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Charlie Priest #10
Over the Edge
A shady deal. Two brutal murders. One detective on the brink.
Joe Crozier, the smooth-talking owner of a riverside nightclub, is used to calling the shots. So when a mysterious businessman offers a generous sum for his club, Crozier politely declines.
But what starts as a night of lavish wining and dining quickly turns dark. Bound, gagged, and left to drown in the icy river, Crozier’s fate is sealed.
Meanwhile, across town, Detective Priest is called to a chilling new case — one that hits far too close to home.
Tony Krabbe, a national hero and Priest's old schoolmate, is found murdered in his remote lodge, stabbed through the heart with a climbing ice pick.
Two victims. Two vastly different lives. But as Priest delves deeper into the investigation, unsettling connections begin to emerge. Could this case be the one that finally pushes him over the edge?
Joe Crozier, the smooth-talking owner of a riverside nightclub, is used to calling the shots. So when a mysterious businessman offers a generous sum for his club, Crozier politely declines.
But what starts as a night of lavish wining and dining quickly turns dark. Bound, gagged, and left to drown in the icy river, Crozier’s fate is sealed.
Meanwhile, across town, Detective Priest is called to a chilling new case — one that hits far too close to home.
Tony Krabbe, a national hero and Priest's old schoolmate, is found murdered in his remote lodge, stabbed through the heart with a climbing ice pick.
Two victims. Two vastly different lives. But as Priest delves deeper into the investigation, unsettling connections begin to emerge. Could this case be the one that finally pushes him over the edge?
301 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2004
244 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Pawson
18 books33 followersStuart Pawson lived in Fairburn, Yorkshire, with his wife, Doreen.
After a career as a mining electrical engineer, he worked part-time for the probation service for five years, mediating between offenders and their victims. This gave him a good insight into the criminal justice system, and it was during this period that he started to write his first book, The Picasso Scam.
Stuart believed he must have some cowboy genes somewhere in his genome because he always had a strong affinity for the American West. His first visit to the USA was to work for a month at a Wyoming coalmine, and he holidayed over there many times. Although tone-deaf (some would say stone-deaf) he always thought it would be good fun to be a songwriter. The thought of composing a three-minute song as opposed to a 300-page book had a certain attraction. He managed to combine the two themes - song writing and the West - in the opening chapters of Laughing Boy, and he enjoyed writing that one immensely.
After a career as a mining electrical engineer, he worked part-time for the probation service for five years, mediating between offenders and their victims. This gave him a good insight into the criminal justice system, and it was during this period that he started to write his first book, The Picasso Scam.
Stuart believed he must have some cowboy genes somewhere in his genome because he always had a strong affinity for the American West. His first visit to the USA was to work for a month at a Wyoming coalmine, and he holidayed over there many times. Although tone-deaf (some would say stone-deaf) he always thought it would be good fun to be a songwriter. The thought of composing a three-minute song as opposed to a 300-page book had a certain attraction. He managed to combine the two themes - song writing and the West - in the opening chapters of Laughing Boy, and he enjoyed writing that one immensely.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 13, 2020
I finished this on the flight home from a work trip to MTL. I probably have not read this series for about a year, but it is one that i always think about as a go to for a strong read. This was no exception, and probably the best in the series for me. Its not just the police work and the bad guys, its the background characters, that i know and look forward to update on each time i start another one.
I found some of the crime a shade more violet in this one, compared to the others, but maybe that was just the strong character development impacting my impressions.
I found some of the crime a shade more violet in this one, compared to the others, but maybe that was just the strong character development impacting my impressions.
December 24, 2018
Shahtoosh smuggling? Who knew!! And murder, human trafficking, car theft, greed, and suicide all tied up together in a tidy little package at the end. What's not to like!
December 31, 2019
Another great book in the DI Charlie Priest series, which is drawing closer to the end of the series, since the author has since died.
July 2, 2025
read all 10 cant fault any have pre ordered his latest enough said
July 29, 2025
A particularly good one!
January 28, 2013
It is a sad evening as I have just finished reading this book for although it is only 10/13 of the DI Charlie Priest series, for me it is the last of the series.
I dont think that the story was one of the best and there was no memorable joke to hint at in my notes but it is good to leave the series at a happy time for Charlie.
If you read my notes on the other books of the series you will be in no doubt as to my views but as it is my 13th I feel justified in repeating them.
I enjoyed the series so much because the author has realised that gratuitous sex and violence are not necessary to write a good tale. He has managed to introduce humour into the most harsh situations without it seeming out of place. The author has created a hero in D.I.Priest who is immediately likeable. He enjoys an excellent relationship with his contemporaries and his superior alike and I am sure that we would have envied him this in our own working lives. It also helps my enjoyment of the series that it is set in a part of the country that I knew well and I even believe that I worked for 10 years in one of the two towns that have been amalgamated to form Heckley.
Thoroughly enjoyed the series and I do hope that there will be more of Charlie Priest to come.
I dont think that the story was one of the best and there was no memorable joke to hint at in my notes but it is good to leave the series at a happy time for Charlie.
If you read my notes on the other books of the series you will be in no doubt as to my views but as it is my 13th I feel justified in repeating them.
I enjoyed the series so much because the author has realised that gratuitous sex and violence are not necessary to write a good tale. He has managed to introduce humour into the most harsh situations without it seeming out of place. The author has created a hero in D.I.Priest who is immediately likeable. He enjoys an excellent relationship with his contemporaries and his superior alike and I am sure that we would have envied him this in our own working lives. It also helps my enjoyment of the series that it is set in a part of the country that I knew well and I even believe that I worked for 10 years in one of the two towns that have been amalgamated to form Heckley.
Thoroughly enjoyed the series and I do hope that there will be more of Charlie Priest to come.
August 16, 2009
RATING: 4.5
PROTAGONIST: Charlie Priest, Detective Inspector
SETTING: Yorkshire (UK)
SERIES: #10 of 10
SUMMARY: Pawson’s D I Charlie Priest is one of my favorite characters, and this is one of my favorite series. Pawson excels at building a natural humor throughout while writing excellent police procedurals. There are multiple threads in the book. First has to do with the murder of a Leeds nightclub owner. Another has to do with the murder of a renowned mountaineer who was a former schoolmate of Charlie's. In addition, Priest also finds himself dealing with modern slave trade involving Eastern European women being lured into prostitution. On the personal front, Charlie is in a very touchy relationship with a woman who often drifts into deep depression. How that aspect of his life plays out is very well done. As is the book - if you haven't read Pawson, you need to get with the program. His earlier books are just now being reprinted. Satisfaction guaranteed!
PROTAGONIST: Charlie Priest, Detective Inspector
SETTING: Yorkshire (UK)
SERIES: #10 of 10
SUMMARY: Pawson’s D I Charlie Priest is one of my favorite characters, and this is one of my favorite series. Pawson excels at building a natural humor throughout while writing excellent police procedurals. There are multiple threads in the book. First has to do with the murder of a Leeds nightclub owner. Another has to do with the murder of a renowned mountaineer who was a former schoolmate of Charlie's. In addition, Priest also finds himself dealing with modern slave trade involving Eastern European women being lured into prostitution. On the personal front, Charlie is in a very touchy relationship with a woman who often drifts into deep depression. How that aspect of his life plays out is very well done. As is the book - if you haven't read Pawson, you need to get with the program. His earlier books are just now being reprinted. Satisfaction guaranteed!
August 5, 2009
D.I. Charlie Priest investigates the murder of a former schoolmate who's gone on to become a famous mountain climber. Pawson explores the personality of a man who inspired others to their best, yet had a darker side. The book also deals with the sex slave trade in Britain, and the tragic abuse of Eastern European women. This part was hard to take, but sadly credible, and as always in a Pawson book, well-handled.
I have a small collection of Stuart Pawson books and try to space out reading them to make the stack last longer. one of my very favorites.
I have a small collection of Stuart Pawson books and try to space out reading them to make the stack last longer. one of my very favorites.
December 30, 2019
Not too many books left in this series for me and I will miss D.I. Priest. A very likable character who manages to get the job done one way or the other. As per usual, a number of different strands are utilised in this novel keeping the reader guessing the direction it's going to take and in doing so keeps the reader interested throughout.
December 27, 2011
Good without being brilliant and I always enjoy this series.
April 3, 2016
D I Charlie Priest investigates two murders, one car fatality, immigrants forced into prostitution,how does it all connect, it keeps you guessing till the end.
February 21, 2023
Just an easy book to read.
November 8, 2015
as always a stonking good read :-):-):-)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews