Murder O'Clock

by Phil Hall

MURDER O'CLOCKIt's the autumn of 2021 and the protests of the Insulate Britain environmental group are starting to disrupt public life. When the protestors switch their focus from the motorways of southern England to the tranquil town centre of Reigate the stakes are raised. After the first protest is cleared a dead body is discovered on the pavement but none of the demonstrators recognise the victim.

But the clandestine killer has just begun and is fixated with the clock.

With Inspector Bee away on leave, DS McTierney picks up the case, but before he's had time to finish his pint a second body is discovered.

As the bodies pile up and pressure mounts on the police, Inspector Bee returns to the station to pick up the pieces. But can our erudite detective stop the blood lust and is there a copycat killer in Italy?



"Clever, masterful and hugely entertaining." - Suzi Jones.

"Absorbing drama + original plot = top notch entertainment." - Julia Richardson.

"Bee and McTierney produce the perfect blend in the fast-paced contemporary murder case." - Stuart Miller.

"Hall cleverly weaves his murderous tale around real-life events. A delight!" - Andy Lipson.

"A second helping of the delightfully antagonistic detectives - feed me more." - Ron Devlin

Scott Bee book 2.

329 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2023

About the author

BIOGRAPHY

Phil was born in Great Dunmow, Essex, a town famous for the Dunmow Flitch. He attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford before taking an economics degree at the University of East Anglia.
It was at university when he started writing when he contributed a review of the film Raiders of the Lost Ark to the university magazine.
Rather than a career in writing Phil pursued an interest in marketing and latterly pricing, before returning to writing during the recent lockdown.
Dream House was his first full-length novel, Game, Set and Death was his second and the start of what has become a crime series set in the Surrey Hills. Murder O'clock takes the story of Inspector Bee on a new adventure.
He lives in Surrey with his wife and daughter, and a monster cat called Monty.

Reviews

[Lucyreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having jumped straight into this book without reading the first installment, I was pleasantly surprised by the intricate plot. The story kicks off with a gripping scene of a climate change protest that takes a dark turn when someone is tragically killed. While Bee, a central character, makes a later entrance due to being on leave, DS McTierney holds the fort and leads the investigation. As the story unfolds, the murders increase, each carrying a distinct signature. Although I was initially unfamiliar with the characters, their dynamics grew on me as I delved deeper into the narrative. The story unfolds in a high-octane kind of visual way, like you could imagine the characters being played by famous movie stars. It seemed a little odd initially considering the type of book this is, but overall I think it worked really well, and the unique atmosphere of the police station was intriguing. The climax of the story was executed very well, and the unexpected ending (which I didn’t guess) was a testament to the author's creativity. I'm eager to go back and start from the beginning of the series to fully appreciate the depth of these characters and their stories, but even as a standalone book I think this hits the mark.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps if I had read book 1 in the series, I would have liked this more, however I was a bit confused. The book opens with a protest on climate change shutting down the streets, and during the protest, someone is killed. Bee doesn't make an appearance until well into the book-he was on leave-so in his stead, his friend, DS McTierney is running the investigation. By the time Bee returns there are several more murders, all with a similar vibe. Because I wasn't familiar with the characters, I struggled with the relationships of the players. I was surprised that the police are driving Mercedes and Jaguars! Plus the antics in the police station seemed odd, but what do I know of how they behave??? By the time the book got to the ending, I did like how it wrapped up, but I guarantee, no one will have predicted that outcome.

[Grymm Gevierre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Hall, but it’s the second in the series. I think there’s something incredibly interesting about a story of this kind (c’mon, erudite detective?) I will say some of it was lost on me, likely as I did not have the first book on my shelf, but this book is good. I’d recommend reading the first if you want to be fully immersed in the universe because as much as I enjoyed this book, I felt like I was missing part of the story behind the characters.

This is a very visual story, it’s descriptive, and Hall does a great job of painting a scene. The writing is good, and the pace picks up as the story continues. The end really did have a twist the author should be proud of; certainly creative!