Lifesign: A twisty, dark and gripping detective novel

by Carl Goodman

A crime so brutal, it doesn’t end at death…When a walk home in Surrey leads to a schoolboy stumbling upon a horrific crime scene of 96 containers, each filled with perfectly preserved bodily remains, it’s down to D.I. Eva Harris to take on the unfathomable case.

Already haunted by her brush with the criminal underworld, Harris still has fears for her life – and the truth of what really happened being uncovered.

But now facing a new crime scene, she is forced to look at her either she is hunting a lone psychopath, or this is the labour of a network larger than she could have imagined.

As the case takes her across borders – from the upper class of society’s highest elite, to the bottom of a tense law-breaking chain – Harris must judge whether she can stomach the very limits of humanity, before her blood too runs cold…

A dark, gripping detective novel that fans of Stuart MacBride and M.W. Craven will love.

Praise for the D.I. Harris

‘Puts the thrill in thriller…Definitely one of the best reads of the year.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Wow!...Strap yourself in, take a deep breath, as you’ll be going at warp speed…Intelligently plotted with well-crafted characters. An excellent read.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Suspenseful and gripping and a terrific page-turner!...I fully recommend it if you enjoy a fast-paced thriller with twists and turns galore!’ Reader Review

‘A fast paced, exhilarating and really exciting read…will capture the interest of readers right from the first page.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘I absolutely loved it!... gripped me from the start and the pace never let up...I would happily recommend this to crime thriller readers!’ Reader Review

‘If you want thrills and chills by the bucket load then you seriously can’t go wrong with this book…A thrilling read that doesn’t let go until the very last page!’ Reader Review

‘This is a mindbending thriller…I enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Unputdownable…I ended up finishing the book in a few hours…Eva is such a great character and very easy to root for.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

406 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2023

Reviews

[Malcolm Blair-Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant Writing But Over The Top

Goodman is a very talented writer. His subject matter in his first DI Eva Harris was dark, but this second in the series is not only downright ghoulish. It is at times ridiculous. For instance the almost daily near death experiences of this troubled detective or her being chased in an urban street by a rampaging truck. It does not have to be like this. An exciting edge of the seat narrative does not have to be silly. Let us hope for a more mature number 3 in the series. This is a very good author with too much talent to waste.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hera Books for an advance copy of Lifesign, the second novel to feature DI Eva Harris of Surrey Police.

A school boy walking home discovers racks of perfectly preserved human body parts. Eva doesn’t know what to think, but is determined to get to the bottom of it, while dodging the criminal organisation bent on killing her.

I thoroughly enjoyed Lifesign, which is a high octane thriller with more than a hint of danger. The plot seems fairly unrealistic, although the author assures the reader that the technology involved is currently being developed and that’s rather scary. Still, realistic or not the novel tells a good story and is very entertaining.

There is almost an over abundance of events in the novel whether it’s attempts on Eva’s life, foreign travel for information gathering purposes or intimidatory raids and that’s just a few examples. It’s go, go, go and while I could keep up I found there were strands that didn’t go far and were left hanging. I can see why as there is no room to widen the already extended scope of their enquiries. On the other hand they are threads that have run from the first novel to the second, the international criminal gang and the mysterious transcendentalists, New Thought, so I assume they will continue into future novels. Still, it’s frustrating for nosy readers like me, who want to know. The novel culminates in a storm of action in some very unlikely circumstances, but it’s tense and exciting so who cares about realism?

Eva Harris is an interesting protagonist. She’s mellowed a bit from the first novel, but she’s still not afraid to take hard, logical decisions and trust her instinct. She doesn’t appear to have a personal life and is all about work and justice. She’s becoming likeable (almost).

Lifesign is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Patricia Neville · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this (this type of book is usually right up my street) and I might be at a disadvantage from not having read the first in what seems to be a series, but ugh. The central story is interesting enough, but despite the fact that the main character is female it all seemed very misogynistic. Unnecessary nudity, unnecessary sex scenes that added nothing either to plot or to characterisation and that weren't remotely titillating. Main character very two-dimensional. As a female reader it left me feeling cold and slightly grubby.

[Lovetoread2023 · Rating 4 out of 5]

D.I Eva Harris is back and what a return she has to deal with an incredible number of body parts in 96 containers after her young neighbour tells her what his stumbled across.
The case takes her from the upper-class to the lower law breaking society's.
Is this a single killer or is she chasing a whole network.
Really good read plenty to keep you engaged.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hera Books for the ARC

[Avid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I oscillated between 3 or 4 stars and settled on 3. I really struggled to get into the book. Almost giving up and the extreme storyline in several areas were my two main reasons for keeping this at a 3-star rating. However, with the fast growing AI and advancement in technology and medicine, I will say the book was intriguing. I was captivated, and the overall thought of the bottom line has entered conversations long before AI came on the scene.

Recommended 👍
📚📚📚

[Night Runner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but the ending was dragged out over 2.5 hours. I ended up skipping forward as it was driving me crazy.

Note to the author... the h doesn't need to nearly die multiple times in a story. For me, it gives the impression that the job is too much for her. She is supposed to be an excellent Detective but, at times, appeared TSTL.

The topic was very interesting and had the ending not been so heavily dragged out, it would be a solid 4 Star listen for me.

[Hazel Blessing · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first couple chapters were so good that it got weird and I honestly lost interest and didn't quite finish the last couple chapters.