Stranglehold

Lambert and Hook #6

by J.M. Gregson

Lambert and Hook have Tommy Clinton on the ropes. They’re questioning him for the assault and murder of nineteen-year-old Julie Salmon. Then DI Rushton interrupts. “There’s been another one,” he says. “Not more than a couple of hours ago.”

Behind a canvas tent ribboned with police tape, the body of Harriet Brown lies like a marble figure on a tomb. She had been a week away from her twenty-first birthday when she was murdered.

The arrangement of her hands shocks even Lambert, who is used to much bloodier deaths. Whoever killed Harriet tied an elastic band around her wrists, holding them together as though in prayer.

But it’s not Harriet’s hands that occupy Lambert’s thoughts. It’s the hands of the killer he sees when he falls asleep. Hands that composed Harriet’s body into a mocking parody of the good religious death. Hands that have killed twice, and will kill again, unless they are arrested.

Genres: Mystery

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2023

About the author

James Michael Gregson taught for twenty-seven years in schools, colleges and universities before concentrating on full-time writing. He has written books on subjects as diverse as golf and Shakespeare.

Reviews

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young woman is found murdered and the police have no clues as to the identity of her killer. Then another young woman is found murdered in a similar way. Do Lambert and Hook have a serial killer on their hands? When a third body is discovered the hunt is on and Lambert must make some risky decisions to try and catch the murderer.

I found this a tense and well written crime novel with likeable and well drawn police characters and plenty of believable suspects. I did identify the killer quite early on but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story and the ending was quite frightening.

This is an excellent series and all the books are well written and well plotted with believable characters and motivations. If you like your crime novels without too much on the page violence and bad language then I can recommend this series as well as the author's Percy Peach series. The series can be read in any order.

[patricia billie tasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

I liked that it was fast moving once I got all the players figured out! The author has carefully set the stage for some sub-plots, murder, drugs, and prostitution ! His description of people and places was great. Wish I had read the earlier books first.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.

As with the others in this series, it is a reasonable but fairly lightweight police procedural. One thing I do like is that the reader is not sidetracked by the personal lives of the police officers.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young women are being strangled and Lambert and Hook have to figure out what is going on. Is there a serial killer or different killers?

Well-written with twists. Like Lambert and Hook novels.

[valerie gosling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

Very rated book but good characters, but long winded in parts,but I melted turning the pages to the very end

[wally walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder

Women were being murdered and police had no true idea of the murderer. Well written story that was hard to put down.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a possibility that there is a serial killer in the area. Lambert and his team investigate, but with several suspects and a lack of motive, how many females will die before they are caught.
Unfortunately my very early suspicions were confirmed
Originally published in 1993

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a police procedural set in, I would guess, the early 1990s –before all the modern technology we all have, and so we are in for some good old fashioned policework, which is no bad thing.

A serial killer is on the loose in Oldford, and Superintendant John Lambert and his team must catch him before he strikes again. Most of the story is told from the point of view of the police and their investigation and I felt that this meant the story was lacking somewhat in suspense and danger.

We only saw one of the victims of the serial killer, so it was hard really to get involved emotionally in that respect. Similarly, there are a number of suspects, but we don’t really get to know them so it was hard to form an opinion on any of them really.

The writing was a little wordy at times, with words and phrases used that seemed out of place at times. I got the feeling the author was perhaps of a certain age, and when he attributed some phrases to younger characters at times, it just felt a little clumsy.

I did guess the identity of the killer, about half way through, and would have preferred to be kept in the dark for a bit longer. On the whole it is not a bad read, a pleasant enough way to spend an afternoon, but just lacking a little in suspense.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something a bit strange about the killer from the time he's first introduced. Just a feeling, nothing obvious.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A serial killer is on the loose in the town of Oldford, strangling young women with his bare hands in the middle of the night. While the police have identified four strong suspects, incontrovertible evidence linking any one of them to the crimes is hard to find, and they may be running out of time before the killer strikes again... A solid, entertaining murder mystery. It didn't exactly keep me glued to the page, but despite the fact that I suspected the murderer's identity long before the case was solved I found the book quite engaging and may pick up more from this series.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young woman is found murdered in a house which is waiting to be demolished. Julie had been missing for 2 days. She’d been brutally raped and strangled.

A few weeks later a prostitute is found murdered by strangulation.

I guessed from the moment the 2nd body was found who the murderer was due to a couple of things but along the way I did wonder if I was right and I was.

The strangler goes on to kill again a recently single woman who was new to been on the game which she did to support her family.

Well written story from this author.

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

baddie is telegraphed even for those not paying much attention

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lambert and Hook have a serial killer on their hands. There's an entertaining twist. Another satisfying entry in the series.