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Despite a growing weight of evidence, DS Bev Morriss is certain that ace reporter Matt Snow is not a murderer. Proving it is another matter, especially when her own hormones and emotions are like the River Trent in full spate. This is the fifth novel in the hard-hitting Bev Morriss series.

Audio CD

First published November 14, 2008

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About the author

Maureen Carter

37 books27 followers
Former BBC Newsnight presenter Maureen has worked extensively in newspapers, radio and television. She still freelances in the business, when she's not busy novel writing. As a journalist she's worked closely with the police, covering countless crime stories, including several murders. She's also interviewed victims and seen villains sent down.

Maureen was inspired to write Working Girls by a police pilot scheme to treat younger prostitutes as victims rather than criminals.

"It set me thinking about women on the game," she says. "What made a girl risk her health, and her life, night after night? What, if any, choice did she have? I wondered: could I combine appealing characters from this largely ignored section of society with a measure of social comment and produce an engaging and entertaining crime novel?"

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Baba.
4,091 reviews1,551 followers
September 19, 2023
Bev Morriss series book No. 5: Bev has a not-so personal secret that she will have to reveal; meanwhile someone out there is killing paedophiles, and a well known reporter is always ahead of the police on this case. Is he writing the news, or making it? SA surprisingly enjoyably gripping and intriguing hard-boiled crime thriller set in Birmingham, UK. I can see myself reading other books in this series. 7 out of 12, Three Star read.

2012 read
Profile Image for Kelly.
307 reviews33 followers
November 9, 2009
One thing is for certain, not all the good detective stories come from inside beautifully bound covers. Creme De La Crime has been doing great throughout the years as an independant publisher that doles out fascinating tales about fictional crime (and maybe some not so fictional) and the detectives who bring everything down to a simmer in the pot at the end of the story.

Bad Press is admittedly a tad boring at the beginning, but the best authors know that to keep a reader, you must intrigue them. With Bad Press, Carter throws herself heartfully into the twisted and manic world of the written word, newspapers and reporters that is. We all know how persistant the media can be, poking their noses into perfectly private citizens lives (man, seems I was BORN for that role). Matt Snow, reporter extrordinaire, is in the midst of throwing himself into a case project when all of a sudden he is being hoisted into the criminal saddle for the murder of a local perv. Insistant on his innocence, Matt Snow recognizes a voliable ally in Bev Morriss, a detective that sticks her neck out a bit too much for certain suspects and the victims.

The plot doesn't have the break-neck turns and twists I would have liked, and I admit, it ain't her best, but Maureen Carter is on a savvy role when it comes to her characters and their dialogue, however "ugly" the cover.
Profile Image for Catherine.
420 reviews63 followers
July 10, 2024
I am on chapter 21 and absolutely really disliking this book. The narrator is probably doing it justice but it is pretty awful.
The 1 line sentences are meant to be witty, appealing draw you in but they just make me want to shoot myself. The language and writing is just trite and pathetic. The female Lead is a whinny many cow
Nothing absolutely nothing remotely endearing about her, like you get with moody male leads, this does the opposite. I have already guessed who the murderer is and I think there may be only 1 character who might be remotely interesting, none of them being reporters.
I am disliking this book so much I am not even going to bother finishing because I just don't care.

It's a shame because the story theme is good, bit that all tge book has going for it. Save your money and your time, don't waste it on this book!
Profile Image for Nicky Mottram.
2,166 reviews20 followers
May 4, 2019
Audio version of this book 📚- Another great read/listen, love the main character in this series brings the story to life , narration was excellent
Profile Image for Steve  .
267 reviews6 followers
July 17, 2022
Took a lot longer to read than rest but no reflection on the book, blame the covid.... Haven't been able to concentrate properly
Profile Image for Audiothing.
203 reviews17 followers
August 23, 2016
Audiobook EditionReview
I'm not quite sure of the reason why I like the Bev Morriss series so much. I don't usually enjoy the "feisty but foolhardy" type of female protagonist so popular in crime fiction, but there is something appealing about Bev. Maybe it's all in the writing.

The opening chapter describes a man carefully performing his morning grooming ritual, he is a handsome man, always carefully dressed, yet on this morning he is taking extra care with his appearance, he has something of great importance to do today. He kisses his wife goodbye and leaves their beautiful home.
Be careful, all is not what it seems!

When ambitious crime reporter Matt Snow took a call from the office to attend a crime scene he was so hung over that he almost refused. Only the thought that it might be the "Big Story" that would propel him to fame and fortune got him out of bed.
Little did Matt know what he was in for.
Matt was first at the scene, there were none of the blue lights or any of the police activity he had expected to see, just him and the dead man who, it transpired, was a paedophile. Two patrolling police constables spotted Matt with the body.

More paedophiles were murdered and Matt was always first on the scene, yet he insisted his information came from an anonymous caller. Despite his protestations the police believe he is involved.
Yet much as she herself dislikes Matt she can't see him as a serial killer and so does a little more poking around on the side. She makes friends with another reporter at Matts newspaper, this reporter is happy to give Bev as much information on Matt as she can find. Information that leads to a very strange world.

Bev has her own private worries to deal with, confiding only in her friend Frankie and "the Guv" D.S. Byford who is on sick leave. Both are, in their own ways, trying to help Bev who, living up to her reputation, is being as difficult as ever.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it has a fast moving plot, interestingly drawn characters and a great ending.
Narrator
Narrated by Clare Corbett, a noted actress of screen stage and radio. Clare is a very polished narrator with a lovely, easy to listen to voice. however, in my opinion Clares' weakness is the male voice, they aren't believable and I found it difficult to differentiate between some of them, particularly the ones with the Birmingham accent.
Profile Image for Mary Johnson.
1,036 reviews17 followers
January 10, 2015
Love the character Bev but found the constant addition of "mate" to her dialogue very irritating. Also found the villain quite predictable and yet another plot where the heroine's life and career is worse at the end than the beginning is becoming tedious.. Will read one more before reluctantly giving up on the series.....
Profile Image for Hannelore Cheney.
1,568 reviews29 followers
December 27, 2014
Loved it! The Bev Morriss series is one of my favourites. No. 5 & 6 are in my possession, the books are like chips, you can't just read one!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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