Nothing Sacred

Daniel Connell #2

by David Thorne

A mother's nightmare: her children taken from her because of unexplained injuries all over their bodies. Who will believe her story?

When lawyer Daniel Connell receives a visit from his trouble-making old flame Victoria pleading for his help, he looks for any excuse not to get involved. But no one else believes her pleas of innocence and Daniel can see she is terrified.

As he enters Vick's life once more, Daniel's search for truth leads from the dark heart of Essex to the mountains of Afghanistan, and a terrifying world where monsters are real - and nothing is sacred.

Genres: Crime, Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2015

About the author

David Thorne has worked as a writer for the last 15 years, originally in advertising, then in television and radio comedy. He has written material for many comedians, including Jimmy Carr, Alan Carr, David Mitchell and Bob Mortimer. He was a major contributor to the BAFTA-winning Armstrong and Miller Show, and has worked on shows including Facejacker, Harry and Paul and Alan Carr: Chatty Man. Nothing Sacred is his second novel in the Daniel Connell series, after East of Innocence.

Reviews

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gritty crime thriller Nothing Sacred is the second book from David Thorne to feature disgraced lawyer, Daniel Connell, following East of Innocence.

In Nothing Sacred, Daniel is reluctantly drawn into the underworld of Essex by the tearful pleas of his ex girlfriend Victoria who is being tormented by an unseen force and has lost custody of her young children. Meanwhile, Daniel's childhood best friend Gabe, a veteran whose military career was cut short when he lost his leg, is mixed up in something deadly that has followed him from the battlefield of Afghanistan.

Nothing Sacred was a little too brutal and bleak for my tastes, but the action is fast-paced and the plot is well thought out. There are several twists and Thorne brings it all together well.
The characters are convincing, if somewhat stereotypical for the genre. Daniel's sense of justice overrides his confidence in the law and he has no problem crossing the line when he feels justified in doing so.

A quick, solid read with a noir-ish feel, Nothing Sacred should appeal to crime fiction fans with a hard edge.

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 4 out of 5]

When an old friend whose children have been taken into care asks lawyer, Daniel Connell, to represent her, he can’t imagine how tangled he’ll get in Essex’s murky underworld. Meanwhile, his best friend, Gabe, seems threatened by even more deadly forces. Daniel sums it up when he thinks, “These men kill with the contemptuous ease of young gods”. Author, David Thorne, continues the relentless pace he set in the first Daniel Connell book, exposing the psychopathic killers that stroll the earth and toy with innocents on a whim. While it’s incredibly gripping, it‘s also a bit disheartening to spend time in this world and watch an increasingly desperate Daniel stoop lower and lower, despite his good intentions. The writing and plot are strong, the only weak point in the story being when Daniel kept his girlfriend in the dark - his reasoning made no sense. Audio narrator Rupert Degas put in another stellar performance, mesmerisingly good.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I received this book as an uncorrected bound proof copy direct from the publisher in exchange for an honest review"

Once again as in "East of Innocence" the crime hasn't landed directly in the lap of Daniel Connell. A seemingly harmless case involving his ex girlfriend Victoria soon pulls Connell into the dark under world of Essex once again. With drama unfolding on every page which made for in my opinion a real page turner and very hard to put down. Loved Gabe's plot that seamlessly intermingled alongside Connells, it gave the story more of an edge that in the end killed two birds with one stone which was cleverly done by Thorne. Truly enjoyable, a real pleasure to read, full of twists and surprises and well written. All in all, this instalment was more gripping than the first book. Look very much forward to more from this author.

[Miss Dizzy Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this after reading the brilliant 'East of Innocence' didn't disappoint, he has a great style of writing that flows effortlessly, totally absorbing story, hope there's more to come.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grisly & violent & disturbing but I wanted the "least bad" men to win somehow & I found it hard to put down.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

"Nothing Sacred" is the second book in the Daniel Connell mystery/thriller series, focusing on lawyer Daniel Connell. At the start of this book, Daniel is approached by an old girlfriend, Vick, who has lost custody of her children and needs his help getting them back. The children have been taken away after marks are discovered on them by their doctor, which Vick swears that she has no idea about. This is the latest strange occurrence in Vick's life, which Daniel begins investigating. Quickly, Daniel realizes that something bigger is going on, which puts him and the people he loves in danger.

While this book works as a standalone plot-wise, I don't know if it works as a standalone in regards to Daniel himself. I hope/assume that the previous book spent more time introducing us to Daniel and building up his back story, relationship with Maria, etc., because I didn't feel like I learned anything about him throughout the whole book aside from the fact that he was "big and didn't look like a lawyer".

Although this book wasn't quite for me and I probably wouldn't continue with the series, I would recommend it to someone attached to the setting (Essex) as there seemed to be a lot of specific references that readers with that insight might enjoy more.

[Rpaul Tho · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just really wasn’t into this book or the characters. I have this feeling of disdain for Daniel as a main character and the storyline here seemed to just come out of nowhere. The references just didn’t pull me in or make me care about any of them. And the relationship between Maria and Daniel was strained at best. It seemed so odd that everything he did didn’t involve her yet he loves her? It was off for me.

[Roslyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm loving this series. The second book didn't disappoint. All the characters are interesting and brilliantly brought to life. The interweaving of stories and characters is fascinating and I can't wait for the next book.

[Ruth Bingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Slinkieb8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! This series just gets better and better
Can't wait to start on #3

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎧 this was awesome! Great story and characters. Can't wait to read the third in this series and really hope that the author writes more!

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Thorne took me on a second thrilling journey into the Essex underworld, in the company of Daniel Connell. Daniel is an unusually well-rounded and engaging character to find in this sort of crime thriller, and his relationship with friend, Gabe, is a strong thread in this story whilst his girlfriend, Maria, shows us another aspect of his life.

Sadly, clients are not exactly beating the way to his law practice door, so Daniel is not in a position to pick and choose too much what comes his way. An old friend seeks his professional assistance and this leads to one of the two plots that run through this novel, while the other involves Gabe's past army career. Both lead to horrific acts by truly evil people and resolution is hard to imagine. There is tragedy and a lot of danger. Can there be any resolution to either thread? Read it and find out - you will be thrilled by this story.

I am looking forward for another chance to step out with Daniel Connell - the second was even better than the first, and that was awesome!

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had never heard of this book or the author but on a road trip to South Australia, hubby said I could listen to an audiobook, so I hopped onto Bolinda audio and picked out a book that I thought would appeal to us both.

Nothing Sacred tells the story of a lawyer in Essex, England who is helping an old friend regain custody of her children, meanwhile a friend of his is trying to get justice for an incident that occurred when he was serving in the armed forces in the Middle East. There are two separate narratives happening in this book which seem unrelated and they intersect eventually.

This is a graphic, gritty crime novel and I would describe it as a real "blokes" novel as the narrator has a very strong English cockney accent and the subject matter is quite graphic at times. No romantic girly themes here!

After about an hour of listening. I asked my husband what had happened so far, and he replied "I wouldn't have a clue"! Unbelievable! I should have picked a girly book!!! Despite this I did quite enjoy it and would read his other novel too.

[Gillian Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniell Connell returns in this fast paced thriller full of twists and turns. He certainley is becoming one of my favourite new characters. Its a dirty,gritty tale of Essex gangland once again that this time takes us over to Afghanistan as two situations collide. The Characters are brutal and real,immense and intense. Explosive is an understatement. I think there are huge things to come for David Thorne where Daniel Connell is involved and I cannot wait!

[Any Length]

can't get into this book tried till chapter 15.
Didn't help I was listening to the audio version and the reader's way of speaking is not suitable for recordings. His "s" is to sharp/cutting and leaves the listener with a sore ear.

[Victoria Spicer-Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting plot, but far too graphically violent for my taste.