What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dead List
The dead man's head rests on a halo of blood. His hands are locked together as if in prayer. Rookie police officer John Drake is first on scene. His superiors want to call it an accidental death, but he isn't convinced. In his previous life, Drake saw his share of dead bodies. He knows this was not an accident. When he uncovers a list with five names including the name of the dead man, there's only one question. Are the names on the list suspects or potential victims?
- GenresMystery
265 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 10, 2015
300 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Martin Crosbie
13 books365 followersIn a press release, Amazon called Martin Crosbie’s debut novel My Temporary Life one of their success stories. His self-publishing journey has been chronicled in Publisher's Weekly, Forbes, and Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper. Martin’s recent release The Dead List (A John Drake Mystery) was awarded a publishing contract by Kindle Press.
He’s also the author of My Name Is Hardly - Book Two of the My Temporary Life Trilogy, Lies I Never Told - A Collection of Short Stories, How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon's Kindle - An Easy-To-Follow Self-Publishing Guidebook, 2016 Edition, and Believing Again: A Tale Of Two Christmases.
Martin was born in the Highlands of Scotland and currently makes his home just outside Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada.
He’s also the author of My Name Is Hardly - Book Two of the My Temporary Life Trilogy, Lies I Never Told - A Collection of Short Stories, How I Sold 30,000 eBooks on Amazon's Kindle - An Easy-To-Follow Self-Publishing Guidebook, 2016 Edition, and Believing Again: A Tale Of Two Christmases.
Martin was born in the Highlands of Scotland and currently makes his home just outside Vancouver, on the west coast of Canada.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 29, 2015
The Dead List, the first book in A John Drake Mystery series by Martin Crosbie is an attention grabbing mystery. This is something very different for the author which was a nice surprise. There are some stellar moments that had spiked my curiosity.
Mr. Crosbie has a profound and inviting writing style. Very easy to get drawn into the likable and not so likable characters. There is an ease to the writing that allows the reader to just fall right into the story with all the twists and turns.
The Dead List is realistic and entertaining. This rookie had a story to tell and I was locked in for the bumpy ride.
Quote ~
"It wasn't home, but it felt like Hope was a town where a man could hide. It was less anonymous than he originally thought, but it was where he ended up. The town reminded him of nothing and nowhere, and that was what he needed."
Mr. Crosbie has a profound and inviting writing style. Very easy to get drawn into the likable and not so likable characters. There is an ease to the writing that allows the reader to just fall right into the story with all the twists and turns.
The Dead List is realistic and entertaining. This rookie had a story to tell and I was locked in for the bumpy ride.
Quote ~
"It wasn't home, but it felt like Hope was a town where a man could hide. It was less anonymous than he originally thought, but it was where he ended up. The town reminded him of nothing and nowhere, and that was what he needed."
November 7, 2015
When I was teaching I mentored a student teacher of First Nations heritage. One day he sat down on a chair and gathered the students around him on the floor to listen. And then he proceeded to blow the lesson. He was doing everything wrong, and I wondered what I was going to tell him when the kids started twitching after about three minutes.
Twenty minutes later the lesson was done and not one child had moved. I started to wonder what I could learn from this guy; I still don’t know how he did it. Reading Martin Crosbie is like that. Storytelling is an art, and sometimes it’s difficult to figure out why it’s so good.
For example, in The Dead List there is almost no action for the first third of the story. A body is found, a rookie RCMP officer goes out on a limb and says it’s murder. And then they can’t find any evidence. Nothing happens for a long time.
And the reader doesn’t care. We are so engrossed in the interplay of the characters, so interested in finding out what awful background John Drake is trying to escape from, that we just want to keep reading.
Disclaimer: I am from a small town in British Columbia. I have driven through Hope – the setting for this story – numerous times on my way to and from the Interior, and I thought it a pleasant little place. I have eaten a wonderful breakfast at the Home Restaurant, just like Drake does. And I had no idea that any place like Cobalt Street existed (and it’s probably fictional), although every town has an area like that. The evocative descriptions of the decrepit houses and the quirky characters that strike so close to home kept me entertained as the investigation stalled. Learning about Drake – a wonderful, complex character – right down to his favourite pizza, (sorry, no spoilers) engaged me more than car chases and fistfights.
And then, once Crosbie has trickled enough information to us about our mystery detective, the clues to the murder start adding up and the action begins; we’re off on the next ride. The plotline is nicely complicated, the personalities interact with increasing vigour and we are rewarded for our patience with a crackerjack of a murder mystery.
The first time through, I read this story in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. Highly recommended for mystery fans and those who appreciate a good novel.
Twenty minutes later the lesson was done and not one child had moved. I started to wonder what I could learn from this guy; I still don’t know how he did it. Reading Martin Crosbie is like that. Storytelling is an art, and sometimes it’s difficult to figure out why it’s so good.
For example, in The Dead List there is almost no action for the first third of the story. A body is found, a rookie RCMP officer goes out on a limb and says it’s murder. And then they can’t find any evidence. Nothing happens for a long time.
And the reader doesn’t care. We are so engrossed in the interplay of the characters, so interested in finding out what awful background John Drake is trying to escape from, that we just want to keep reading.
Disclaimer: I am from a small town in British Columbia. I have driven through Hope – the setting for this story – numerous times on my way to and from the Interior, and I thought it a pleasant little place. I have eaten a wonderful breakfast at the Home Restaurant, just like Drake does. And I had no idea that any place like Cobalt Street existed (and it’s probably fictional), although every town has an area like that. The evocative descriptions of the decrepit houses and the quirky characters that strike so close to home kept me entertained as the investigation stalled. Learning about Drake – a wonderful, complex character – right down to his favourite pizza, (sorry, no spoilers) engaged me more than car chases and fistfights.
And then, once Crosbie has trickled enough information to us about our mystery detective, the clues to the murder start adding up and the action begins; we’re off on the next ride. The plotline is nicely complicated, the personalities interact with increasing vigour and we are rewarded for our patience with a crackerjack of a murder mystery.
The first time through, I read this story in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. Highly recommended for mystery fans and those who appreciate a good novel.
September 24, 2019
Hmmm
Kind of like reading dull police report depicting he events of the day. Not a real page turner for me.
Kind of like reading dull police report depicting he events of the day. Not a real page turner for me.
July 1, 2020
2002, Hope, British Columbia, Canada. Officer John Drake (38, RCMP) & Officer Brandon Van Dyke (24, RCMP) met Rempel (EMT) & Rose (EMT partner) at the crime scene.
The body had been ID as Michael Andrew Robinson (48, car salesman, Coquihalla Rd).
Investigator Pringle (General Investigation Service (GIS) & Sergeant Matt Ryberg major crime unit (MCU) are on their way.
Frank Wilson (55, logger), Monica Brown (waitress), Derek “Buttons” Rochfort (Trailco Rochfort Industries mgr.), Trevor Middleton (47), Dave Parker (sales mgr.), & Anton Van Dyke (Brandon’s brother) were all interrogated.
Brian Stam (salesman, First Mennonite Church Sunday school teacher) had been interviewed by Investigator Pringle & Investigator Myron Couthillard.
Derek Rochfort had been killed also.
Will the murder mysteries get solved & thew killer brought to justice?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
An awesome book cover, & proper great font & writing style. A very professionally written murder mystery book. It was quite easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great murder mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is an amazingly easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
The body had been ID as Michael Andrew Robinson (48, car salesman, Coquihalla Rd).
Investigator Pringle (General Investigation Service (GIS) & Sergeant Matt Ryberg major crime unit (MCU) are on their way.
Frank Wilson (55, logger), Monica Brown (waitress), Derek “Buttons” Rochfort (Trailco Rochfort Industries mgr.), Trevor Middleton (47), Dave Parker (sales mgr.), & Anton Van Dyke (Brandon’s brother) were all interrogated.
Brian Stam (salesman, First Mennonite Church Sunday school teacher) had been interviewed by Investigator Pringle & Investigator Myron Couthillard.
Derek Rochfort had been killed also.
Will the murder mysteries get solved & thew killer brought to justice?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.
An awesome book cover, & proper great font & writing style. A very professionally written murder mystery book. It was quite easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great murder mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is an amazingly easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
September 9, 2024
Although Martin Crosbie was heralded in Publisher’s Weekly, Forbes, and Canada’s Globe and Mail newspapers for his bestselling debut novel, My Temporary Life, I had never heard of him until I received The Dead List as part of a promotional bundle. After having read The Dead List, I can say unequivocally that he has earned all those accolades.
Someone once said that there aren’t any new stories to be told, every plot has been used a myriad of times by innumerable authors, and it's true. What makes a story new and interesting are the unique characters the author creates to populate his story’s world, and the unique ways he has those characters living out the story. In The Dead List. It's RCMP constable John Drake and his mysterious past, a past that’s only alluded to throughout the story that grabbed my attention and kept me burning through the pages. All the characters are unique and interesting, but the Drake character makes the story.
The Dead List is an adrenaline-fueled, rollercoaster thrill ride, a must read for every adrenaline jockey.
Someone once said that there aren’t any new stories to be told, every plot has been used a myriad of times by innumerable authors, and it's true. What makes a story new and interesting are the unique characters the author creates to populate his story’s world, and the unique ways he has those characters living out the story. In The Dead List. It's RCMP constable John Drake and his mysterious past, a past that’s only alluded to throughout the story that grabbed my attention and kept me burning through the pages. All the characters are unique and interesting, but the Drake character makes the story.
The Dead List is an adrenaline-fueled, rollercoaster thrill ride, a must read for every adrenaline jockey.
February 20, 2019
Frankly, this book has some shortcomings: in places several scenarios or settings are run together in one big paragraph; occasionally the speech of more than one person is lumped into the same paragraph; and on a few pages improper paragraph breaks are inserted.
Other shortcomings with haphazard description of settings appear in a couple of places, and a murder victim's wounds do not fit the disposition of the body.
All of those sometimes interfere with the pace, and even with full enjoyment of the yarn, yet do not detract from the wicked twists and blind alleys, and Crosbie manages to obscure the possible perp(s) while sparking suspicion on a huge group of townsfolk.
Police procedures are realistically portrayed and group dynamics are as well. And Crosbie has created a cast of characters who are so interesting that most of them (good- and bad-guys (and gals)) beg to be included in future yarns
Other shortcomings with haphazard description of settings appear in a couple of places, and a murder victim's wounds do not fit the disposition of the body.
All of those sometimes interfere with the pace, and even with full enjoyment of the yarn, yet do not detract from the wicked twists and blind alleys, and Crosbie manages to obscure the possible perp(s) while sparking suspicion on a huge group of townsfolk.
Police procedures are realistically portrayed and group dynamics are as well. And Crosbie has created a cast of characters who are so interesting that most of them (good- and bad-guys (and gals)) beg to be included in future yarns
July 7, 2020
I think this is a kind of old school mystery, about a murder case in Hope - British Columbia (yes, where the first Rambo film took place), and the policeman (main character) who tries to solve it. He does this, in team with several collegues, mainly by interviewing all possible involved persons, and then by logical deduction. Very good character description, certainly of the collegues, no fast-paced action, even the slow-paced action is limited, no romance but possible in a sequel, and only a bit by bit and slower progress to the solving of the case. The culprit gets found, and the story has an ending, some questions remain about the main character, probably to be cleared out in the sequels. Decently written, recommendable, esp for mystery lovers. I don’t feel very generous when I give four stars.
July 27, 2024
A brilliant book full of tense episodes to keep you guessing. It gives you an insight of Becca's life before she became an FBI Agent, which threads it's way through the storyline. Working with her partner allows you to get a glimpse of their relationship as Police Officers & how well they take care of each other. A really good read which I read in one day. It is the 1st book I've read by Martin Crosbie & I shall certainly be reading more by this author. A story that is straight in with a killing & doesn't waffle on or stray from the storyline, so it keeps you
interested to the end.
interested to the end.
August 4, 2024
The Dead List is a story about an older man working as a rookie police officer in a small town in Canada. He wants to be as invisible as possible because of his past. However he is forced to be at the forefront of a murder investigation. The story is not particularly well written. The ending is well done, however. The culprit is not easily known until the end. The main character is well liked though.
August 13, 2017
This was a different sort of murder mystery. While many stories have numerous potential killers and plenty of motives, there seems to have been no reason why anyone would have wanted to murder the car salesman. Without a motive, it makes it difficult for the detectives to find the killer. The build-up is slow as the detectives try to unravel the mystery, but the conclusion is surprising.
December 17, 2018
A man is found dead and Police officer John Drake is the first person on the Scene. Since this is the first murder in the City of Hope in many years, it stirs up a hornets nest.The Police search and interview many People and then a 2nd murder occurs. The book was interesting but a little too long in my opinion.
December 28, 2020
How fortunate the killer left a list of potential victims for our hero to find the connection and motive for the killings. Really didn’t see the actual villain until the reveal. Also enjoyed the struggle Drake has with his true calling, one he got burned out on and thought he left behind. Good murder mystery.
February 8, 2023
Crime in a small town.
RCMP Constable John Drake is first on the scene — a dead man found on the sidewalk in a neighborhood he had no reason to visit. A group of people bound by a secret, but nobody’s talking. And throughout the investigation, Drake is shadowed by his own secrets: who is he hiding from, and what happened that night in Ireland? Excellent…highly recommend.
RCMP Constable John Drake is first on the scene — a dead man found on the sidewalk in a neighborhood he had no reason to visit. A group of people bound by a secret, but nobody’s talking. And throughout the investigation, Drake is shadowed by his own secrets: who is he hiding from, and what happened that night in Ireland? Excellent…highly recommend.
August 18, 2024
Intriguing dramà
A truly intriguing mystery story. Despite obviously having a troubled past life John Drake, as he is now known, finds himself in the middle of
an unusual and intriguing murder scenario. Can he solve the mystery of both this murder mystery and the worrying scenario from his former life.
A truly intriguing mystery story. Despite obviously having a troubled past life John Drake, as he is now known, finds himself in the middle of
an unusual and intriguing murder scenario. Can he solve the mystery of both this murder mystery and the worrying scenario from his former life.
September 17, 2018
The dead man's head rests on a halo of blood
I enjoyed this book overall. It's an easy read with good pace and unexpected twists and turns. I'll look for more from this author when I need to scratch that mystery itch again.
I enjoyed this book overall. It's an easy read with good pace and unexpected twists and turns. I'll look for more from this author when I need to scratch that mystery itch again.
April 24, 2019
I enjoyed this book. It is a great beginning to a great series I am sure! I loved the characters. I love the mystery surrounding the main character too. The plot is exceptional. I enjoyed the entire book with no down time. I want to read more from this author too. I am glad that I read it.
October 14, 2020
Hope, B.C, 2002. Constable John Drake is called to a crime scene. A man has been found dead on the pavement, accident or murder. He was one of a drinking group of five, but was once six people. Is there a connection. It;s not long before another death occurs.
An enjoyable crime story
An enjoyable crime story
January 20, 2021
3.5 rounded up. I would follow John Drake into a sequel if one were to be released. This story introduces us to a compassionate but reticent man with a heavy past, of which we get occasional glimpses.
November 12, 2021
John Drake Mystery
Couldn't put it down! Loved learning investigation along with John and the Major Crime Unit. His character was so tortured, empathetic and then hopeful that I was hooked. Thanks for the introduction!
Can't wait to start the next one!
Couldn't put it down! Loved learning investigation along with John and the Major Crime Unit. His character was so tortured, empathetic and then hopeful that I was hooked. Thanks for the introduction!
Can't wait to start the next one!
July 29, 2024
Intriguing
John Drake is a man worth watching. From this book, it is Obvious that John is a gifted investigator. As the series develops his previous life will surely be revealed. I look forward to reading the next book intheseries.
John Drake is a man worth watching. From this book, it is Obvious that John is a gifted investigator. As the series develops his previous life will surely be revealed. I look forward to reading the next book intheseries.
August 21, 2024
the dead list
John drake mystery series book 1.
Crosbie paints a good picture of the small town of Hope.
The characters are believable and interesting.
Drake keeps you guessing about his secrets.
Everyone has secrets.
John drake mystery series book 1.
Crosbie paints a good picture of the small town of Hope.
The characters are believable and interesting.
Drake keeps you guessing about his secrets.
Everyone has secrets.
June 10, 2025
A very good mystery
The setting in this town, hope British columbia, is very interesting to me. It was very enjoyable reading about the differences between Canadian police protocols and the USA's.
The setting in this town, hope British columbia, is very interesting to me. It was very enjoyable reading about the differences between Canadian police protocols and the USA's.
December 14, 2017
Likeable characters
I enjoyed the pace and twists that kept me turning the pages. Enough mystery about our hero to keep me looking forward to the next book.
I enjoyed the pace and twists that kept me turning the pages. Enough mystery about our hero to keep me looking forward to the next book.
January 1, 2018
Captivating
Great book - twists and turns kept me guessing until the end.
Great characters and plot.
I'll be looking for more by this author.
Great book - twists and turns kept me guessing until the end.
Great characters and plot.
I'll be looking for more by this author.
February 27, 2018
Good book, hated to put it down but he never went anywhere really discussing his past!
May 14, 2018
Enjoyed Book
Nicely written. A slow pace but a quick read. Excellent travel book; used while on vacation. Would read more by this author.
Nicely written. A slow pace but a quick read. Excellent travel book; used while on vacation. Would read more by this author.
July 26, 2024
Good book and story until the abrupt ending. No closure and the reader is left hanging as to the final outcome.
December 8, 2024
I thought that this was a surprisingly good read. While it was a relatively simple story, I found the style quite engaging. Pace was reasonable.
September 29, 2025
Keep turning pages kind of good
Really enjoyed this story, was a fast read, that kept my interest from front cover to back cover. Thank you
Really enjoyed this story, was a fast read, that kept my interest from front cover to back cover. Thank you
November 17, 2025
Engrossing story with good procedural description. John works alongside the big time detectives and shows he has what is needed to join their ranks.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews