Glastonbury Tor on a cold November morning has DS Kate Linton investigating ritual and sacrificial killings, as found next to the body are twelve small holes surrounded by candle wax.
Attending the crime scene with her is DI Rob Brown who flaunts his female conquests which irritates Kate, who rather likes him but cannot fathom him. Also at the scene Kate espies an ex-boyfriend journalist Simon Talbot, who she is at pains to avoid.
A few days later another young woman is reported missing just when Kate learns of two further bodies found at Avebury’s stone circle, where identical holes were also in evidence. Then a reality TV star disappears. With three dead bodies, an abducted woman and a missing reality TV star, Kate has much to occupy her.
Cleverly plotted this is an intriguing mystery which kept me reading into the early hours. Kate is a most engaging protagonist, feisty and yet vulnerable, her interaction with her immediate boss Rob Brown adds much to the story. Whilst, the solution was satisfactorily tied up, there is a good hook at the end to make me want to keep an eye out for the next book. Highly recommended.
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Lizzie Hayes
February 5, 2012
Joanna Price's debut novel introduces us to D.S. Kate Linton at the start of a murder investigation in the mystical Glastonbury area. Fears soon grow that the team are searching for a serial killer and are increased when a reality TV star disappears and another young woman is reported missing. Kate's personal life is also complicated, she is trying to cope with the recent breakdown of her own relationship and her love/loathe feelings towards her superior.
I really enjoyed this book and liked the character of Kate Linton. There were several suspects which kept the suspense up through the story and there were scenes which were humorous and made me laugh, a rarity in murder mystery. I would definitely make a point of reading any future books by Joanna Price and hope that this is the start of a D.S. Linton series.
I really enjoyed this book and liked the character of Kate Linton. There were several suspects which kept the suspense up through the story and there were scenes which were humorous and made me laugh, a rarity in murder mystery. I would definitely make a point of reading any future books by Joanna Price and hope that this is the start of a D.S. Linton series.
June 21, 2015
Thoroughly good read. Dead girls are turning up at historic sites in the south of England - could it be human sacrifice? Glastonbury has lots of alternative lifestyles catered for in the village, the shops and businesses, and surrounding area. This was a great insight into life in that part of the country, and I enjoyed the characters - Kate Linton, the police officer lead character, and her "relationship" with her womanising superior Rob Brown, is entertaining and she's a likeable character with lots of family issues to deal with. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better in the next book. Fast moving thriller from a new author to me - well written and very entertaining.
August 29, 2011
I was asked to read and review A Means of Escape for Real Readers and I approached the book with an open mind unfortunately I found it to be a challenging read.There are several threads throughout the novel not all of which mesh well together and I was left feeling the ending came with little completition of several of those threads.
The characters were in the main well drawn but several I found lacking in both substance and believability
The characters were in the main well drawn but several I found lacking in both substance and believability
February 14, 2016
I was attracted to this as it is set in Glastonbury and was cheap on Kindle. Glad I didn't pay too much for it! Amateurish writing, grammatical errors, daft plot, and an annoying will they/won't they relationship you just know will be dragged out forever. Mildly entertaining but I won't be reading any more of the series l
September 10, 2012
I really enjoyed it. Great fun.
May 31, 2015
good first book in this series
August 27, 2012
Read the kindle edition which is not listed on goodreads.
April 16, 2017
Enjoyable.
I enjoyed the story and liked the main charachters, the will they won't they between Kate and her partner certainly adds to the story.
I found it a bit slow and the UFO stuff kinda put me off, it just seamed a little unbelievable and anti climatic when it came to the big reveal and motivation for the serial killer???!!!
Its a 3* from me but I will be reading the second book in the series. I feel there is plenty of potential for a part 2 and the above is my opinion and would not want to put other readers off reading this book as I did enjoy it x
I enjoyed the story and liked the main charachters, the will they won't they between Kate and her partner certainly adds to the story.
I found it a bit slow and the UFO stuff kinda put me off, it just seamed a little unbelievable and anti climatic when it came to the big reveal and motivation for the serial killer???!!!
Its a 3* from me but I will be reading the second book in the series. I feel there is plenty of potential for a part 2 and the above is my opinion and would not want to put other readers off reading this book as I did enjoy it x
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews