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The Inside Man
The second Newcastle-set police thriller with a twist. DCI Jack Parker fights to hide his Early Onset Dementia while he continues to do the job he loves - investigating crimes and bringing villains to justice.
Still haunted by the death of a colleague in a hit and run for which he blames himself, he pursues the case with a determination bordering on recklessness when he encourages her replacement, DS Emma Steel, to get close to a local gangster who knows more than he's letting on, thereby endangering Emma and causing dissent among his team.
Jack is called in to investigate the disappearance of a young woman, Maria, and her son who appear to have vanished off the face of the earth. His boss tells him to focus on her ex-husband, but though the evidence points in his direction, Jack has his doubts. The woman has form with toxic men and the husband is just the latest in a long line.
As Jack's plans to hide his condition become more challenging, he begins to wonder if Maria is really the innocent victim she's been portrayed as - until a body turns up. As he starts to discover the truth in both these investigations, Jack comes to understand that nothing in this world is as black and white as it seems.
Still haunted by the death of a colleague in a hit and run for which he blames himself, he pursues the case with a determination bordering on recklessness when he encourages her replacement, DS Emma Steel, to get close to a local gangster who knows more than he's letting on, thereby endangering Emma and causing dissent among his team.
Jack is called in to investigate the disappearance of a young woman, Maria, and her son who appear to have vanished off the face of the earth. His boss tells him to focus on her ex-husband, but though the evidence points in his direction, Jack has his doubts. The woman has form with toxic men and the husband is just the latest in a long line.
As Jack's plans to hide his condition become more challenging, he begins to wonder if Maria is really the innocent victim she's been portrayed as - until a body turns up. As he starts to discover the truth in both these investigations, Jack comes to understand that nothing in this world is as black and white as it seems.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published December 16, 2025
22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 5, 2025
🎧3.75-4⭐️
Book 2 DCI Jack Parker
I had the audiobook read by David Nellist. I found that I needed to increase the speed a little. His female voices aren’t great
Police procedural series with Jack the protagonist, Due to the ongoing storyline these books are best read in order.
I enjoyed the information given about Alzheimer’s seen through Jack’s treatment and behaviour which makes the main character a little different in a saturated genre.
Jack investigates a missing woman and child as well as continuing to look into the case of the hit and run which caused the death of Laura.
I didn’t find this plot had the same depth as the first book, I had already gelled with the main characters, although there’s not a lot of further character development from the last book.
Book 2 DCI Jack Parker
I had the audiobook read by David Nellist. I found that I needed to increase the speed a little. His female voices aren’t great
Police procedural series with Jack the protagonist, Due to the ongoing storyline these books are best read in order.
I enjoyed the information given about Alzheimer’s seen through Jack’s treatment and behaviour which makes the main character a little different in a saturated genre.
Jack investigates a missing woman and child as well as continuing to look into the case of the hit and run which caused the death of Laura.
I didn’t find this plot had the same depth as the first book, I had already gelled with the main characters, although there’s not a lot of further character development from the last book.
October 8, 2025
Book 2 in the police procedural series featuring DCI Jack Parker. Jack who has early onset dementia but keeping it secret from his bosses as he searches for a missing young mother and her son. A fresh and moving crime thriller.
September 18, 2025
A very good thriller set in Newcastle.
Enjoyed it very much, the characters, the tensions between them, the different storylines and plots make this a page-turner and a satisfying read.
Enjoyed it very much, the characters, the tensions between them, the different storylines and plots make this a page-turner and a satisfying read.
September 26, 2025
Do like this writer & this series.
October 13, 2025
Another cracking read. Looking forward to the next one in this series
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews