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Devil's Chimney
It is 2001. The seaside town of Eastbourne is being battered by a tidal wave of violence. The collapse of Devil’s Chimney, a chalk tower at the foot of Beachy Head, has awakened old superstitions and opened old wounds that most would rather forget.
Constable Chalvington Barnes is an ambitious young cop with his sights set on the top. His latest collar, a serial night creeper terrorising his sleeping victims with a knife, is an arrest that earns Barnes his ticket into CID. With a bit of breathing space, the CID congratulate themselves on a job well done - and their complacency is punished when a young police officer is brutally murdered...
With the prime suspect protected by an apparently concrete alibi, the ensuing investigation thrusts Barnes to the centre of a web of greed, corruption and chaos. When the scum that lurk in the shadows of Devil’s Chimney turn the tables on the police and start taking over the streets, Barnes must fight to protect those he loves. But the answers he wants are closer to home than he realises…
Constable Chalvington Barnes is an ambitious young cop with his sights set on the top. His latest collar, a serial night creeper terrorising his sleeping victims with a knife, is an arrest that earns Barnes his ticket into CID. With a bit of breathing space, the CID congratulate themselves on a job well done - and their complacency is punished when a young police officer is brutally murdered...
With the prime suspect protected by an apparently concrete alibi, the ensuing investigation thrusts Barnes to the centre of a web of greed, corruption and chaos. When the scum that lurk in the shadows of Devil’s Chimney turn the tables on the police and start taking over the streets, Barnes must fight to protect those he loves. But the answers he wants are closer to home than he realises…
- GenresMystery
ebook
First published February 26, 2012
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125 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 26, 2014
Cracking good police story. Complex and twisty, fabulous characters and scene setting. Certainly an author to follow. My only quibble is that the author seems to have run out of steam in the epilogue, which comes over as a bit of an info-dump, otherwise it would be closer to 5*.
February 5, 2015
3.5 rounded up to 4. A well written detective novel based in the UK. If you love realistic police procedure in your crime novels, you'll enjoy this one. (I was always more of a fan of Midsomer Murders than The Bill).
Great descriptions and dialogue. The characters, especially the criminals are realistically portrayed and there are plenty of twists and turns in the plot. Drugs, stabbings, bank robberies, corruption and kidnapping - it's all there!
Although correct police procedure was strictly followed, I did notice a couple of continuity issues, couple taken away by ambulance and their pet dog conveniently evaporates, returning home a few hours after a house fire. Minor issues - but ones that concerned me.
Overall a good read.
Great descriptions and dialogue. The characters, especially the criminals are realistically portrayed and there are plenty of twists and turns in the plot. Drugs, stabbings, bank robberies, corruption and kidnapping - it's all there!
Although correct police procedure was strictly followed, I did notice a couple of continuity issues, couple taken away by ambulance and their pet dog conveniently evaporates, returning home a few hours after a house fire. Minor issues - but ones that concerned me.
Overall a good read.
August 8, 2016
I didn't have high hopes for this given it was an Amazon cheapie. I couldn't have been more wrong.
It's well written and at least as good as some of the million seller police procedurals, a lot better than some. Some really convoluted twists and turns. I loved it and can't wait to read more.
It's well written and at least as good as some of the million seller police procedurals, a lot better than some. Some really convoluted twists and turns. I loved it and can't wait to read more.
April 2, 2025
I don’t often re-read books but was glad to make an exception in this case. It’s been a long time and I really couldn’t remember much about it but it was well worth getting re-acquainted with it. It is a complex and well-paced book with plenty to hold the attention.
I don’t think it will be possible to find the book under this author’s name but if you search for it with the author name Adam Lyndon you should have no difficulty
I don’t think it will be possible to find the book under this author’s name but if you search for it with the author name Adam Lyndon you should have no difficulty
July 17, 2019
Surprisingly good, dark crime story, though a little overstretched.
Read
August 11, 2019Great reading.
Fast paced story. Pulled me in and held me to the end.
Cannot wait to read other books in this series.
Fast paced story. Pulled me in and held me to the end.
Cannot wait to read other books in this series.
June 19, 2012
There are some disadvantages to being a writer. For instance, it makes you excessively critical as a reader. You’re constantly raising questions about the way the author is going about his task. Isn’t that piece of dialogue a bit clunky? Would that really happen? Why doesn’t the story flow better? So it goes on, always pick, pick, picking away, endlessly asking questions, suggesting improvements instead of just enjoying the tale. And though I can’t speak for others, at the end I often find myself asking, Could I have written that story? Would it have been better if I had? And then comes the big question, Do I wish I had written it?
And so how does Tin Larrick’s murder-mystery story, The Devil’s Chimney, measure up? The story is set in Eastbourne where I live so not surprisingly I was attracted to it. It’s jam-packed with places I know, the seafront and the beach, pubs and coffee shops, the police station and the Wish Tower, Sovereign Harbour and the Belle Tout lighthouse, now a private house high up on Beachy Head. And the body of a savagely murdered woman is found in a hotel not five minutes’ walk from where I live. And another body is later found in a seafront shelter fifteen minutes away.
Caution: do not be misled. Just because it mentions locales known to you, the reader, your judgment of the story must not be distorted. I told myself that I must not be beguiled by the familiarity of such scenes, that I must judge the description of the town by the way in which they might appeal to readers who do not know it. Well, Tin Larrick has interpreted the place so vividly. His clear descriptions of the town are apt. By day, it has many charms. At night, this elegant town has another face.
They do say ‘Write about what you know.’ This is a police procedural and Larrick is a former policeman. No more to be said. He knows his stuff.
I very much liked the central character, the young, novice detective constable, Chalvington Barnes, a man clearly destined for the top. As for the back-story, he and his wife being unable to conceive, that was absolutely convincing and moving too. And I thought his ambitious young woman reporter made quite an impact. I hope that we shall meet her again.
And of course, Larrick knows his low-lifes. He has them to a tee. You can recognise them. They are believable. They aren’t just Eastbourne manifestations. You see them everywhere. Worse luck!
This is a really enjoyable story, very well structured, with some heart-thumping situations.
If I had a reservation it was that there was little humour in the account. Maybe even at the worst times, in fact especially at the worst times, I should have expected some wry police station humour. But that is a small quibble.
As to my question: Could I have written this book? No. I couldn’t. But I wish I could have done.
I ought to add perhaps that I bought the book and that I have had no contact with Tin Larrick of whom I had not heard until four days ago.
And so how does Tin Larrick’s murder-mystery story, The Devil’s Chimney, measure up? The story is set in Eastbourne where I live so not surprisingly I was attracted to it. It’s jam-packed with places I know, the seafront and the beach, pubs and coffee shops, the police station and the Wish Tower, Sovereign Harbour and the Belle Tout lighthouse, now a private house high up on Beachy Head. And the body of a savagely murdered woman is found in a hotel not five minutes’ walk from where I live. And another body is later found in a seafront shelter fifteen minutes away.
Caution: do not be misled. Just because it mentions locales known to you, the reader, your judgment of the story must not be distorted. I told myself that I must not be beguiled by the familiarity of such scenes, that I must judge the description of the town by the way in which they might appeal to readers who do not know it. Well, Tin Larrick has interpreted the place so vividly. His clear descriptions of the town are apt. By day, it has many charms. At night, this elegant town has another face.
They do say ‘Write about what you know.’ This is a police procedural and Larrick is a former policeman. No more to be said. He knows his stuff.
I very much liked the central character, the young, novice detective constable, Chalvington Barnes, a man clearly destined for the top. As for the back-story, he and his wife being unable to conceive, that was absolutely convincing and moving too. And I thought his ambitious young woman reporter made quite an impact. I hope that we shall meet her again.
And of course, Larrick knows his low-lifes. He has them to a tee. You can recognise them. They are believable. They aren’t just Eastbourne manifestations. You see them everywhere. Worse luck!
This is a really enjoyable story, very well structured, with some heart-thumping situations.
If I had a reservation it was that there was little humour in the account. Maybe even at the worst times, in fact especially at the worst times, I should have expected some wry police station humour. But that is a small quibble.
As to my question: Could I have written this book? No. I couldn’t. But I wish I could have done.
I ought to add perhaps that I bought the book and that I have had no contact with Tin Larrick of whom I had not heard until four days ago.
July 15, 2015
This was also very good and gripping. A British whodunit with an off-duty female officer as the victim of murder. The man arrested for robbing the officer's home is somehow connected to the crime even though he was incarcerated for that robbery at the time of the officer's murder. Her former street partner, a newly promoted DC, is involved in solving the case from his new position in the CID. There are all sorts of problems with finding the evidence in the case, and someone is leaking info to the very people they should be chasing. After running afoul of his new boss over some minor incident, he is pulled from the case and told to go back to his desk and get a handle on his paperwork. During the investigation of a routine case, Barnes, the DC, makes a discovery that takes the murder case in a whole new direction. It's good and it's dramatic and it's sooooooo worth a read!
February 19, 2017
'm glad I found this book. In my opinion, nothing makes a crime novel more exciting than being packed full of unexpected twists and turns - something "Devil's Chimney" delivers. The plot is believable and the characters are realistic. I also enjoyed the way Tin Larrick described the settings fully enough for someone outside the country to be able to picture the scenery. Being used to reading American English, there were a few words and phrases I had to look up in order to understand what was being said; however, that didn't take away from my enjoyment of reading the book. I look forward to reading other books in this series
June 12, 2014
A cracking well written story with an engaging plot and well rounded characters. I somehow doubt that someone so young & inexperienced would command the amount of deference from other policemen awarded to a new promoted detective. He also appears to be indestructible - Eastbourne's own James Bond?
My main criticism of this book is the use of chapters, which either go on far far too long or break up the narrative in unexpected places.
My main criticism of this book is the use of chapters, which either go on far far too long or break up the narrative in unexpected places.
July 19, 2014
A real page-turner. A traditional police thriller particularly well informed on police procedures and Eastbourne where the action takes place. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only criticism is not limited to this book - I am always amazed that the various characters (the good guys usually) are so resilient that after being half-killed a few days in hospital is enough for them to be ready for another fight.
August 10, 2015
A well written mystery that was a great read. Lots of twists and turns in this who done it. It was written by a UK author and had a great descriptive of the police in their country that made it more interesting. Good to see it had an epilogue otherwise the readers would have been left in the dark. I did have trouble with the many acronyms, some I could find definitions for but a lot I couldn't. I would have gave it a higher rating but for the unnecessary crude language.
February 17, 2014
Excellent sense of place, strong characterisation and character development coupled with authentic and detailed police procedure and a thrilling denouement make this an action packed British crime novel to take great pleasure in. Congratulations.
February 21, 2015
This was a pretty good read. The plot was interesting, but occasionally confusing. The characters are well-developed and it is set up well for a series surrounding Barnes and his wife. I did find myself a bit tripped up by the British vocabulary and police system, so be prepared to Google a lot.
June 30, 2012
Not my usual genre but have thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 22, 2015
Police procedural with some nice twists
September 7, 2016
Possibly a 3.5 rating rather than 3. Enjoyable read which kept my attention some of the time. Picked up pace towards the end and liked the finish.
August 15, 2016
Barnes
If I can get passed the first chapter I know I will enjoy the book and I did couldn't put it down.
If I can get passed the first chapter I know I will enjoy the book and I did couldn't put it down.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews