Fatal Image

by Brian Price

'Mel Cotton's latest case is a fast-paced investigation into a tangled web of murder. If you like lively, well-researched and action-packed police thrillers, Fatal Image is just what you're looking for.' Martin Edwards

‘Gripping, clever and utterly addictive. Price’s best yet, and that’s saying something!’
Graham Bartlett

‘A compelling read with a ring of authenticity. Highly recommended!’
Zoë Sharp

RUTHLESS AMBITION
Hugh Ventham MP, tipped for high office, can’t shake off the mental image of a sordid party he attended many years ago. Any one of the people there could derail his career if they talk about it. So he must eliminate them all.

A COMPROMISING PHOTO
But someone took a photo. And one of the attendees will stop at nothing to ensure it is never discovered. If they fail, they will face ruin.

A BAFFLED POLICE FORCE
As the murders mount up, Mexton CID struggle to see the connection between them. Are they random killings or is there a link? If so, who would want to kill such a disparate group of people? And who is the mysterious figure in the background with their own lethal agenda?

With police resources stretched to breaking point, DC Mel Cotton and her team face deadly challenges as they hunt for the killer. And when the mysterious figure strikes, will she get out alive?

416 pages, Paperback

Published November 26, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

I am a chemist and biologist. I worked for many years in the environmental field and as an Open University tutor. I am also an avid crime reader.

I turned from science to crime when I attended Crimefest in Bristol, in 2016. I found the crime writing community open and friendly so I resolved to use my knowledge of science to help authors get scientific details correct. I have advised a number of leading crime writers on scientific topics. In 2019 my website www.crimewriterscience.co.uk metamorphosed into the book Crime Writing: How to Write the Science.

In the same year, I won a competition, run by the Facebook group Crime Fiction Coach, to find the best opening line for a crime novel. I then had no option but to write the book to go with that line! The result was Fatal Trade, published on 14th September 2021 by Hobeck Books. Fatal Beginnings, a free novella introducing some of the characters, is available at www.hobeck.net

Fatal Hate followed in April 2022 and Fatal Dose in January 2023.

Several of my short stories are published in the Writers in Stone anthologies Cuckoo, Lock and Key and Seventy Three. One of my stories appears in The Dark Side of Christmas, a charity anthology produced by Hobeck Books, and another in the Crime Writers Association anthology Music of the Night. I also contributed a recipe and short story to the Hobeck 2022 charity collection Cooking the Books

Reviews

[Donna Morfett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm already a huge fan of Brian's and look forward to a new release. The force is still recovering from an explosion linked to an Albanian gang.
This time Hugh Ventham wants to be promoted to the higher offices of government but a photo taken at a sex party some years ago could ruin everything. So why not go on a mission to kill everyone else that was there.
This was yet another brilliant read. I love the way Brian wrote the crimes, showing the forensic awareness but each time a little mistake that would help catch him.
The camaraderie between the gang is great. Brian hasn't made this easy for himself, using a variety of different ideas, and some subplots, but manages to execute each perfectly, tying each up to a satisfactory conclusion.
I've been unable to put this down. The sections are written short and snappy. The chapters are short and most of those are broken down. You have no time to relax and settle down. You're whisked off between fictional town Mexton and London, hoping you can guess the truth. Spoiler alert - you won't. Brian makes sure of that.
I hope the next book isn't too far away...

[Monika Armet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugh Ventham MP, is planning deaths of six people.

Six people who attended a secret party where a photo was taken.

The unsuspecting victims include a senior ranking police officer, a charity CEO, a lawyer, a banker, the owner of a recycling firm, and a TV presenter.

Meanwhile, a chemistry teacher, Rachel Willstone is kidnapped by two meth heads, who fancy to reenact Breaking Bad, only in Mexton.

Martin Rowse who left the force is now a private investigator. He’s investigating a case of poisoned honey.

As Mel and her colleagues get closer to catching the killer, she will find herself in the firing line once more…

This was such a fabulous read! It gripped me from the first page and kept me intrigued all the way to the end.

I just love Mel. She always finds herself in a dangerous situation, and yet, she keeps on going. I have no idea how she does that? She suffers from PTSD, but she really loves her job and wants to keep the streets safe.

I honestly wouldn’t want to live in Mexton, it’s a hive of criminality!

This is the fifth book in Mel Cotton series, but you can read it as a stand-alone novel. However, I urge you to read the previous books.

[Joe Singleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series and really enjoyed it but sadly missed the 3 books in between (I need to read them too) but this did not detract from a great, fast-paced story and works well as a standalone.
There is a lot of fast-paced action, all well researched and written. Personally, I felt the ending was a little far-fetched whereas the rest of the book felt very real, but at the end of the day, this is crime fiction and will certainly give you a good read. I also felt that the ending was a little rushed but I am sure things will link in to the next book.
If you enjoy crime fiction you will enjoy reading this book.
Thanks to Hobeck Books and the author for providing me with an advanced electronic copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
The book will be published on the 26th November in e-book format

[Karolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my review for Fatal Image by Brian Price

This book is a fantastic read and a brilliant addition to a terrific series that I love reading. The story is set in Mexton and London. Hugh Ventham MP, who has now been tipped for high office, is very worried about an immoral party he attended a few years ago. There were about seven people there, any of them could upset his career if they mention it to the press or whatever. He will have to make a plan to get rid of them. Although he has a vague memory of someone taking a photo, who was it? Where is the photo now? Could he hire a hitman to do some of the killing for him? He tries the dark web without success. He sets out planning his kill list and how he will kill each person. His first one he plans as a hit and run but it goes wrong when an ambulance turns up unexpectedly. The victim is taken to hospital in London then a few days later he is transferred to a place in Mexford where he is killed. One by one, the targets are slowly picked off and are stretching Mexford CID to its limits. None of the deaths have anything in common and there doesn’t seem to be any common denominator. They have no links, there’s nothing to say they know each. One is a high ranking police officer, one is a charity CEO and a high flying barrister. Are the cases linked? Or do they treat them as separate cases? I got into this book straight away right from the start and I didn’t want to put it down until I finished it. It was a superb storyline. The story was extremely well written and the characters were brilliant. The Mexford CID were terrific. They banded together as usual and worked hard, pulling each other through the hard times. Emma Thorpe is back after having her baby but it shows and she is struggling. Mel Cotton is great as usual. The plotting is superb with some great killing techniques. Some research has been done by the author to make it seem more authentique and he has written a superb story with the information obtained. I think I like this book the best so far and I’m definitely looking forward to the next one.

Blurb :
RUTHLESS AMBITION
Hugh Ventham MP, tipped for high office, can’t shake off the mental image of a sordid party he attended many years ago. Any one of the people there could derail his career if they talk about it. So he must eliminate them all.

A COMPROMISING PHOTO
But someone took a photo. And one of the attendees will stop at nothing to ensure it is never discovered. If they fail, they will face ruin.

A BAFFLED POLICE FORCE
As the murders mount up, Mexton CID struggle to see the connection between them. Are they random killings or is there a link? If so, who would want to kill such a disparate group of people? And who is the mysterious figure in the background with their own lethal agenda?

With police resources stretched to breaking point, DC Mel Cotton and her team face deadly challenges as they hunt for the killer. And when the mysterious figure strikes, will she get out alive?

[Peter Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another very generous slice of action from the author who probably has twenty brilliant ideas before breakfast. Prepare yourself for an exhausting read, not from tedium but the relentless pursuit of drama and intrigue, with a side order of science and intelligent observation.

The plot is brash and insensitive, well it does centre on an ambitious politician, but is constructed with some style and a degree of panache when it comes to murder. These murders are brutal but inventive, with a hint of hamminess for extra flavour, such that the reader looks forward to the next one. The perpetrator, a rising career politician, may be an easy target but some of us always find pleasure in them getting a comeuppance. The victims illicit little sympathy either, being scheming career or social climbers and here I detect a subtle touch of satire (perhaps unintended) targeted at those who moralise but have a buried dirty past.

The motive is clear, wanting to recover the compromising photograph, though part of me believes the modern politician would wear such a scandal as a badge of honour. It has a different degree of significance for the various participants and does post the conundrum of why the same activity has a different impact on careers. A sex scandal can ruin a politician, yet conversely it has boosted the careers of some loosely associated with the media and creative arts.

There are a couple of side plots that don’t dovetail into the main one but add to the sense that the reality for investigating officers is rarely having the luxury of being able to concentrate on a single case. One of these threads is very amusing, bringing British low-life incompetence to a magnificent US TV creation with disastrous result. Humour is perhaps not something that immediately springs to mind with the author but there is a subtle dry type that is there to be found, including a lovely bit of Spoonerism.

Mel is our smart and feisty heroine and as usual is in the thick of the action and danger, but this time is also on the wrong end of some unwanted attention. This is one author with a love-hate relationship with his central character, but Mel always comes through the other side smiling if a little worse for wear. In this story we get to see an empathetic side of Mel, but she also a little unsettled and thinking about her future. Can taking her sergeant’s exams help her focus on what she wants? Mel is not the only one, as DI Emma Thorpe has returned to work after maternity leave and wrestles with her new commitments. Whilst some characters may lack a little depth, it does mean that their problems are stark and brought to life.

A pacy rollercoaster ride of action and intrigue with a subtle undercurrent of dry humour.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 5 of the DC Mel Cotton detective series set in the fictional town of Mexton. Several months have passed since the explosive events of the previous book and a General Election is expected to be announced shortly. Hugh Ventham is expecting to be promoted to the new Cabinet but has one problem. Many years earlier he was involved with a group sex party. If this should become public knowledge his career would be finished. As always you can tell this has been meticulously researched and it is well written with a cracking plot.

Briefly, Ventham believes he has only one option. To eliminate everyone who was at the party but there is another problem in that he believes a photograph was taken and is desperate for it to be recovered. So Mexton suddenly finds itself in the middle of a series of murders and other suspicious deaths all seemingly unconnected until dots start to be joined. Mel, along with her team, appear to be losing the battle to locate the suspect as the only evidence is the appearance of an old SUV at the scene of each event.

Mexton is the authors answer to Midsommer but rather less cosy! Great twists and turns that kept me guessing until the reveal about who the elusive photographer is.
A fast paced and exciting police procedural with a great lead character in Mel and I do enjoy the banter and chat amongst the team. It would read well as a stand-alone but I would definitely recommend the whole series. Another excellent read.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another fantastic book in the DC Mel Cotton series.
I’m absolutely loving this series. Really well developed characters I feel I know quite well now. Great teamwork and proper close friends in the Mexton police department- this team will do anything for each other including risking their lives. And lives are risked many times in this book.

Hugh Ventham; a politician on the cusp of his next big position in a ministerial post. He does not wish details of a particular sordid sex party he attended in 2007 to become known so he sets about murdering everyone who was in attendance. And he is rather ingenious in his methods. But what about that polaroid photo he saw? Who has it?

Mel and her team are investigating an increasing number of murders in their town. They are struggling to find anything the victims could have in common.

This is a page turning heart racing edge of the seat crime thriller which never lets up from first page to last.

I think this is Brian’s best yet in this series which just goes from strength to strength! Roll on book 6 (I hope!)

I highly recommend this whole series.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is set a few months after the explosive events from the Albanian OCG. We learn MP, Hugh Ventham is set to be appointed to the Cabinet after the General Election. However, Hugh has a BIG secret that he doesn't to be released - a photo taken at a sordid party. He has to find out who has the evidence and he want to stop at anything to get it. DC Mel Cooper and the team are back with a vengeance when they are brought in to look into the mysterious circumstances of the killings. Can Mel and the team crack the case? Who is behind the killings? It is a fast paced police procedural with plenty of twists and turns that leads to a dramatic conclusion!

[Carole Gourlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another belter from Brian, absolutely spot on and fast paced. He is meticulous in his writing and research and I loved it.

As they say, there’s none so queer as folk, and it always amazes me in this day and age that people think past misdemeanours can stay hidden. All it takes is one slip up and the pack of cards comes tumbling down.

As Mel battles to solve these murders, it appears they’re random until they get a breakthrough. Who is behind the lens, and what will it take to keep them quiet. These MPs think they are invincible and this one will do absolutely anything to keep the secrets of the past.

This can be read as a standalone as it has enough information for the reader just to enjoy the story, and the characters.

My thanks to Brian and Hobeck Books for the ARC.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a great fan of the DC Mel Cotton crime series and book 5 did not disappoint. Brian has created clever plot lines that kept me turning the pages late into the night. Well written and gripping as usual. A great read. Although part of a series it can be enjoyed as a standalone too.

[Brian Holmwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exciting book in a great series. As always a good police proceedural with a good plot and plenty of action .Brian Price is a good writer and this series is well worth reading.