The Winter Visitor

by James Henry

Essex, February, 1991. The weather is biting cold. Everyone would rather be somewhere warmer, which is why it's a big surprise when a wanted drug smuggler, Bruce Hopkins, risks a return to his old haunts in Colchester after a decade long exile on the Costa del Sol. Lured back by a letter from the wife Hopkins left behind, no one is more surprised than him when he finds himself abducted and stripped bare only to be sent to a watery grave in the boot of a stolen Ford Sierra. The police wonder if it could be retaliation from a Spanish gang, sending a warning to their English counterparts?DS Daniel Kenton is teamed up with the unorthodox DS Brazier to investigate a crime wave which takes in not only the murder of an expat dope smuggler, but a sophisticated arson attack on a Norman church and the unexpected suicide of an ageing florist. Could there possibly be a thread that connects them?Written with the humour and period detail that have become his trademark, and set in the badlands of his beloved Essex, The Winter Visitor is James Henry at his inimitable best.

Genres: Thriller

341 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2024

About the author

James Henry is the pen name for James Gurbutt. James is a publisher at Constable & Robinson, R.D. Wingfield’s original publisher back in the 1980s. Philip Wingfield, son of the late R. D. Wingfield approves; he remarked, 'The author has captured my father's style superbly. Fans and newcomers alike will not be disappointed.' That’s a good sign but how did they go about it? And just like Talking Heads, we set them up and here is the result.

Note: There are multiple authors with this name. This author has one space.
James^Henry

Reviews

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In December 1990, Chloe attends a party at a hotel near Colchester, something she rarely does for a variety of reasons by principally the desire for anonymity. Fast forward to February 1991, DS Daniel Kenton is off duty and bird watching on the Essex coast despite the thick snowfall and cutting wind. From there a fire is spotted across the water at Brightlingsea which proves to be the roof of a Norman church. Meanwhile, Bruce Hopkins arrives back on a flight from Spain, the winter visitor from warmer climes. He hasn’t returned to the UK for ten years - what has lured him back after all this time? Kenton and DS Brazier are teamed up to investigate the fire which seems to spark a chain reaction of a bizarre sequence of events. Can the two detectives get to the bottom of the strange circumstances that have disturbed the peace in this formerly tranquil part of Essex?

I haven’t read James Henry’s books before but I like the way he writes so this has definitely encouraged me to want to read more. I enjoy this mystery/thriller which seems to become more of a puzzle with every passing day. There’s certainly plenty going on which keeps my attention from start to finish and it’s all told at a good pace with some touches of humour. The plot becomes more complex but as the author writes with clarity it’s not in the least hard to follow. The storytelling starts in one place and heads in a very unexpected direction but which is all too believable. I like the way the author uses the context of the early ‘90’s to give the plot credibility and which also serves to remind of some key decisions which impacts the plot. There are several twists and turns which leads to a good ending.

I enjoy the pairing of the two detectives who though different are united in their attitudes towards their ambitious boss. Brazier is especially interesting but there’s more to Kenton than meets the eye making them both fascinating protagonists. They’re both intelligent and intuitive, they seem to compliment each other and there’s entertaining dialogue between them. I want to see what happens to theses two in future books.

I love the atmosphere the author creates in Essex, there are some good descriptions to give a visual sense of place and there’s s good tour of the county. The snowy weather adds an extra chill factor to the storyline.

Overall, an entertaining and enjoyable read.

[Alex Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow burning yet well crafted solid police procedural. I liked much about this new read from James Henry that I imagine is the start of a new series.

Set in the 90s, the story showcases how the police force was just 30 something years ago, with women just beginning to be accepted. The story itself though focuses on institutions from police, to schools and to the mental health system at the time.

As stated above it’s a solid thriller, that whilst not treading any new ground, it does deliver what it sets out to do.

It’s a strong read with some powerful
Notes and characters that I feel have room to grow.

Would recommend.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining police procedural book set in 1991. The set up for the situation was comprehensive and the reader is given a good and varied cast of characters, the two main characters being the most interesting. The case proves to be a complex one with lots of twists. I presume this is the first book in a new series and I look forward to reading more.

[Steve Capel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Essex in 1991 this is the latest in a series but the first one I have read. It works ok as a standalone with not too many references to earlier books. That being said like most series I feel it would be better to read them in order. Two completely different detective sergeants are paired together to investigate the death of a criminal who has recently returned from Spain to the UK.
Although totally different in character the pairing seems to work. Not really a police procedural but more of an old fashioned whodunnit the story is well plotted and held my interest throughout. The social attitudes of the times are well depicted and reminded me of how much things have changed in the intervening years( I was 46 in 1991)
Not a great book but a readable book.

[Soozee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Hopkins is a small time crook who has absconded to Spain to avoid justice. However, a letter from his estranged ex-wife brings him back home to Colchester and results in his death. DS Daniel Kenton, with DS Brazier, is charged with finding his killer. However, another bizarre case is in their laps - the arson of a Medieval church roof.

Kenton and Brazier have to walk carefully, keeping their ambitious boss Watt on side if they are to solve both crimes. And the truth may lie deeper in the past than either realise.

The book was quite hard to get into - it felt like a new character was being introduced every few pages with little explanation, and none of them became really rounded and clear for the reader to identify with. However, the plot itself was clever and made for an interesting read. The historical setting, in the 1990s, didn't really add much to the flavour of events.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Winter Visitor is the first book that I've read by James Henry and while I didn't love our protoganists, I found the storyline intriguing and would read another in this line.
Our story contains numerous strands, which are very neatly tied together throughout the case. Set in the Winter of 1991, the two detectives, DS Kenton and Brazier are assigned to investigate the murder - interestingly the victim is "known to the police" as Bruce Hopkins is a former drug smuggler, whose body was discovered in the boot of a car, dumped in a reservoir. Meanwhile, there is a bizarre case of arson at a local.church and the take moves between the various investigations. As Kenton and Brazier learn to work together, they find both investigations leading to the same people and are soon struggling to prove a historic abuse case again political pressure.
The story of abuse does not make for easy reading, but there is a vein of wry humour, running throughout the novel that helps to alleviate the darker scenes.

[David Prestidge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I should tag this review as 'historical crime fiction.' The novel certainly takes us back to a 1991 England of Ford Sierras, four-star petrol, Spurs being managed by Terry Venables and captained by Gary Mabbutt. Perma-press slacks from C&A and  - on the telly - the brief wonder that was BSKYB. We are in and around the town of Colchester in Essex, and we are in one of those winters where it always used to snow. I am sure that there is a doctorate waiting to be written on why Essex is perceived to Britain's Crime Central. Perhaps it might be to do with the White House Farm murders in Tolleshunt D'Arcy, the 'Essex Boys' murder at Rettendon, or the exploits of double murderer James Fairweather in Colchester.

In The Winter Visitor, James Henry echoes his love of ornithology by using the term used for birds who fly to Britain during the winter - among them Redwings, Fieldfares, and both Bewick's and Whooper Swans. I reviewed an earlier James Henry novel with an avian title, Whitethroat, back in 2020, and you can read the review on my website.


Two birds of very different feather are Detective Sergeants Daniel Kenton and Julian Brazier, based in Colchester. Kenton is married, bespectacled and fairly civilised:

"Daniel Kenton stared blankly into the hairdresser's mirror. He did not care to see himself as others surely would: a a weary man, with murky red eyes, closing in on thirty five but aged beyond his years."

Brazier, however, is frequently uncouth, ostensibly insensitive, and with the dress sense of someone preening himself in a Southend pound shop.

"Brazier was in a green bomber jacket and baggy black trousers like Charlie Chaplin, with white trainers poking out the bottom of them. Pegged trousers with turn-ups as well - on such short a leg as Brazier's they were not at all flattering."

As a pair, though, they are extremely effective. They need to be. James Henry has presented us with an extremely complex murder case.

Bruce Hopkins, an Essex criminal - not a major gangster, but more of a conman who dabbled in the drugs business - returns from the Spanish hideaway he shares with many other dodgy British expats, but it is a huge mistake. He is kidnapped, shoved into the boot of a Sierra (what else) which is rolled into a reservoir. When the car and body are discovered Kenton and Brazier are assigned to the case, and it is a complex one.

Hopkins did not have a criminal history likely to provoke Mafia-style revenge, so there seems to be no point in rounding up 'the usual suspects'. Even so, Kenton is despatched to Marbella to interview former Essex bad boys, but he returns literally clueless. There is also a current investigation into an arson attack on a local church, and it is that Kenron and Brazier get the first hint of a breakthrough when they begin to suspect that Hopkins's death may be linked to a small preparatory school called Bryde Park and some of its former staff and pupils.

James Henry is a very good writer. He captures the period perfectly, and his appreciation of the nature of Essex's relationship with London is acute:

"Billericay, South Essex. Home of the East Ender made good. Traders, jobbers, grafters on the stock market. Leave school in May at fifteen, straight on the train into Liverpool Street towards plum jobs with btokers in the city, pulling in wedge before their smarter 'O' Level classmates finish in the exam hall."

Kenton and Brazier have to visit an old fashioned mental hospital in the course of the investigation, and Henry captures its menace:

"...the institution itself had teetered on the fringe of an archaic medical world best forgotten. At the forefront of experimental medicine in the fiftiess, the place was synonymous with lobotomies, padded cells, terrifying screams, and all the nightmares associated with the restraint of insanity."

We are lead this way and that as we share the detectives' struggles to make sense of the death of Bruce Hopkins. The solution is as unexpected as it is elegant, and this is superior crime fiction. Published by Riverrun/Quercus, it is available now.

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Henry's latest offering has DS Daniel Kenton survive his previous series, in Colchester CID and joined by a new scruffy DS Brazier with his adidas and bomber jacket, a completely different personality, with the pair working as a team. It is February 1991, freezing cold with snow blizzards, and Kenton, a birdwatcher, happens to see flames, he makes his way to St Nicholas-on-the-Marsh, a case of arson, where the church roof has been targeted and burned, much to the dismay and anger of Father Symonds. After receiving a letter apparently from his 'sick' ex-wife, Chloe Moran, drug smuggler Bruce Hopkins, with his changed appearance and fake passport, returns to Colchester after 10 years in Spain. However, he finds himself abducted, his murdered naked body stuffed in the boot of a stolen blue Ford Sierra.

Kenton and Brazier find themselves in charge of a stressful and complicated multilayered investigation, where ambitious boss, Superintendent Watt, is firmly intent on moving on, climbing the career ladder as soon as possible. They finds themselves facing obstacles and political machinations, but Kenton finds himself getting on with and liking the maverick, working class Brazier. There are twists and turns galore as Chloe, now an accountant, denies ever writing to her ex, but if she didn't, who did? A florist commits suicide, and a photograph leads them to the past and a boarding school, St Bryde's, located outside their jurisdiction. At a time where the government policy of 'care in the community' is being implemented, with huge swathes of mental health patients being released from institutions, it eventually begins to emerge that there may be a connection with the burning of the church roof.

Henry immerses the reader in the nostalgia of the historical period, whilst providing a social and political commentary on issues such as mental health policies and more, with troubling and horrifying instances of abuse and a police force ill equipped to deal with these areas. You get a real sense of the location and landscape of Essex, with rich and detailed descriptions of the marshes and the impact of the time of year and the associated snow and ice. This is an engaging, dark, and intense piece of complex historical crime fiction that deals with upsetting themes and the vulnerabilities of the young. I particularly appreciated being plunged into the remembered turbulent and challenging times of the 1990s! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

[Denis Wheller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruce Hopkins thinks his greatest risk is that he will be arrested; he doesn’t know that someone has planned his murder. It is February 1991 and Bruce has been living in Spain for the last decade, safe (in those days) from extradition to the UK on a charge of drug smuggling. However, he has recently received a letter from his ex-wife, Chloe, saying that she is seriously ill and wants to see him before it’s too late. Using a false name and passport, he returns to Colchester in Essex, figuring that his appearance has changed enough to avoid being spotted, and that those police officers who were involved in his case are probably all retired by now. Waiting for Chloe in a pub, he is met by her friend, Mandy, who has come to take him to ‘housebound’ Chloe’s flat.
About the same time, DS Kenton and his partner DS Brazier have been assigned to investigate an arson attack on a mediaeval church; a fairly trivial case as far as their boss, Superintendent Watt, is concerned. Things liven up, however, when Brazier finds a body in the boot of a car recently pulled out of a reservoir, and become even more lively when the body, inevitably, turns out to be that of Bruce Hopkins. Chloe is not ill and claims never to have written to Bruce, so who lured Bruce to his death and what was their motive? What is the connection, if any, between the fire and the murder?
This is a police procedural, based firmly in the time period both in terms of period features (e.g. chain smoking), and stylistically in the plot form and the writing. Events unfurl in a logical fashion and a realistic time frame, clues and red herrings are slipped in along the way in a natural way, characters are believable and relatable. DS Kenton (slightly posh, highly educated, careful) is an established character from the DI Nick Lowry series, with his foibles intact, while Brazier is new and a total contrast (working class, two CSEs, reckless). It isn’t a challenging read but it is a pleasurable one.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Winter Visitor, a stand-alone police procedural featuring DS Daniel Kenton of Essex Police set in 1991.

Wanted drug smuggler Bruce Hopkins returns from Spain to Colchester at the behest of his ex-wife, only to end up murdered and stuffed into the boot of a stolen car that ended up in the local reservoir. Kenton is teamed with DS Brazier to investigate the murder while also looking into a sophisticated arson at a local church.

I enjoyed The Winter Visitor, which is an old fashioned police procedural with few forensics and lots of shoe leather. It is told from various points of view and while I’m not always a fan of that approach (it’s often choppy and doesn’t hold the attention) the story is strong enough here to make it work well. I think, perhaps, because there is enough unsaid to arouse the reader’s curiosity and keeps the pages turning.

The plot is quite complicated with Kenton and Brazier having to work out who did what and why. There is an unsavoury undercurrent to it, but that’s is not immediately clear so they follow the clues helpfully provided by both the victim and perhaps the killer. I find this kind of novel absorbing, where the protagonists work towards a stated goal, in this case finding a murderer, and do it doggedly, only hampered by a know-it-all boss and initially not enough to go on. There are several twists that took me by surprise and I found the murder victim, Bruce Hopkins’, motives less than clearcut.

In some ways I felt that I was joining a series part way through in terms of the characters. Kenton has unexplained issues with Superintendent Watt or is it the other way round? There also seems to be tensions in his marriage and, yet, he is a mild mannered man with a conciliatory attitude. It’s strange. Brazier, on the other hand, is more of an open book. He’s brash and has no tact at all, but he’s not nearly as daft as that would suggest.

The Winter Visitor is a good read that I can recommend.

[Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting police procedural if a bit slow and confusing in parts. I liked the main characters, DS Kenton and DS Brazier, they are very much 1990s officers, where people still smoked, slightly bent the rules and political correctness hadn’t been thought of. I liked the way the two men bounced of each other, working in such different styles, but that’s what makes it interesting, There was a good story line, again of its time, with various suspects & red herrings and where the criminals they didnt catch were last seen living it up in Spain. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I’ll look for whatever he writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cold winter in Essex, 1990, and wanted drug smuggler Bruce Hopkins has come back from ten years on the Costa del Crime at the behest of his wife, or so he thinks. When Hopkins' body is found dead in the boot of a car submerged in a lake, the police think his criminal links are to blame. However when this is linked to a fire at a local church and the suicide of a retired teacher, the clues point towards a local Prep school and secrets from a decade earlier.
This is a very good police procedural which is enhanced by the period setting. The early 1990s are when policing started to become politically correct so there is lots of sexism here which is being addressed subtly and appropriately in the narrative. The plot is suitably complex and the period setting is just right.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having lived in Colchester at around the time this book is set, I was expecting some kind of nostalgic fission but apart from a few place names and people driving Ford Sierras it could have been set anywhere and time. Otherwise, solidly written and readable enough but ultimately another run-of-the-mill procedural.

OK, I know not every crime writer is going to be another James Ellroy or David Peace but it would be nice if there were more who could should at least some of the same ambition rather than churning out serviceable but pretty ordinary fare like this.

[Jackthedad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an advance reader copy. If you want a synopsis, click on the book.

I'm a bit conflicted with this book. I like police procedure stories and this is set in the good old days before woke stupidity was allowed to spoil everything. The story is entertaining with a few twists and the two main characters, each with hang-ups, work well together. However, overall, it didn't quite work for me. I suspect though, that if you're a James Henry fan, you'll love it.

[Paul Gormley · Rating 4 out of 5]

After ten years evading justice in Spain, Bruce Hopkins is back in Colchester to reunite with his ex-wife Chloe. Yet only a few days later, Bruce’s body is found in the boot of a car dumped in the local reservoir.

Detective Sergeants Kenton and Brazier are tasked with the investigation and warned not to become distracted by an arson at a country church.

An entertaining procedural thriller set in the early 90s. The reason for the murder may be a motive which has been much used in crime stories over the last couple of decades but works well enough.

A solid read.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Police Procedural ,set in the 1990's during a very cold and snowy winter in Essex..Full of twists and turns with lots of good characters .I liked the two Detectives DS Kenton and Brazier ,two complete opposites but great together. First a body is found in the boot of a car in a lake then the local Church is set on fire is there a connection ? A very good story ,atmospheric.I hope this is the beginning of a new series .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an OK read but not one which I found thrilling or gripping I’m afraid. I thought the plot was a bit slow paced and a little overly complicated. The descriptions of Essex were good and the writing flowed nicely so I’m actually not sure why I couldn’t become fully involved in the story! I would certainly try another of this author’s books though, and thank NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

[Sue Garwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than the previous three, not sure why. It was a slow burner as you got to know different characters before the author drew them together and the theme became apparent. I know a good proportion of my attraction to these stories is seeing shocking events played out against a background I am know well such as the boating lake in Castle Park. Was old Bill still collecting the threepenny bits?

[Martha Brindley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written police procedural set in the 1980's and 90's. It has a slow build up, with good descriptions of the characters but I just failed to like the two Detective Sergeants and I can't quite put my finger on the reason why! I liked the plotting, the Essex setting was described well and overall, it's a good read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw a true crime dcoumentary about the Rettendon Murders and this story made me think about that case as the atmosphere and the places are similar.
It's a tense and gritty thriller, featuring interesting detectives and a very bleak setting.
Well written, twisty, surprising and gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Svetlana Tishchenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess you have to be a true fan of o James Henry to complete his books.
The Winter Visitor promised so much but failed to take me on the journey. It lost me at the very beginning (story was being told from several perspective) and failed to pick me up as the story rushed on.

[Charlene Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

sack the editor

Unbelievable amount of errors in this book that a half decent editor or proofreader should have picked up. The story also veers all over the place and is ultimately not credible.

[Patricia Moren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a slightly confusing story which didn't unravel until right at the end. Raised some interesting dilemmas and had some dubious characters. A rather nebulous conclusion.

[Benjamin Tolley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and entertaining read.

[S Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pedestrian.

Not a bad book, just a rather dull one. If anything I quite like its minor key. Read it, I did.

[Genevieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually listened to the audiobook. It was fine--not particularly memorable but some of the characters were vivid.

[Noemi Proietti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a police procedural that, because of some of its themes, is not always an easy read. It is suspenseful, with quite a few twists, and well-crafted, but the pace was a bit too slow and I got easily distracted, so that I can’t say that the novel really worked for me.

[Robin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Henry's new novel is a roller-coaster ride of suspense and fast-paced thrills. Colchester and the hamlets between it and the North Sea are once again the backdrop. A location he has made very much his own in recent novels.
All the little nuances that shaped our lives in the 1980s and 1990s are here, creating an evocative, nostalgic tone to a plot of labyrinthine complexity.
I loved the characterisation and was caught out more than once by someone not being quite whom I thought they were.
The corruption of more than one institution is drawn with an evocative, eerie darkness, raising stark reminders of all the faults that simmered just below the surface in our ability to care for the needy.
This is a story told with flair and assurance and an absolute must-read for every crime fiction fan.