Blood of the Innocents

DI Mariner #2

by Chris Collett

When two teenagers go missing on the same day, it appears to be nothing more than a coincidence. Leaving aside their age and disappearance, the two have little in common: Yasmin Akram is the talented, grammar-school-educated daughter of devout Muslim professionals, while Ricky Skeet disappeared after storming out of his tenement following a dispute with his mother's latest boyfriend. Mariner knows Ricky's mother from his days in uniform, so he is less than happy when his superiors take him off the Skeet case and reassign him to the more politically sensitive investigation. The press—and his bosses—are convinced that Yasmin's disappearance is a racially motivated abduction, especially since the Akrams had previously been the target of the far right and a prominent white supremacist group. But Mariner soon discovers that Yasmin is far from the innocent victim her parents paint her to be.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Crime, Procedural

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2005

About the author

Chris Collett grew up in a Norfolk seaside town where she worked in a boarding house (now defunct) a local bakery (closed down) and a crisp factory (razed to the ground). After leaving school, Chris moved to Liverpool to train as a teacher for children with learning disabilities, including autism. Now a recently retired university lecturer, Chris is married with two grown up children and lives in Birmingham, on DI Tom Mariner's 'patch'. She has published short stories, teaches creative and crime writing and is a manuscript assessor for the Crime Writers Association.

All 8 books of the DI Tom Mariner series are released in revised editions by Joffe Books, along with a new standalone: The Truth About Murder.

Find out more at www.chriscollettcrime.co.uk

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book in the DI Tom Mariner series by author Chris Collett. This series can be read as stand alones but ideally I would try to read them in order for maximum enjoyment. This series is based around DI Tom Mariner, a dedicated policeman and plenty going on in his personal life to add to the very good plots in these books.
Two teenagers from completely different backgrounds disappear on the same day. Yasmin is the talented, grammar-school-educated daughter of devout Muslim professionals and Ricky a bit of a tear away who disappears after storming out of his council house after an argument with his mum’s latest boyfriend. Tom Mariner who is originally following up Ricky's disappearance is told to concentrate on Yasmins case by his seniors due to fears it could be racially motivated, much to his disapproval.
Another solid plot and so well paced, full of believable characters and plenty of atmosphere.
Excellent series.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

INNOCENT LIES by CHRIS COLLETT 11/7

DI Tom Mariner is contacted by a woman she knows. Her teenage son is missing and although he's taken off before, mom firmly believes something bad has happened.

Just as he gears up to start an investigation, his superior pulls him off that case and assigns him to another missing person .. this time a teenage girl whose parents are more politically involved.

Yasmin's parents have been targeted before and the powers that be are concerned this is a racially motivated kidnapping ... or worse. But Mariner and his team find that Yasmin had been withholding a lot of secrets from her parents ... and her absence may be something entirely different.

This is second in a series and does well as a stand alone. Full of twists and turns, this crime thriller is well written and highly suspenseful. There are lots of different characters, but the author has done a bang up job of keeping them easy fit into the story.

Mariner is not a complicated man. He's not materialistic and loves to walk .... helps clear his mind when he's got a puzzling case. He lives for his job and cannot conceive of doing anything else with his life. The author has added some personal issues that make him more credible.

THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “BLOOD OF THE INNOCENTS.”

Many thanks to the author / Jill Burkinshaw /Joffee Books/ Netgalley for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

*thank you to Netgalley, Chris Collett and Joffe Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


2 stars.

Well this was me giving this author a third chance after reading another of her books a while back that was also 2 stars from me and anther of her's I did like enough to give it 3 stars. But unfortunately this wasn't a hit for me. The writing style isn't for me and I found it distracting. I didn't like the main characters either and found it hard to connect with the story. It wasn't badly written just isn't my style.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I gave it 3 stars, it was a really good and believable story. Nothing fantastical here, just a lot of gritty realism. Nevertheless It seemed (to me) to be lacking something and I can't even put my finger on what it might be. I just know I wasn't totally engaged with it.

Other reviewers have rated it highly and I suspect Collett is a pretty good author. I might even try another book as they seem to rate well. I think this was a case of "its not you, its me." Sigh.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this novel directly from the author and publisher Joffe Books. I have voluntarily chosen to review the book, and the gifting in no way determines my review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion.

New author, new series for me and I'd just like to thank Joffe Books for introducing us because I was immediately riveted and drawn into the author's world. A few reviewers have said they had trouble with the character DI Tom Mariner but he just spoke to me! A little insular, very private with a predisposition for long walks to get his head round things - introverts unite!
Extremely well written with a smooth prose and excellent pacing, the book practically read itself. The characters were very life like and it was quite easy to imagine the murders and investigation playing out how they did. The plot was very current with the disparity between the "good" and "bad" families and also the current climate regarding different religions and radical opposition to them.
I really can't recommended this author/series high enough for lovers of police procedurals, gritty realism, thrills and more twists, turns and reveals than you can poke a stick at. I'm so drawn to the series that I've already started the next book in the series - and it looks like a corker!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying the Tom Mariner series and found this instalment engrossing and difficult to put down. I look forward to reading more books by Chris Collett.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting: Birmingham, UK. This is the second book in the crime series featuring D.I. Mariner - love the way the characters are developing as the series progresses coupled with intriguing storylines as Mariner is ordered off one missing person case (a troublesome boy from a council estate) to investigate the disappearance of a 17-year-old Asian girl from a well-to-do family. Annoyed with his boss for dragging him away from what seems to be an equally-worthwhile case, Mariner nevertheless treats his new case with appropriate attention whilst still keeping a watching brief on the investigation of the missing boy....
Unexpected twists and turns as I've come to expect from this series - never guessed who the culprits were! - with the added bonus of being set in an area that is slightly familiar to me. Looking forward to reading more of this series, already waiting on my Kindle! - 9/10.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

This book started off at a slower pace that the previous book but it was back up to full speed before we reached half way through and then it was off and grabbed you nit letting go until the end!

This is the second book in the series and I have to say that I am most definitely enjoying the series so far! The plot in the book is well thought through and the characters are developed and work really well together to make the book so good.

I really like where the series is going and I hope that the writing style continues going from strength to strength. Looking forward to reading the next book from the author. 5 stars from me.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

DI Mariner has a new case, the missing teen boy of a woman he knows. but before he gets will into it he is assigned another case by temporary boss that no one likes. The new case is another missing teen, this time a girl daughter of a prominent Muslim family and mother of the missing boy is incensed when all the effort seems to go into the girl. As usual there is quite a web of intersecting clues, plus the interference of the the temporary boss and Mariner's own personal problems that keep things interesting. I am on to #3 in the set of 7.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for a review copy of Innocent Lies, the second in a series of police procedurals featuring DI Tom Mariner of the Birmingham police in the early 2000s.

Tom is waylaid by Colleen Skeet telling him that her 15 year old son Ricky is missing. Having known the family for years in a professional capacity Tom promises to do all can to help but his boss acting DCI Gavin Fiske has other ideas and wants him to concentrate on the disappearance of another teenager, Yasmin Akram whose middle class parents are more articulate and have more clout than Colleen. With both teenagers appearing to have disappeared off the face of the earth and a boss who is happy to jump the gun and to conclusions in the pursuit of early success Tom has his work cut out for him.

I thoroughly enjoyed Innocent Lies as I like a good procedural with a slow unraveling of facts and one discovery leading to another. Under Fiske's direction it's all about Yasmin and poor Ricky hardly gets a look in. Ms Collett does a great job of slowly revealing her secrets and different aspects of her personality, the dutiful Muslim daughter, the rebellious teenager etc. although the cultural differences between these two worlds are not explored in any depth.

The plot is absorbing with plenty of twists, turns and surprises and had me glued to the pages throughout although I thought some of the theorising came over more as padding than strictly necessary to the plot. The third person narrative and linear timeline suit this kind of novel and come as a welcome relief to all the shifting point of view and timelines that are so prevalent nowadays. It is a pleasure to get your teeth into Tom's point of view and be able to stick with it without distraction. I particularly liked the ending of the novel where the perpetrator and motive came as a surprise when a late flurry of information makes everything clear.

I must admit that I find Tom Mariner a bit of a strange character and hard to warm to. He is a solitary person who enjoys walking in the countryside rather than socialising. I suspect that he is friendless apart from his current girlfriend, Anna but even there I find his behaviour odd and it hints at a very unappealing, controlling nature. Despite this he is a smart detective and good at his job. I find some of his thoughts very amusing, especially on the subject of his boss.

Innocent Lies is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner

When I started reading this novel I found it rather slow going, however having read the first in the Tom Mariner series I knew better than to give up as it was definitely going somewhere.

This case seems in total contrast to the first of Mariner’s cases we encountered but nevertheless it nicely deals with the delicacies of perceived prejudice. The mystery itself is intriguing, dealing with two missing children, one boy and one girl, both from totally different backgrounds. This difference determines which case takes the highest priority – a decision that the police could very well regret. At first the two disappearances appear to be totally unrelated, but when the boy turns up dead and the girl’s mobile phone is found next to the boy’s body it begins to look more and more like there could be some link between them.

Eventually, after the discovery of the body of the missing girl shortly before another death is discovered, it becomes clear that all three murders are connected and it’s clear who the murderer is.

I was sent an advance copy book by Joffe Books for an honest review and was only too happy to read it, having enjoyed Chris Collett’s previous novel. It was a quick and easy read but still very enjoyable and the story reached a satisfactory conclusion. I enjoyed it so much I couldn't put it down and in fact read it in 5 days. I definitely look forward to the next one.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Two people have gone missing. One a fifteen-year old boy who is a troubled teen and the son of a woman DI Tom Mariner knows and has helped in the past. Mariner begins to investigate, when his boss DCI Gavin Fiske calls him in and takes him off the case. Instead he is given another missing person case. He is furious because a young woman from a “good” family – and a politically sensitive one - is taking priority over a troubled teen.

But as Mariner discovers, seventeen-year old Yasmin Akram is not what she seems. She is hiding some big secrets from her parents.

After a surprise in the plot, and a tragedy, Mariner begins to get the idea that the two cases may be related. Are they? More surprises occur and the plot deepens.

This book is full of surprises and the plot has surprising twists. It is both well written and plotted. The suspense begins almost immediately in the story and continues, languidly at times, to the exciting conclusion. I’m not sure I like DI Mariner as he seems a little off-putting at times. This is a good police procedural. It is better than Chris Collett’s last book.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy was entitled "Blood of the innocents" I am not sure how "Innocent lies" ties into anything. Two teenagers are missing- one is Ricky Skeet from a poor family, the other is Yasmin Akram, wealthy and possibly the victim of a hate crime. Mariner is (of course) pressured into neglecting the poorer family.

I don't know how to talk about the plot too much without spoilers. I thought there were the right number of plot twists and the balance between the detective's private life and the real story was reasonably well navigated (either that or I am getting soft in my old age). There seemed to be a bit of an agenda to portray every conceivable minority in a sort of freak-show where they are all a bit in competition with each other, but even though this made me read with suspicion I have to admit that the worst excesses of stereotyping were avoided.

Mariner's sex life is somewhat problematic and this is in no way acknowledged. The book as a whole is surprisingly androcentric for a female writer. There was enough mystery here to be worth reading, if more of these come my way I would probably read them.

[Misfits farm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young woman is missing as is a younger boy. DI Mariner has a tenuous link to the boy’s mother through a previous case but his boss wants him on the other case as it is more “middle class/high profile” due to the parents owning a school and being Asian. Mariner is not happy. The missing girl’s father appears not to be telling the truth. When her phone is found in an unlikely place things start to become even more complicated. This is a brilliant read. Not an usual plot but has it’s originality in the twists and turns that make it a page turner and cleverly thought out. The main characters have some background to them which always to me, gives depth and personality. A very entertaining read, a gripping plot. This is the second DI Mariner book and will happily stand alone, but why miss out on another excellent read? I very much look forward to the next book in the series. A highly recommended read.

I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased

[Robert Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Deadly Lies, the first DI Mariner story. I looked forward to reading this second outing, which dealt with the disappearance of Yasmin and Ricky, two teenagers from different ends of the social spectrum with nothing in common. Parental pressure ensured Yasmin’s case took precedence, which rankled with Mariner.

Progress was slow and frustrating for the detective with a lot of local politics and peer pressure hampering the investigation. It took some time for the investigation to gain any momentum with the discovery of a body. From here, the pace quickened with the discovery of another body and secrets that revealed another side to the victim, adding more doubt and suspicion into the mix.

Though well-written, with a lot of detail and emphasis on the relationship between the police and Yasmin’s family, the slow pace of the first half of the story left me feeling frustrated. Mariner’s relationship with Anna led was well-handled and interesting until he had an uncharacteristic lapse in behaviour that I found hard to believe.

Neither issue spoiled my overall enjoyment of a story that’s well-grounded and populated with interesting characters, relationships and conflicts.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being set in Birmingham, this series of books makes frequent references to Spaghetti Junction which in entirely in accordance with the convoluted web of suspects and theories in this book. I considered one particular person could, potentially prove to be the killer from the first time I came across them but with so many other possibilities to consider I soon forgot about those suspicions and was therefore surprised by the denouement. I found that situation immensely satisfying as I got the gratification of having been right in the first place but didn't have a sense of inevitability at the outcome.

Tom Mariner's personal life is also getting a little convoluted too and he needs to sort out what is most important to him. His is not the worst personal life n the station however, there are others in more need of rescue than him.

There is something, undefinable, about this series which has got under my skin and I find myself enjoying it even more than I expected to.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

DI Mariner is on the case of a missing teenager boy, when a girl is reported missing and he is moved to this 'more important' case. There seems to be no motive for their disappearance or connection between the two. And no headway in the case for over a week, until finally a break in the case.
An enjoyable, well-written mystery with some good rounded characters.
For me an improvement on the first in the series and can be read as a stand-alone book.
Look forward to the next in the series.
Receved an Advanced Reader Copy

[Sebastian Barrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as the first. Definitely need to read these books in order really. This gives you a chance to follow the private lives of Mariner and Knox.
Tensions run high in this novel with the disappearance of 2 youngsters. One is white the other Indian which leads to which one gets the real deal with the Police. Interesting twists and turns with plenty of possible candidates who could have been involved especially when the bodies turn up.
I have enjoyed this story and will be following Mariner and the team again in the next of the series.

[i.s. wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good police procedural!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing style reminded me a lot of Peter Robinson and Ian Rankin. The story is well written and keeps you guessing right the way to the end as to who did it! It seems such a shame that this book was previously released under a different title but it was really worth it. I will certainly be reading more by Mr Collette.

[Lois Carkhuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent continuation of the series!

I read the first book and then had to find out what happened with Anne so I quickly started reading the second one. This book continue with character development and introduces a new one. One we have all worked with at one time or another I think. By the end of this book the characters feel like friends. I am sure I will read more books to stay in touch with them.

[Michelle Hartman · Rating 3 out of 5]

All good Detectives have serious character flaws. It makes them believable, but we also like to root for the underdog. The beat-up Hero with a heart of gold, keeps us hanging on in support. But Mariner has just too much wrong with him to rate support. The writing is good and the plots are intricate, and because of that I'm going to hang on for one more book. Let's hope book three shows some maturing on the part of the Hero.

[Paul Adler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as part of a set of 7. This is the 2nd in the series. I like Tom Mariner he is a down to earth Birmingham policeman. When a schoolboy disappears Tom investigates the case but is taken off it by an acting DCI who is not very bright. He is transferred to the case of a missing Asian Girl who is the daughter of well to do parents. As the 2 cases progress they become linked. An enjoyable mystery based in Birmingham.
RECOMMENDED.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two teenagers have gone missing - a working class white boy Ricky and a posh, Asian girl Yasmin. DI Mariner is on the cases and still in touch with Anna (plus autistic brother Jamie) from book 1. Police resources and media profile are unequally divided between the cases as interim DCI Fiske seeks to advance his career by satisfying the top brass rather than solving the crimes. Lots of reservoir action and another good story with characters we are getting to know and love

[Marie Shirley Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery

I enjoyed the mystery, it was well written with good characters.

I'm of an age where where excessive sexual content, outside the "mystery", is just plain obnoxious, while this book isn't overwhelmed with it, it did cost it a star.

I will be back for the third book, whenever it's released.

[Sheila Howes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is the second in the DI Mariner series, it was my first read of the series and I found it can easily be read as a standalone.

I really enjoyed the plot, the book twisted and turned giving many red herrings before we caught up with the suspect.

I liked the character of Mariner, he was a down to earth type of bloke.

[Lynn Litten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grand read that you want to read to the end

If you are a fan of mystery and the bits of the British then you will thoroughly enjoy this book. I believe you will find some bizarre twist towards the end that will keep you thinking about human nature, and how one temptation leads down a dark rabbit hole. 💜 An engrossing read!

[Laura Poppenwimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great and well written mystery. The book is a fast read, and the plot has enough twists to keep it interesting. The characters interpersonal relationship from the first book have matured. The characters are realistic and likeable, have enough faults and good characteristics to make them human. I am hooked on this series now and plan to read every one that has been written.

[Kim Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really starting to get into this series by Chris Collett. I find the main character to be likeable, though he does need a little shake every now and again! He obviously has some issues as a result of his upbringing (find me a fictional police officer who doesn't!) but other than that he's okay. The story was interesting and flowed well. I look forward to reading more of these.

[Alette S. Kohl-Forman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprised

Not usual detective series, gritty, realistic, natural characters with good and bad attributes. I was surprised how well this was written and now I am happy to read the series . No super heroes or acts of incredible, real life people who make this a great read

[Jillian Higham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

Good police procedural with a likeable DI in Tom Mariner. The plot was interesting and the personal information about the police team woven into the story was relevant and enlightening.