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DI Jon Spicer #5
The Edge
They murdered his brother. Now Spicer will have vengeance.
In this tense crime thriller, Jon receives the phone call he has long dreaded. His wild younger brother has been found murdered and horribly mutilated. Jon hoped he could steer Dave away from his drug-fuelled, self-destructive fate, but now must face the fact he failed.
Burning with anger, the maverick Manchester detective heads to the town where Dave's body was discovered, determined to find the killer and make them pay for taking his brother's life.
Meanwhile, Dave's young girlfriend, Zoe, is trapped in an inner-city hell. Vulnerable, destitute and now alone, she is being hunted by a vicious criminal Dave was in debt to.
Arriving in the Peak District, Jon realises the truth of his brother's murder lies in two out on the bleak moors overlooking the secretive rural town and back in Manchester, with a frightened girl trapped somewhere among its mass of imposing tower-blocks.
Chris nominated for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year and CWA Daggers!
Praise for Chris Simms’ novels
‘Another gripping thriller from a master of the craft.’ (WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY)
‘Definitely a talent to watch. A rising star.’ (THE BOOKSELLER)
‘A must-read for all those who enjoy top-quality crime fiction.’ (SHOTS MAGAZINE)
‘Chris Simms has been quietly building one of the best police procedural series in this country.’ (CATHOLIC HERALD)
Some Amazon reader reviews for The Edge
‘Brilliant! The best book so far! Chris makes it so easy to engage with every single character.’ ★★★★★
‘Unputdownable, and that's not happened to me for a while with a book so I'm thankful to Chris for getting me back into good books.’ ★★★★★
‘This series gets better with each book. The story line is good and the descriptions very realistic.’ ★★★★★
‘Love DI Spicer!!!! Off to buy the next!!!!’ ★★★★★
About the AuthorChris Simms has worked in airports, nightclubs, post offices and telesales centres. After travelling around the world he settled near Manchester - where he now scribbles away in a cosy garden shed with a dainty little lurcher lying at his feet.Along with nominations for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year award and Crime Writers’ Association Daggers (for his novels and short stories), Chris was selected by Waterstone’s as one of their ‘25 Authors For The Future’.Ready to enter the world of DI Spicer? Get this twisting thriller now!
In this tense crime thriller, Jon receives the phone call he has long dreaded. His wild younger brother has been found murdered and horribly mutilated. Jon hoped he could steer Dave away from his drug-fuelled, self-destructive fate, but now must face the fact he failed.
Burning with anger, the maverick Manchester detective heads to the town where Dave's body was discovered, determined to find the killer and make them pay for taking his brother's life.
Meanwhile, Dave's young girlfriend, Zoe, is trapped in an inner-city hell. Vulnerable, destitute and now alone, she is being hunted by a vicious criminal Dave was in debt to.
Arriving in the Peak District, Jon realises the truth of his brother's murder lies in two out on the bleak moors overlooking the secretive rural town and back in Manchester, with a frightened girl trapped somewhere among its mass of imposing tower-blocks.
Chris nominated for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year and CWA Daggers!
Praise for Chris Simms’ novels
‘Another gripping thriller from a master of the craft.’ (WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY)
‘Definitely a talent to watch. A rising star.’ (THE BOOKSELLER)
‘A must-read for all those who enjoy top-quality crime fiction.’ (SHOTS MAGAZINE)
‘Chris Simms has been quietly building one of the best police procedural series in this country.’ (CATHOLIC HERALD)
Some Amazon reader reviews for The Edge
‘Brilliant! The best book so far! Chris makes it so easy to engage with every single character.’ ★★★★★
‘Unputdownable, and that's not happened to me for a while with a book so I'm thankful to Chris for getting me back into good books.’ ★★★★★
‘This series gets better with each book. The story line is good and the descriptions very realistic.’ ★★★★★
‘Love DI Spicer!!!! Off to buy the next!!!!’ ★★★★★
About the AuthorChris Simms has worked in airports, nightclubs, post offices and telesales centres. After travelling around the world he settled near Manchester - where he now scribbles away in a cosy garden shed with a dainty little lurcher lying at his feet.Along with nominations for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year award and Crime Writers’ Association Daggers (for his novels and short stories), Chris was selected by Waterstone’s as one of their ‘25 Authors For The Future’.Ready to enter the world of DI Spicer? Get this twisting thriller now!
- GenresCrime
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Chris Simms
67 books83 followersI was born and brought up in rural Sussex, three miles from the nearest shop. Childhood holidays – which lasted for weeks as my dad was a teacher – were spent in a secluded spot in the heart of Exmoor. Sitting round the campfire at night, the haunting cries of owls floating in from the blackness beyond the flames, he would read me the ghost stories of MR James. The short walk to the safety of my tent was always taken at a sprint.
Books that interested me growing up? Plenty of mysteries – especially the Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators series. I also loved Roahl Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected and read plenty of Pan Horror Stories, too.
Later, it was novels that gave insights into unusual minds: the twisted desires of Frederick in John Fowles’, The Collector; the tormented thoughts of Scobie in Graham Greene’s, Heart of the Matter; the violent urges of Francie in Patrick McCabe’s, Butcher Boy all had a major influence.
After school and university came a series of abysmal jobs punctuated by travelling. Quite a lot of travelling, actually. Then, just after my 30th birthday, the idea for my first novel came to me. I was broken down on the hard shoulder of a motorway in the early hours of the morning, waiting for a rescue vehicle to arrive. It’s about the driver of a van who roams the roads in the dead of night, looking for stranded motorists to murder…
Ideas for subsequent novels have occurred at all sorts of odd moments: glimpsing a derelict church from the window of a moving train; browsing a newspaper report about a walker who claimed he’d been attacked by a panther; half-reading a doctor’s surgery article on how some tinnitus sufferers don’t hear whistles or buzzes – they’re tormented by birdsong; listening to a radio program about a flotilla of yellow ducks that fell from a cargo ship and floated slowly across the Atlantic.
Books that interested me growing up? Plenty of mysteries – especially the Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators series. I also loved Roahl Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected and read plenty of Pan Horror Stories, too.
Later, it was novels that gave insights into unusual minds: the twisted desires of Frederick in John Fowles’, The Collector; the tormented thoughts of Scobie in Graham Greene’s, Heart of the Matter; the violent urges of Francie in Patrick McCabe’s, Butcher Boy all had a major influence.
After school and university came a series of abysmal jobs punctuated by travelling. Quite a lot of travelling, actually. Then, just after my 30th birthday, the idea for my first novel came to me. I was broken down on the hard shoulder of a motorway in the early hours of the morning, waiting for a rescue vehicle to arrive. It’s about the driver of a van who roams the roads in the dead of night, looking for stranded motorists to murder…
Ideas for subsequent novels have occurred at all sorts of odd moments: glimpsing a derelict church from the window of a moving train; browsing a newspaper report about a walker who claimed he’d been attacked by a panther; half-reading a doctor’s surgery article on how some tinnitus sufferers don’t hear whistles or buzzes – they’re tormented by birdsong; listening to a radio program about a flotilla of yellow ducks that fell from a cargo ship and floated slowly across the Atlantic.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 23, 2023
Depressing!
This was my first and last DI Spicer book, the story was just too depressing. I didn't warm to the main character, DI Spicer, a totally obsessed individual wrapped up in the murder of his estranged brother. A brother he had not spoken to for many years. The need to solve the murder (not his case by the way) took precedence over all other considerations in his life, including his pregnant wife and toddler son. Was this a form of personal guilt? He rode roughshod over everyone, be they family, friends or colleagues. Not for me I'm afraid.
This was my first and last DI Spicer book, the story was just too depressing. I didn't warm to the main character, DI Spicer, a totally obsessed individual wrapped up in the murder of his estranged brother. A brother he had not spoken to for many years. The need to solve the murder (not his case by the way) took precedence over all other considerations in his life, including his pregnant wife and toddler son. Was this a form of personal guilt? He rode roughshod over everyone, be they family, friends or colleagues. Not for me I'm afraid.
April 6, 2026
3.5⭐️ rounded up
Another strong read in the DI Spicer series. I’m really enjoying these books, especially with the familiar locations, and the nostalgia of references to 20+ years ago adds something extra for me!
By this point, I feel like I understand how Spicer works a lot better, even if that doesn’t make it any less frustrating at times. Some of his decisions in this one had me questioning everything and trying to justify his thinking… with limited success. That tension is probably one of the things that keeps me hooked.
It’s not my favourite in the series, but I was still fully invested all the way through. Also, I’m genuinely sad about poor Dave.
I’d definitely recommend reading the series in order so you get the full character depth and history, especially with the direction this one takes.
Really looking forward to the next instalment to see the fallout from some of Spicer’s choices.
Another strong read in the DI Spicer series. I’m really enjoying these books, especially with the familiar locations, and the nostalgia of references to 20+ years ago adds something extra for me!
By this point, I feel like I understand how Spicer works a lot better, even if that doesn’t make it any less frustrating at times. Some of his decisions in this one had me questioning everything and trying to justify his thinking… with limited success. That tension is probably one of the things that keeps me hooked.
It’s not my favourite in the series, but I was still fully invested all the way through. Also, I’m genuinely sad about poor Dave.
I’d definitely recommend reading the series in order so you get the full character depth and history, especially with the direction this one takes.
Really looking forward to the next instalment to see the fallout from some of Spicer’s choices.
November 28, 2015
Good Book
And on my way to Book 6. The D I Spicer books keep my interest until the end, when I'm always sorry that there is no more. This story makes you realize that nothing is as important as family and stay away from drugs and the people who deal them.
And on my way to Book 6. The D I Spicer books keep my interest until the end, when I'm always sorry that there is no more. This story makes you realize that nothing is as important as family and stay away from drugs and the people who deal them.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews