One Dark Soul: A Gripping Detective Mystery

by Solomon Carter

A body at a festival. A stalker in the shadows. And a killer strikes by the sea…

When Detective Inspector Joe Hogarth is called backstage at a festival theatre show, he finds a scene that chills him to the bone. The lifeless body of young Ginnie Martin, a rising star in the acting world, lies cold and still, her final act concluded in tragedy.
The evidence is scarce, and leads are elusive. Hogarth and his team must peel away the layers of deceit and mystery that surround the production before the killer slips away.

And as the curtain rises on this chilling case, yet another drama unfolds beneath the bright lights of Southend seafront. A ruthless seafront killer claims one life and then another - sowing seeds of terror that will soon fill the town with dread.

DI Hogarth and trusted colleagues DC Kaplan and DS Palmer, must navigate through a labyrinth of lies and deceit. As the body count rises, they find themselves in a race against time to unmask the killer, before its too late...

And amidst the chaos, DC Kaplan must face an ordeal of her own. Danger is coming - unknown yet familiar - Kaplan must discover the source of the trouble circling her brother, before he ends up as yet another victim.

ONE DARK SOUL - Join DI Hogarth, DS Kaplan, and DS Palmer as they battle against the clock and their darkest fears. In this gripping Hogarth series, the stakes are higher, the villains are cunning, and the heroes more determined than ever. But as the line between good and evil blurs, can Hogarth and his team withstand what is coming?

DI Hogarth in ONE DARK SOUL.

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256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 6, 2024

About the author

Hello folks,
My name is Solomon Carter, and I am the author of the Roberts and Bradley PI crime thriller series, The Last Line international thriller series, the DI Hogarth Darkest series and more. I write mysteries, crime and thriller novels and more besides.

I was born in Southend, Essex and lived there for most of my life apart from eventful student days in South London. But my life in Southend was even more eventful still. I ended up working in a string of jobs including as a jobcentre clerk, a book seller, tutor for youth with low skills and low self esteem, mortgage broker, and latterly manager of a food bank which dealt with all kinds of interesting people facing all kinds of eye-opening, jaw dropping problems. Because of these ear-to-the-ground jobs the majority of my novels are set in Southend. In 2016 I moved to North Cornwall because I liked the idea of never-ending holidays - but I also write almost every single day. My aim is to write action-packed thrillers and page-turning mysteries that readers love and my hope is to get better at what I do with every book across each and every year.

I like to give away lots of free books as part of what I do. If you would like to receive some of these and get the exclusives on offer, than you're invited to join my free readers group at SolomonCarter.net. I won't spam you, just send the occassional email with news on the latest books and forthcoming freebies.

And if you want to see the memes, personal shares and other oddball stuff I do, then you can join me at Facebook via www.facebook.com/solomoncarterwrites and join the fun there too.

What I am good at: telling stories
What I am bad at: dancing, being patient.
What I love: nature, the seaside, adventures
Writers I heartily recommend: Lee Child, Ian Rankin, Henning Mankell, Val McDermid, Harlan Coben, Robert Crais.
Writers I need to read more of: Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly and others.
Other things I do beside writing: at present I like to keep my running going to balance out the sitting behind a laptop (a habit inspired by Haruki Murakami's 'What I talk about when I talk about running' - a great book).
-I am currently doing surf lessons. When in Rome, as they say...
-Getting out into nature as the weather allows.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Until then I'll keep on writing. Or running. Or surfing. Or chasing my children around the house.

All the very best,
Solomon :)

PS
if you have enjoyed any of my books, I'd be honoured if you could post a review. Those reviews really do help!

Reviews

[Cidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I just love Hogarth, I love the way Mr Carter presents him as an extremely good cop, even if he bends the rules sometimes you know he isn't doing it to be awkward or for self-glory, but because every case matters to him, and unsolved ones particularly so.

That paragraph is just one sentence I've realised no matter. A youngish woman is getting into her car late at night on the dark promenade in Southend not knowing that a thin man dressed all in black is coming up silently behind her. Wham, drops down on the floor, he keeps hitting her in the face and then drags her down to the beach leaving her for the tide to deal with.

Meanwhile the next day whilst Hogarth and some of his team are trawling around on the beach and think they may have found her car, over on a field nearby there is a festival starting. It looks as if it's a weekend one and a touring company are staging a play, the players are a disgruntled lot and the man whose company is paying for their performance is nervy. It's presented in monologue fashion and three members of the cast have now been up on the stage to give their dialogue when the second of these young women has her neck broken within a few minutes of leaving the stage, she is found with a bright yellow serviette next to her body. So Hogarth and his team have two dead bodies at different places in Southend and are having to hit the ground running to find the killers.

I really liked this, it showed Hogarth and his team working flat out to try and solve both in quick time, as the police force hates murderers hanging around. This is a packed plot as even Ecrin Kaplan is struggling to deal with something in her family unbeknown to the team. I do like a rounded off ending and here there was one for Ginnie the actress but not one for the woman in the sea with her head bashed in. Although it looks as if that one will be sorted out by Hogarth in the next book whose title now escapes me.

[Mr Mark Hawksford · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Dark Soul -

There were two storylines to this book, the main being a murder of an actress and the other being a murder committed by the slim man. The bulk of the plot revolves around solving the actresses death. The plot reminded a little of the TV show, ‘Death In Paradise’ where all the potential murders seemed to have an alibi. I didn’t particular warm to the three main police detectives. The second plot line, I wondered why this was included, until the end as I suspect book 2 will pick up on this continued storyline. I did enjoy the book, but it was probably a 4 out of 5 from me. Not an original plot and a little predictable in places.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Lone troubled actress

A festival had come to Southend and not only was an actress murdered but another body was found, Hogarth team had a lot of work to do which lead to many dead ends and it was getting very frustrating. Great plot right to the last pages, one murder solved, one ongoing and a mystery to solve regarding DC Kaplan who Hogarth and Palmer thinks she needs help or advice.

[mrs p e hooker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have now read the first two books in this Hogarth series - stupidly, however, I read half of the second book before realising I had them in the wrong order. Anyway, apart from answering a few missing questions, One Dark Soul is a good read and I now look forward to the third book in the series. I think this is Hogarth and his team at its best, South Essex and Southend have become Joe’s patch. His days with the Met have served him well, as the London crime scene has expanded into the wider Home Counties and beyond. As always, we still get the underlying personal stories of Southend nick which continues to entertain.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the “Dark Soul” trilogy. It’s post COVID, and the festivals are back. When a young actress is found dead just moments after coming off stage, Hogarth and the team are sent to investigate. The following morning, they receive news of another body floating under the pier. The team are under pressure to solve both - and matters are not greatly helped when Ecrin seems off kilter.

[Ann Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

one dark soul

This book was different from some others of Solomon, I feel.
There was a tangible sadness apparent. It was dealt with compassion.
Even tough Joe was noticeably touched by the way the book was related. It showed Joe and colleagues being vulnerable too.
Good book

[Kristina Creighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Puzzler to the End

One Dark Soul has an intricate plot, well-developed characters and your usual British mood. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

[jerry Cursons · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Dark Soul has an intricate plot, well-developed characters and your usual British mood. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Denise Brennecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

another Hogarth epic

Once again Hogarth and team get their man but the book ends abruptly which took me by surprise. Bring on the next one.

[john natus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Hogarth is at his best again with this murder mystery. As usual it was an enjoyable, easy read.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great book which I thoroughly enjoyed, and it has great characters too, along with a brilliant story.