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Inspector Jack Brady #3
Blind Alley
Three brutal attacks.
One near-fatal beating.
And a deadly score to settle.
DI Jack Brady is riding high after the successful outcome of his previous case but his world is about to come crashing down.
There's a serial rapist plaguing the streets of Whitley Bay. Three young women have been horribly abused and his boss and the press are screaming for answers. Everything seems to point to his old friend and foe gangster Martin Madley though Brady still struggles to believe he's capable of such acts.
With time running out before the villain strikes again Brady must follow every scrap of evidence. But there are forces at work he knows nothing about and his persistence is leading both him and those close to him ever further into danger...
One near-fatal beating.
And a deadly score to settle.
DI Jack Brady is riding high after the successful outcome of his previous case but his world is about to come crashing down.
There's a serial rapist plaguing the streets of Whitley Bay. Three young women have been horribly abused and his boss and the press are screaming for answers. Everything seems to point to his old friend and foe gangster Martin Madley though Brady still struggles to believe he's capable of such acts.
With time running out before the villain strikes again Brady must follow every scrap of evidence. But there are forces at work he knows nothing about and his persistence is leading both him and those close to him ever further into danger...
352 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2013
26 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Danielle Ramsay
20 books142 followersDanielle Ramsay is a proud Scot living in a small seaside town in the North-East of England. Always a storyteller, it was only after initially following an academic career lecturing in literature that she found her place in life and began to write creatively full-time.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 23, 2016
5 Words: Crime, violence, loyalty, police, bitter.
Another dose of toe-curling brutality and bitterness.
This felt very much like it had been edited differently from the first two books. There were instances of spontaneous info-dumps and statistics thrown in randomly for good measure. It wasn't as smooth as the first two in the series.
Nevertheless I did enjoy this. I love the harsh commentary on the state of policing, corruption, police-funding and socioeconomic circumstance that arcs through the books, I think it's what brings me back. Brady is bitter and he has a right to be, his complaints are justified, and he makes a marvelous character.
Another dose of toe-curling brutality and bitterness.
This felt very much like it had been edited differently from the first two books. There were instances of spontaneous info-dumps and statistics thrown in randomly for good measure. It wasn't as smooth as the first two in the series.
Nevertheless I did enjoy this. I love the harsh commentary on the state of policing, corruption, police-funding and socioeconomic circumstance that arcs through the books, I think it's what brings me back. Brady is bitter and he has a right to be, his complaints are justified, and he makes a marvelous character.
July 27, 2014
Blind Alley – Simply Stunning
Danielle Ramsey the author of Blind Alley has written a stonkingly brilliant crime thriller that is an absolute page turner. Not only is this a brilliant thriller it has a wonderful twist at the end where the reader can honestly say that ‘I didn’t see that one coming’. With her Detective Inspector Jack Brady, Ramsey gives us the defective detective with bells on and has even made Whitely Bay sound like a ‘happening’ place.
Blind Alley is Inspector Jack Brady’s third outing and he realises he cannot live on past glories especially when he is not his Chief Inspector’s favourite team leader. He has a hunt on for a serial rapist and they are just waiting for him to strike yet again. No leads seem to be forthcoming and he is under pressure from the Police and the local press to catch the rapist.
An assault happens on a prostitute outside of his area command but it shows all the signs of being his rapist but then he finds it is a woman he once knew along with his brother and a local crime boss. Even though his colleagues are investigating the rape and assault he knows it is a message for him and his brother.
The more he tries to investigate the rape the more he seems to run up a blind alley. When a murder also lands on his already busy lap everything seems to be going far too easily but he doesn’t realise the significance of this murder until later in to his rape investigation. Like all investigations he does finally get that bit of luck but again you see the procedure he and his team go through. It is as this investigation nears its end does the build up to the crescendo and twist.
Danielle Ramsey has written one of the most powerful and exciting crime thrillers giving us our much needed defective detective and hero, who we root for whatever his faults. Ramsey says she likes to commit murder by proxy I am glad she writes about it as she would be one hell of a murderer if she ever crossed the line.
Danielle Ramsey is yet another example of a female writer invading what was once seen as the male domain of crime writing and showing them how it really should be written. Ramsey writes intelligently her prose is clear and her plot stunning and I hate using clichés but it really is a page turner. This novel really does have all the schedule 22 offences in legal parlance which helps to make this a powerful and evocative crime thriller. Stunning and brilliant hungry for more.
Danielle Ramsey the author of Blind Alley has written a stonkingly brilliant crime thriller that is an absolute page turner. Not only is this a brilliant thriller it has a wonderful twist at the end where the reader can honestly say that ‘I didn’t see that one coming’. With her Detective Inspector Jack Brady, Ramsey gives us the defective detective with bells on and has even made Whitely Bay sound like a ‘happening’ place.
Blind Alley is Inspector Jack Brady’s third outing and he realises he cannot live on past glories especially when he is not his Chief Inspector’s favourite team leader. He has a hunt on for a serial rapist and they are just waiting for him to strike yet again. No leads seem to be forthcoming and he is under pressure from the Police and the local press to catch the rapist.
An assault happens on a prostitute outside of his area command but it shows all the signs of being his rapist but then he finds it is a woman he once knew along with his brother and a local crime boss. Even though his colleagues are investigating the rape and assault he knows it is a message for him and his brother.
The more he tries to investigate the rape the more he seems to run up a blind alley. When a murder also lands on his already busy lap everything seems to be going far too easily but he doesn’t realise the significance of this murder until later in to his rape investigation. Like all investigations he does finally get that bit of luck but again you see the procedure he and his team go through. It is as this investigation nears its end does the build up to the crescendo and twist.
Danielle Ramsey has written one of the most powerful and exciting crime thrillers giving us our much needed defective detective and hero, who we root for whatever his faults. Ramsey says she likes to commit murder by proxy I am glad she writes about it as she would be one hell of a murderer if she ever crossed the line.
Danielle Ramsey is yet another example of a female writer invading what was once seen as the male domain of crime writing and showing them how it really should be written. Ramsey writes intelligently her prose is clear and her plot stunning and I hate using clichés but it really is a page turner. This novel really does have all the schedule 22 offences in legal parlance which helps to make this a powerful and evocative crime thriller. Stunning and brilliant hungry for more.
Read
April 8, 2017Giving up on this at page 65 despite it getting off to a gruesome start which had me wincing yet thinking it was going to be right up my street. I keep humming & hawing about carrying on but as it's making me feel that I should be reading it rather than wanting to,I'm taking that as a sign it's time to move on to something else.........
October 14, 2015
This is the third book in the DI Jack Brady series by Danielle Ramsay & it is set in Whitley Bay. DI Brady and his team are on the trail of a serial rapist who tries to stay one foot ahead of the police. Another rape is committed in the town, which is initially attributed to the serial rapist but is all as it seems?
Brady and his team face a race against time to apprehend the perpetrator before he strikes again. Brady faces hostility from his colleagues, superiors and friends & it becomes clear that somebody with a grudge is targeting DI Brady and his loved ones. In a lot of ways Blind Alley is a continuation of Vanishing Point (the second book in the series) in that there is a central storyline with a strong theme of revenge & retaliation.
I really did enjoy this book & I was hooked from the very first page. This book is really well written and structured. Blind Alley is full of twists, turn and red herrings with the occasional heart stopping moment thrown in. As the series goes on the writer increases in confidence and maturity which really does shine through in the quality of her writing. The author knows how to ramp up the drama and how to create a dramatic atmosphere. There are a lot of violent scenes in this book which were so realistically described and dramatic that I was almost tempted to hide behind my hands and read through my fingers.
The characters in this series are now well grounded and they are developing nicely. I have begun to care about the characters to the point where I feel as though I am living and breathing alongside them. To me this ability to make you care about the characters is a sign of a great writer. I am enjoying the development of the relationship between DI Brady and his colleague DS Conrad. They both really do care about each other and certainly have each others backs.
I love the fact that this series is set in the North East of England, which is where I currently live. It is true that Whitley Bay is not exactly shown in a positive light but as I have said before, I think that DI Brady had a crap childhood and he attributes some of the blame for this to Whitley Bay. It is almost as if he resents the fact that he was born there and is forced to work there too. No matter how hard DI Brady tries he just can’t escape from Whitley Bay.
I feel that this series could be adapted for television viewing.
Brady and his team face a race against time to apprehend the perpetrator before he strikes again. Brady faces hostility from his colleagues, superiors and friends & it becomes clear that somebody with a grudge is targeting DI Brady and his loved ones. In a lot of ways Blind Alley is a continuation of Vanishing Point (the second book in the series) in that there is a central storyline with a strong theme of revenge & retaliation.
I really did enjoy this book & I was hooked from the very first page. This book is really well written and structured. Blind Alley is full of twists, turn and red herrings with the occasional heart stopping moment thrown in. As the series goes on the writer increases in confidence and maturity which really does shine through in the quality of her writing. The author knows how to ramp up the drama and how to create a dramatic atmosphere. There are a lot of violent scenes in this book which were so realistically described and dramatic that I was almost tempted to hide behind my hands and read through my fingers.
The characters in this series are now well grounded and they are developing nicely. I have begun to care about the characters to the point where I feel as though I am living and breathing alongside them. To me this ability to make you care about the characters is a sign of a great writer. I am enjoying the development of the relationship between DI Brady and his colleague DS Conrad. They both really do care about each other and certainly have each others backs.
I love the fact that this series is set in the North East of England, which is where I currently live. It is true that Whitley Bay is not exactly shown in a positive light but as I have said before, I think that DI Brady had a crap childhood and he attributes some of the blame for this to Whitley Bay. It is almost as if he resents the fact that he was born there and is forced to work there too. No matter how hard DI Brady tries he just can’t escape from Whitley Bay.
I feel that this series could be adapted for television viewing.
March 18, 2017
Blind Alley is the third book the Inspector Jack Brady series, set a year after the first book and six months after the second. Not a whole lot has changed for Jack, his life is still complicated, his ex wife is still his ex wife and Conrad still hasn't given up on him. What has changed is that DCI Gates doesn't think that Jack is a complete waste of space following the success of his last case, which only piles on the pressure for catching the rapist terrorising Whitley Bay quickly.
As well as being a dark and gripping crime novel, Blind Alley is another well developed chapter into protagonist, Jack Brady's, life. A common theme of Brady's personality is his unfortunate ability to hurt those who care most about him. We saw it over the course of the first two books in the series with Claudia, Jack's ex-wife and as of Vanishing Point, Conrad was shot protecting Brady and Madley wants nothing to do with him following the betrayal by Jack's brother, Nick.
Right from the first few chapters these things seem to really affect Jack, he's upset that his friend of thirty years won't give him the time of day and that his loyal deputy is still recovering six months after being shot. Jack Brady is the definition of self destructive, he's even unable to give up smoking for more than five days at a time. He does show remorse for what has happened over the year that spans the first three books of the series, Danielle Ramsay writes Jack Brady as a public nuisance you can't help but be drawn to.
Jack's problems seem to boil down to him being unable to let go of the past. Jack has been trying to keep his old friends and contacts from the Ridges on his side, instead of leaving that life behind like perhaps he should. Things only get more complicated when his brother's ex-girlfriend Trina McGuire turns up as one of the victims of a serial rapist. Her connection to Nick doesn't at all seem like a coincidence.
Each book in the DI Jack Brady series seems to get more confident in the writing style, Danielle Ramsay eases us as the reader into more mature storylines as Blind Alley was even more intense than Vanishing Point. The relationships between characters have grown and as a reader I feel more invested in individual characters regardless of their role in Brady's life. If you have the stomach for reading violence then definitely give this book a go, you'll be gripped from the very first page.
As well as being a dark and gripping crime novel, Blind Alley is another well developed chapter into protagonist, Jack Brady's, life. A common theme of Brady's personality is his unfortunate ability to hurt those who care most about him. We saw it over the course of the first two books in the series with Claudia, Jack's ex-wife and as of Vanishing Point, Conrad was shot protecting Brady and Madley wants nothing to do with him following the betrayal by Jack's brother, Nick.
Right from the first few chapters these things seem to really affect Jack, he's upset that his friend of thirty years won't give him the time of day and that his loyal deputy is still recovering six months after being shot. Jack Brady is the definition of self destructive, he's even unable to give up smoking for more than five days at a time. He does show remorse for what has happened over the year that spans the first three books of the series, Danielle Ramsay writes Jack Brady as a public nuisance you can't help but be drawn to.
Jack's problems seem to boil down to him being unable to let go of the past. Jack has been trying to keep his old friends and contacts from the Ridges on his side, instead of leaving that life behind like perhaps he should. Things only get more complicated when his brother's ex-girlfriend Trina McGuire turns up as one of the victims of a serial rapist. Her connection to Nick doesn't at all seem like a coincidence.
Each book in the DI Jack Brady series seems to get more confident in the writing style, Danielle Ramsay eases us as the reader into more mature storylines as Blind Alley was even more intense than Vanishing Point. The relationships between characters have grown and as a reader I feel more invested in individual characters regardless of their role in Brady's life. If you have the stomach for reading violence then definitely give this book a go, you'll be gripped from the very first page.
December 15, 2017
A whodunnit novel!
The book starts with multiple gruesome crimes. Inspector Jack Brady, then treads a dangerous path to nab the killer.
Comes with it's fair share of twists and turns and keeps you guessing. The plot plummets in between with a few unwanted stories that bypasses the actual plot, but overall a gripping tale.
The author, in my opinion could have introduced more cliffhangers but then decided not to, else would have been an instant page turner
A good and easy read and would recommend this for novice crime/mystery readers as a good start.
The book starts with multiple gruesome crimes. Inspector Jack Brady, then treads a dangerous path to nab the killer.
Comes with it's fair share of twists and turns and keeps you guessing. The plot plummets in between with a few unwanted stories that bypasses the actual plot, but overall a gripping tale.
The author, in my opinion could have introduced more cliffhangers but then decided not to, else would have been an instant page turner
A good and easy read and would recommend this for novice crime/mystery readers as a good start.
Read
August 18, 2024Another great read
The twists and turns of Jack Brady's life.
A great story and very well written. I think that Danielle Ramsay is my new favourite author.
I feel that I know Jack and Conrad personally, and get worried for them on their escapades, especially as Jack doesn't always to things by the book.
Looking forward to read book 4 now.
The twists and turns of Jack Brady's life.
A great story and very well written. I think that Danielle Ramsay is my new favourite author.
I feel that I know Jack and Conrad personally, and get worried for them on their escapades, especially as Jack doesn't always to things by the book.
Looking forward to read book 4 now.
October 22, 2017
Another well written book in this series. 5 stars
June 13, 2018
Jack Brady is investigating some seriously nasty attacks. He thinks there may be a connection to his brother, and his boss is giving him a hard time.
December 29, 2019
A good police procedural with Jack Brady being a tough DI, but I find the ongoing link with schoolfriend local crime boss a bit of a distraction which only adds to the book if you read then in order
August 18, 2020
Brilliant
Coming from around the areas I found it a good book to read I couldn't put it down
Also read some of the other books to
Coming from around the areas I found it a good book to read I couldn't put it down
Also read some of the other books to
November 18, 2025
Excellent. Gripping from start to finish
January 30, 2016
This, for me, followed the pattern of diminishing returns that the first two books in this series seemed to suffer. It was too grim and relentlessly brutal, the main character became so unlikeable that you stopped caring about him and his petty one-upmanship, the plot twisted so many times and had so many red herrings that you just failed to invest in anything being true, I felt that little crime-solving took place, just a series of fortunate solutions happening, and the writing became very bogged down too.
This latter point was probably the worst. I could've dealt with the visceral nature of the crimes contained, had they happened in a book written with a bit more humour. I could've coped with the cast of unlikeable characters, had there been a bit more balance to the cast. What really irked me about the book, however, was the relentless over-description of procedural aspects, of everything the main character thought (including an incredibly clunky simile about "..enough people to fill Newcastle United's St. James' Park stadium" - thoroughly unrealistic for a local man's thoughts to describe the football team, name and nature of the building.. they would just think "..enough people to fill St James' Park") and of exactly where every single character fitted in to things with regards to the history described in the two previous books of the series. All this dross smothered what might've been a decent story.
This latter point was probably the worst. I could've dealt with the visceral nature of the crimes contained, had they happened in a book written with a bit more humour. I could've coped with the cast of unlikeable characters, had there been a bit more balance to the cast. What really irked me about the book, however, was the relentless over-description of procedural aspects, of everything the main character thought (including an incredibly clunky simile about "..enough people to fill Newcastle United's St. James' Park stadium" - thoroughly unrealistic for a local man's thoughts to describe the football team, name and nature of the building.. they would just think "..enough people to fill St James' Park") and of exactly where every single character fitted in to things with regards to the history described in the two previous books of the series. All this dross smothered what might've been a decent story.
December 31, 2016
4.5 Stars I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this series. The series, set in Whitley Bay in North-East England features Detective Jack Brady who is still in suffering as a result of the ending of his marriage. In this book a prostitute has been raped and almost left for dead. Is this a message for Jack's brother , who Jack is unable to get hold of, following on from Jack's last case.
Jack Brady is a likeable character and you can feel the tension jumping off the page, he certainly puts in the hours to solve the case - Jack often ends up catching some sleep on the sofa in his office. If you like good detective novels with great tension, and seeing a case through then this is the series for you. I intend to jump straight into book 4 in this series as I need to find out what happens next. Just be aware the book isn't necessarily for the squeamish!
Jack Brady is a likeable character and you can feel the tension jumping off the page, he certainly puts in the hours to solve the case - Jack often ends up catching some sleep on the sofa in his office. If you like good detective novels with great tension, and seeing a case through then this is the series for you. I intend to jump straight into book 4 in this series as I need to find out what happens next. Just be aware the book isn't necessarily for the squeamish!
May 22, 2014
This book was a bit a mixed bag, a metaphorical bag of Revels if you will.
The highlights - the good chocolates in the bag - were the character developments and the thread of sub-plot that has run through the entire series.
The Coffee and Orange chocolates were the lack of progression with the 'main plot' which surrounded the gruesome attacks on women. The repitition of dead ends or losing suspects etc was just so boring, and actually there was little progression right until the last hundred or less pages.
The sub-plot of Brady's life actually overtook the main plot, and I soon got lost in the list of names of associates and lord knows who else. Bogged down in names and pasts and connections...
I kind of liked it, but was quite relieved when it finally ended.
The highlights - the good chocolates in the bag - were the character developments and the thread of sub-plot that has run through the entire series.
The Coffee and Orange chocolates were the lack of progression with the 'main plot' which surrounded the gruesome attacks on women. The repitition of dead ends or losing suspects etc was just so boring, and actually there was little progression right until the last hundred or less pages.
The sub-plot of Brady's life actually overtook the main plot, and I soon got lost in the list of names of associates and lord knows who else. Bogged down in names and pasts and connections...
I kind of liked it, but was quite relieved when it finally ended.
February 6, 2017
Danielle Ramsay writes gritty, Drama-laden crime stories set in the North East of England. The Main character is DI Jack Brady who will stop at nothing to get the job done and the crime solved. The books are very reminiscent of Ian Rankins' Rebus novels albeit with a geographical move. My main criticism is that there is a tendency to repeat the backstory of characters across the novels, which would not be a bad thing if the same words had not been used verbatim time and time again, and this can be a bit tedious.
If you like a low down gritty read - give these a go!
If you like a low down gritty read - give these a go!
February 23, 2024
A gruesome story with some horrific violence which Jack Brady is tasked with solving. Some good twists with strong police procedures and Jack being a realistic hard working detective. The ending seemed rushed and resolved rather neatly.
November 12, 2013
Liked this book a lot. Interesting characters and well written.
January 2, 2015
Thoroughly enjoyed the book although remembering the characters and sun plots from the last two books took a while as I hadn't read the author in a long time. Can't wait for the next one
May 19, 2016
Book 3 of the DI Jack Brady series. Opening is quite gruesome but after that it gets tamer. Definitely need to read them in order to understand the backstory.
March 2, 2014
This is a series that needs to be read in sequence, very good read.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews