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Detective Jason Smith #26
The Cellar
Something nasty is happening in York.
When the bodies of three men are discovered in the cellar of a house it soon becomes clear that their deaths were not peaceful.
Detective Jason Smith is itching to get back to work after a case that almost killed him and he soon realises he's dealing with something he's never come across before.
With a global pandemic looming, nobody in the city is paying much attention to the homeless people who are mysteriously vanishing from the streets.
But Smith senses there is something more to this.
Something else is happening here, and he's not wrong.
A horror, far worse than he imagined is happening in a dark place somewhere in his city and Smith is going to have to face his deepest fears to stop it.
When the bodies of three men are discovered in the cellar of a house it soon becomes clear that their deaths were not peaceful.
Detective Jason Smith is itching to get back to work after a case that almost killed him and he soon realises he's dealing with something he's never come across before.
With a global pandemic looming, nobody in the city is paying much attention to the homeless people who are mysteriously vanishing from the streets.
But Smith senses there is something more to this.
Something else is happening here, and he's not wrong.
A horror, far worse than he imagined is happening in a dark place somewhere in his city and Smith is going to have to face his deepest fears to stop it.
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 21, 2023
About the author
Stewart Giles
101 books83 followersAfter reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live. After Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later. 3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series - the DC Harriet Taylor Cornwall series. The Beekeeper hit the shelves and hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well. The third in the series, The Backpacker I have self-published and is now available.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 1, 2024
DS Jason Smith is becoming increasingly bored at home, more than three weeks into enforced sick leave after his treatment at the hands of The Electrician in the last story. He’s hoping the following day’s assessments will give him the all clear to return to work, especially as his wife DS Erica Whitton and the rest of the team, DS Rupert Bridge, PC Baldwin and DCs Kerry King and Harry Moore, led by DI Oliver Smyth, are called to the strange case of three men’s decomposed bodies, locked in an insulated and soundproofed cellar of a rented house, discovered by the startled owner who believed he had squatters. As Smith gets back to what he does best, several other very disturbing finds are made by Head of Forensics Grant Webber and his assistant Billie Jones, and Dr Kenny Bean also gives the detectives some horrific results after the post mortems. It seems this time they are dealing with something very unusual and disturbing, especially when they receive a distress call and realise there may be more lives at risk but just what is this sick experiment really all about?
The threat of Covid-19 is looming on the horizon but it pales compared to the things that have already tried (and failed) to finish off Smith. As well as coping with daughter Laura aged 7 and pregnant adopted 16-year-old Lucy, Smith finds himself getting DI Smyth out of a fix, aided by Baldwin and her unorthodox resources, and for once one of Supt Smyth’s legendary press conferences gives him a rare moment of glory. There is still plenty of humour and as usual, an excellently told dark plot featuring a twisted clever criminal to make this another gripping page-turner in one of my all-time favourite series!
The threat of Covid-19 is looming on the horizon but it pales compared to the things that have already tried (and failed) to finish off Smith. As well as coping with daughter Laura aged 7 and pregnant adopted 16-year-old Lucy, Smith finds himself getting DI Smyth out of a fix, aided by Baldwin and her unorthodox resources, and for once one of Supt Smyth’s legendary press conferences gives him a rare moment of glory. There is still plenty of humour and as usual, an excellently told dark plot featuring a twisted clever criminal to make this another gripping page-turner in one of my all-time favourite series!
January 8, 2024
Three men are discovered dead in a cellar after dying of dehydration. Three more men have gone missing and DS Jason Smith is back from sick leave to crack the case. But can he find the killer before anyone else dies...?
The Cellar is the 26th book in the Smith crime thriller series. There are mentions of events and outcomes from previous books and this series is just soooooo good that I would advise reading them all!
Jason Smith is waiting to be allowed back to work from sick leave. His colleagues can't wait for his official return and he jumps at the chance to get back into action slightly early. The case is quite grisly as three men died of thirst after being locked in a cellar whilst another man resorted to cannibalism before succumbing to death as well.
We then witness others being tricked into another cellar and this really ramps up the tension as we know the intended outcome and anticipate the desperation. Once again the style of writing is dialogue led and this makes the pace super fast. Chapters are short and the plot drives on with twists and turns.
As usual, I was swept up into Smith's world as he struggles to catch a killer and prevent more deaths. I felt the fear and dread of the victims as they realise the danger they face. The book is set at the start of Covid so I liked the context which added authenticity. The conclusion and outcome of the book are directly associated with a previous book so again I will say 'read the whole series!'
The Cellar is a tense, dramatic and gripping police procedural and crime thriller.
The Cellar is the 26th book in the Smith crime thriller series. There are mentions of events and outcomes from previous books and this series is just soooooo good that I would advise reading them all!
Jason Smith is waiting to be allowed back to work from sick leave. His colleagues can't wait for his official return and he jumps at the chance to get back into action slightly early. The case is quite grisly as three men died of thirst after being locked in a cellar whilst another man resorted to cannibalism before succumbing to death as well.
We then witness others being tricked into another cellar and this really ramps up the tension as we know the intended outcome and anticipate the desperation. Once again the style of writing is dialogue led and this makes the pace super fast. Chapters are short and the plot drives on with twists and turns.
As usual, I was swept up into Smith's world as he struggles to catch a killer and prevent more deaths. I felt the fear and dread of the victims as they realise the danger they face. The book is set at the start of Covid so I liked the context which added authenticity. The conclusion and outcome of the book are directly associated with a previous book so again I will say 'read the whole series!'
The Cellar is a tense, dramatic and gripping police procedural and crime thriller.
December 22, 2023
D Jason Smith is back with book twenty six.
One, Two, it is coming for you,
Three, Four, lock the cellar door,
as we join this creepy banging mind blowing thriller that will give you chills.
It's 2020 and the Chinese germs are coming and huge changes were on the cards.
Smith is on compulsory sick leave from work, with his wife Whitton still working and his daughter Laura and pregnant step daughter Lucy he's not looking forward to these changes.
Theakston and Fred the two hounds are not much company either, he needs to get back into a nice juicy murder he was getting bored out of his skull.
12 Nunthorpe Road and three men are found dead in the cellar with another in a attached room all die of dehydration, with the nosy neighbour Maggie Pratt and Landlord Arthur Miller to be questioned, Smith get the call to go and see it for himself, but this is not the end as many other bodies are found in houses with cellars, and its up to the team to find who is doing all this and why and it is a lot closer to home for Smith and his family.
This book was gruesome throughout but like always it's unputdownable as this clever author draws you into all the chapters it gave me almighty goose bumps, so can Smith save more victims and can he save his family? this bloke has had more near misses in his life than I can count up, there is no getting rid of detective Jason Smith, leaving you wanting more more more.
One, Two, it is coming for you,
Three, Four, lock the cellar door,
as we join this creepy banging mind blowing thriller that will give you chills.
It's 2020 and the Chinese germs are coming and huge changes were on the cards.
Smith is on compulsory sick leave from work, with his wife Whitton still working and his daughter Laura and pregnant step daughter Lucy he's not looking forward to these changes.
Theakston and Fred the two hounds are not much company either, he needs to get back into a nice juicy murder he was getting bored out of his skull.
12 Nunthorpe Road and three men are found dead in the cellar with another in a attached room all die of dehydration, with the nosy neighbour Maggie Pratt and Landlord Arthur Miller to be questioned, Smith get the call to go and see it for himself, but this is not the end as many other bodies are found in houses with cellars, and its up to the team to find who is doing all this and why and it is a lot closer to home for Smith and his family.
This book was gruesome throughout but like always it's unputdownable as this clever author draws you into all the chapters it gave me almighty goose bumps, so can Smith save more victims and can he save his family? this bloke has had more near misses in his life than I can count up, there is no getting rid of detective Jason Smith, leaving you wanting more more more.
December 19, 2023
The bodies of 4 men are found in a cellar. The strange thing is that one man was found in a room within a room with a door that could only be locked from the inside- and it was locked. There’s a journal written in Albanian which tells DS Smith and his team a little but other than the first names of the men, there’s scant detail to go on. The Pandemic is looming large and the world is about to change. Why would they be in a locked room with no food and water locked from the inside?
The major issue I have with Stewarts books is that I get through them far too quickly as I enjoy them so much. There’s a plot line that hooks the reader from the start and characters that bring the whole thing to life so vividly. I'm in awe of Stewart. He’s a prolific author and each and every time, there is a cracking plot that has me totally engrossed and the adrenaline flowing. There’s the right balance of humour and seriousness and the characterisation is second to none. A stunning, thrilling, rollercoaster of a read. Loved it doesn't cover it.
For more reviews please follow me on Twitter or Threads @nickisbookblog
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December 20, 2023
Detective Smith is back in another 'edge of your seat' thriller. Wow what a brilliant read it was.
The bodies of three men are found in a Cellar in York. Smith is still on sick leave but the team needs him to try to work out why the three men had been locked in and left to die. BUT that is not the end of the deaths and Smith soon realises that evilness is walking the streets of York again. Can he work out what is going on and stop it before more people die? This one has the team struggling to work out a motive or even find a suspect. A previous case has come back to haunt them and the clock is ticking before the next person dies.
As I expect from Stewart's books this one grabs the reader from the very first page and doesn't let go. The story is gripping, adrenaline pumping and full of red herrings but also there are the personal lives of our favourite characters playing out in the background to add interest and soften what could be a very dark read.
As the story unfolds and we approach the ending I was on the edge of my seat in shock as the truth was revealed.
An absolutely brilliant read. Definitely 5 stars from me.
The bodies of three men are found in a Cellar in York. Smith is still on sick leave but the team needs him to try to work out why the three men had been locked in and left to die. BUT that is not the end of the deaths and Smith soon realises that evilness is walking the streets of York again. Can he work out what is going on and stop it before more people die? This one has the team struggling to work out a motive or even find a suspect. A previous case has come back to haunt them and the clock is ticking before the next person dies.
As I expect from Stewart's books this one grabs the reader from the very first page and doesn't let go. The story is gripping, adrenaline pumping and full of red herrings but also there are the personal lives of our favourite characters playing out in the background to add interest and soften what could be a very dark read.
As the story unfolds and we approach the ending I was on the edge of my seat in shock as the truth was revealed.
An absolutely brilliant read. Definitely 5 stars from me.
January 6, 2024
3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads.
Book 26 in the Detective Jason Smith series. Although the pandemic is included, it's not gratuitous, it adds to the story well without being the key focus.
I actually warmed to Smith more in this book and it was nice to revisit the rest of the team. The crime aspect was just as gruesome as before and cleverly done - with extra twists and betrayals. I always find that once I start with Stewart's books, I just can't put them down until I've finished.
Whilst it can be read as a standalone, I think this one has more links to previous books that I would have appreciated more if I'd read the whole series. It's for this reason and one of the characters making a stupid decision I don't think they would have, that made me enjoy it a tiny bit less than the last book.
Overall, it's still a great crime thriller series that I am completely hooked on - and need to go back through the previous books.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from BooksnAll Promotions and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Book 26 in the Detective Jason Smith series. Although the pandemic is included, it's not gratuitous, it adds to the story well without being the key focus.
I actually warmed to Smith more in this book and it was nice to revisit the rest of the team. The crime aspect was just as gruesome as before and cleverly done - with extra twists and betrayals. I always find that once I start with Stewart's books, I just can't put them down until I've finished.
Whilst it can be read as a standalone, I think this one has more links to previous books that I would have appreciated more if I'd read the whole series. It's for this reason and one of the characters making a stupid decision I don't think they would have, that made me enjoy it a tiny bit less than the last book.
Overall, it's still a great crime thriller series that I am completely hooked on - and need to go back through the previous books.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from BooksnAll Promotions and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
December 20, 2023
The Cellar by Stewart Giles is book 26 in the DS Jason Smith series. This is still such a great series even after 26 books. Stewart has such a vivid imagination which he brings to his books. This one is a bit gruesome in places but the humour throughout, mainly from Jason’s interaction with people, is so good. This book is set at the beginning of Covid, with the unknown before them, although it doesn’t play a big part. At the beginning of the book, Jason comes to the end of his enforced sick leave as a result of injuries in his previous case. Someone is abducting vulnerable people from the street and locking them up in cellars with tragic results. When I read this series, I wonder how close the character of Jason Smith is to the author.
December 18, 2023
Wow! Straightaway I was drawn to the intriguing book cover, which marks the start of a most unusual and disturbing case for Smith. This is one of the best in this series and is so much more poignant because the plight of vulnerable people is involved. I absolutely loved it, even though it's quite shocking at times!
As well as being a murder investigation I liked the thrill and drama of it being a live race against time to rescue three missing men and also liked the vivid descriptions of their captivity.
It's great that each book in the series can be read as a standalone, but also has continuity in the storylines which involves Smith's family.
Highly recommended.
As well as being a murder investigation I liked the thrill and drama of it being a live race against time to rescue three missing men and also liked the vivid descriptions of their captivity.
It's great that each book in the series can be read as a standalone, but also has continuity in the storylines which involves Smith's family.
Highly recommended.
December 30, 2023
Wow another great read from Stewart. This is book 26 in the Jason Smith series. Poor Smith is really up against it in this book. He is still signed off work after nearly dying in the previous book and the team find a cellar full of dead homeless people. He is itching to get back to work and little does he know that this case is going to be a lot closer to home for him then he realises. As usual with Stewart’s books I was gripped from page one. I highly recommend this series and give it a well deserved five stars.
January 2, 2024
Another nail biting case for Smith. I say this a lot lately with this authors books, but his work is getting stronger the more he writes. Each book that releases in this series just makes you connect more with the characters. After 26 books you'd think you've read it all, but Stewart Giles is on his A Game right now and I can't wait to see where he takes us next.
June 5, 2026
Each book in this series just gets better and better. Where does the author get his ideas from. Here we have the Covid outbreak just taking hold and someone supposedly doing some experimental research into length of time you can survive without food and water. All is misdirection and associated with the Ghosts case.
Superb!!
Superb!!
February 4, 2024
Fabulous as ever!
I have loved every book this author has written. I can't wait until the next. My only complaint is I can read them faster than he can write them.
I have loved every book this author has written. I can't wait until the next. My only complaint is I can read them faster than he can write them.
May 18, 2024
Twists and turns
Liked the story and the characters in it and kept me reading to see what happened next. Great book to read
Liked the story and the characters in it and kept me reading to see what happened next. Great book to read
January 8, 2024
Definitely recommend.
The Cellar by Stewart Giles.
A DS Jason Smith Thriller Book 26.
Something nasty is happening in York.
When the bodies of three men are discovered in the cellar of a house it soon becomes clear that their deaths were not peaceful. Detective Jason Smith is itching to get back to work after a case that almost killed him and he soon realises he's dealing with something he's never come across before. With a global pandemic looming, nobody in the city is paying much attention to the homeless people who are mysteriously vanishing from the streets. But Smith senses there is something more to this. Something else is happening here, and he's not wrong. A horror, far worse than he imagined is happening in a dark place somewhere in his city and Smith is going to have to face his deepest fears to stop it.
Omg he has done it again. A brilliant read. I love this series. I will never tire of this series. Love Smith. This was a little gory. I really had no clue who the couple could be. I did like Di smyth. Love the team. Moore King Bridge Whitton and Webber. Darren grew on me I did like how he protected Lucy. I really hope there is more to come. I definitely recommend this series. 5*.
The Cellar by Stewart Giles.
A DS Jason Smith Thriller Book 26.
Something nasty is happening in York.
When the bodies of three men are discovered in the cellar of a house it soon becomes clear that their deaths were not peaceful. Detective Jason Smith is itching to get back to work after a case that almost killed him and he soon realises he's dealing with something he's never come across before. With a global pandemic looming, nobody in the city is paying much attention to the homeless people who are mysteriously vanishing from the streets. But Smith senses there is something more to this. Something else is happening here, and he's not wrong. A horror, far worse than he imagined is happening in a dark place somewhere in his city and Smith is going to have to face his deepest fears to stop it.
Omg he has done it again. A brilliant read. I love this series. I will never tire of this series. Love Smith. This was a little gory. I really had no clue who the couple could be. I did like Di smyth. Love the team. Moore King Bridge Whitton and Webber. Darren grew on me I did like how he protected Lucy. I really hope there is more to come. I definitely recommend this series. 5*.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews