All Saints: Murder on the Mersey

Mersey Murder Mysteries #2

by Brian L. Porter

After the discovery of two bodies, Detective Inspector Andy Ross and Detective Sergeant Izzie Drake must lead their team in a race against time to prevent further atrocities.

Clues point towards the enigmatic priest, Father Gerald Byrne, who has recently returned to the city of his birth.

But what connects Byrne to the graveyard murders, a young girl's suicide, and a former mental asylum?



★★★★★ - "The character development is excellent, as is the interaction among the characters. If you like murder mysteries with solid police work, this one is for you."

★★★★★ - "Well crafted and exciting from the first page to the last. Highly recommended."

Genres: Mystery

595 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2016

About the author

Formerly a member of the Royal Air Force, Brian L Porter is an award-winning author, and a dedicated dog rescuer, with the distinction of having more than twenty Amazon #1 bestsellers to his name. He has written under three pseudonyms, with bestsellers coming under each of his writing guises. The majority of those have come under his Brian L Porter name with four coming under his Harry Porter and Juan Pablo Jalisco names.

Nowadays, he divides his time between writing his popular Mersey Murder Mystery series of books, and his immensely successful true-life Family of Rescue Dogs series, all featuring the dogs that form part of his own family, and all having been Amazon #1 bestsellers.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder is always an awful way to go, but when your killer is bent on revenge and has a taste for the thoroughly vicious and insane, it won't be pretty. Such was the case for several men (who deserved it) in the second installment of the 'Mersey Murder Mysteries' series by Brian L. Porter. All Saints: Murder on the Mersey is a graphic tale where violent deaths are brilliantly depicted and religious hypocrisy is exposed. Kudos to Porter for making his characters come alive and his story stand out in the series...

In this book, Ross, Izzie and the rest of the gang are called to a cemetery when the naked, mutilated body of an unknown man is found. Certain parts have been cut off and stuffed in his mouth. Obviously, the crime is going to be of a sexual nature, but this is only the beginning. More bodies surface and none have a connection to one another -- at first. Then the chapters begin to alternate with the murderer(s) discussing the crime, events from ~40 years ago coming to light, and hidden dreams of a priest who's suddenly appeared back in town after a very long time. What do they have in common and how will they eventually lead to discovering the true intentions of a killer with a taste for the macabre and gory endings?

Porter's imagination is explosive. He balances horrific crimes with poignant steps in the main characters' lives (marriage, love, children). Each book handles a gruesome social issue vividly and with a punch to leave you thirsting for the next one. The way in which the victims die reminds you of thrilling and suspenseful horror films where a serial killer goes mental / berserk. Watching it unfold, realizing the relationships, and experiencing the connections to various gospels and names is entertaining and page-turning. I finished this one in just a few hours over a quiet afternoon. It's gotten me very psyched for his upcoming release in which a haunting image is on the cover - can't wait til he shares it! Bring it on soon, Porter! For now, I'll be content to finish the one remaining in the series I haven't gotten to... six in total so far -- you'll enjoy them all.

[Michelle Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book - lousy proofing

I enjoyed the characters and the plot. The person proofing the book should never be hired in that capacity again.

[Calvin Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent 'Mersey' Novel

This is the second of Brian Porter's books I have read, both in the 'Mersey' series. The first one was excellent but I think the second was possibly a little better although a little more gruesome so perhaps not recommended for the squeamish! The characters of Ross and Drake have been beautifully developed and I could imagine them both in a BBC drama. When I read the 'Epilogue', I found myself momentarily believing that was what actually happened to the characters, which is a really positive sign.
I have never met Brian 'Harry' Porter but discovered his books through social media as I am a fellow Evertonian. I am delighted I did, they are well crafted and believable. I am not the quickest reader in the world but I am sure I will complete the set in due course. With his film links, I look forward to one day seeing them adapted to the big screen too. Wonder who will play Andy Ross and Izzie Drake?!

[Fred E Stockwell Jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you were born and raised in Mersyside as I was, don't expect much Liverpudlian dialogue, but it's still a good read.

I only gave this book three stars due to the dreadful editing,names changed from one page to the next,genders mixed up. Having said that I really enjoyed the storyline, kept me turning pages and second guessing the unexpected ending (sorry,no spoilers here). I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

[John Dizon · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Saints by Brian L Porter is a well-crafted, quick-paced thriller focusing on the exploits of Inspector Andy Ross and Sergeant Izzie Drake, the protagonists of his previous work. They are called to investigate the gruesome murder of Matthew Remington, the autopsy indicating the man was tortured in what may have been an act of vengeance. All clues eventually lead to the doorstep of the Speke Hill Orphanage, where they make the acquaintance of Father Gerald Byrne. Cursory evidence begins pointing in his direction, yet Ross and Drake begin to suspect a decades-old subterfuge may be obscuring a pattern of payback killings. The path to the truth is cleverly wound by the author on a trail filled with hair-raising twists and turns.

The theme of religion resonates throughout the novel as the characters find their dogmatic beliefs challenged by the series of events leading to the murders of Remington and Mark Proctor. It is the murder of Councillor Lucas Devereaux that exacerbates the conflict, social respectability becoming a major issue as regards the politician and lay workers alike. Porter’s discussion of these compromises introduces relevant topics torn straight from today’s headlines.

For mystery buffs and suspense/thriller fans, All Saints by Brian L Porter is a sure bet.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Saints: Murder on the Mersey is the second in the Mersey Mysteries by Brian L Porter. It did not disappoint. When the Liverpool homicide unit are called in to deal with a series of brutal murders, DI Andy Ross and Sergeant Izzie Drake are faced with a race against time to stop further atrocities taking place. This is a book I just could not put down, where everyone is a suspect, and where the author pulls no punches in his graphic description of brutal murder. For me, DI Andy Ross fits the story line perfectly and along with the other characters in the novel everyone is believable.

Brilliantly written, All Saints Murder is a masterpiece of piece of modern crime fiction, more so when the author keeps you guessing as to who has done it! This book comes highly recommended, and I can’t wait for the next in the Mersey Mysteries to be published.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once more Liverpool detectives Ross and Drake find themselves at the very heart of a murder investigation. Darker than the first book , covering sensitive subject matter and containing graphic details of three gruesome murders the author takes you on a killer's journey of revenge. I don't want to go into much detail of the plot as this would spoil the story line for readers .

 

My final analysis of the book has to be the storyline is riveting , you find yourself getting caught up in every twist and turn and dare I say I found this one even better than the first and I can't wait to read the third in the series.

[helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intriguing

Really enjoyed this book. Good police procedure. Likable characters. Good story line. The book builds up to an exciting finale. If you like serial killer books ,you will definitely like this one

[Anne Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grittier

A more brutal book than the first in the series. I still like the characters, although they leaned towards being to good to be true, perfect home lives and work lives. Good plot lines that moved at a satisfying pace.

[barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but more gruesome storyline but found much character .

[Peter Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Master Storyteller at the top of his game

This is book 2 of the Mersey Mystery series. I read book 3 first, (no tittering at the back) loved it so much I read book 1 and, book 2 was up there with the others. I’ve already bought book 4.
For a police procedural this has everything you want. The scene is set in the past, a former Mental Asylum (Gothic in style and manner) is converted into a Roman Catholic Orphanage. I know, I thought the same thing but, in the style of all good murder mysteries, this is just the start of many blind passages and, truly, very dark alleys.
Now to the present date. A young woman walks into the Mersey River and drowns herself. A brutally mutilated body is found on a gravestone in a church yard, the man completely opened up, organs ceremoniously laid out around the corpse. Who is the dead man? Another corpse, another church and cemetery, another mysterious man and we are now into the depth of something truly depraved and still no clues. A profiler is appointed with the hope that blind alleys would be turned into clear pathways.
What follows is an intricate investigation for Liverpool’s elite crime squad, the personnel I am now familiar with and, growing to really like. The plot moves at a pace, the orphanage and school, the two churches and, a new priest, new church and, he is also chaplain to the school and orphanage – this all started to happen when this priest arrived – too simple? Trust me, nothing is simple, and I revelled in the complexity of the plot.
I can’t say too much more, for risk of spoilers, but I can say that the development of the story is masterfully crafted. I am a slow reader but for this, and the other books in this series I have read, I made time to devour the story and it was truly worth it.
I recommend this book, and this series – Porter writes stories that stay with you, creates characters that are real and engaging – 5 stars.

[John Broughton · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Saints: Murder on the Mersey is definitely not a book for the squeamish or those prone to nightmares. Having said that, Brian Porter has rung the changes magnificently whilst maintaining and deepening the characters of his murder squad. This novel is the second of the series but can be read as a stand-alone. The plot has sufficient twists and turns to keep the reader enthralled right to the satisfying end. It is hard to describe the plot without spoilers, so I’ll refrain, only saying that when people seek to take justice into their own hands, terrible things may happen!

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 out of 5 stars

Father Gerald Byrne returns to Liverpool after several years away to be the pastor of St. Luke’s. Along with that responsibility comes also being the chaplain to Speke Hill Orphanage. Father Byrne was placed there as a seven-year old child along with his sister following the deaths of their parents.

Detective Inspector Andy Ross, Sergeant Clarissa “Izzy” Drake and Detective Constable Derek McLennan of the Murder Investigation Team, the portly pathologist Dr. William Nugent are all called to the scene of a horrifying mutilation and murder in St. Matthew’s graveyard. The resident priest, a Father Michael Donovan who found him, could not identify the man. When the victim’s fingerprints show him to be one Matthew “Razor” Remington whose most recent arrest was for sexual abuse, a potential for the murder is uncovered.

The team now has several people that they wish to interview: Remington’s co-workers, friends, acquaintances, and the woman he raped and so on. Hopefully, this will give them some viable leads to follow.

When another man in killed in a similar manner on the following day in the St. Mark’s graveyard, Andy and Izzy go to interview the rector Simon Blake and his wife Cilla. The wife saw a white van outside the church. It is a slim but rather elusive lead. After Simon suggests that there may be two killers due to the weight of hoisting the unfortunate man to his death, the CSI discovers a set of small footprints. The murderer now turns into two and the second set belongs to a woman.

When the second man turns out to be one Mark Proctor, a teacher at Speke Hill, our story returns to Father Gerald Byrne. For he was also a student and rival of Proctor while they were both at the school.
The reader will recall that the first victim, Remington, was also a student at Speke Hill.

The reader is given tantalizing little clues as to the identity of the killer and the reason why. Then a third man is killed and the killer appears to have made some mistakes with this murder. As the book now speeds towards a conclusion, the suspense is building. Will the police catch the killer before anyone else is murdered?

There are a few omitted words and problems with grammar in this book. It doesn’t detract from the story very much, but they are there nonetheless. More irritating was the mixing up of the manes of places and people. St. Luke’s became St. Mark’s and Mark Proctor became Mark Bolton. Overall the book is very well written (save for the obvious mistakes), and plotted. It is written with the suspense starting out immediately, and continuing throughout the book. I enjoyed the descriptions of the relationships between Andy’s team members and especially the interplay between Andy and Izzy. I like this novel very much and look forward to reading the next one in the series.

[Berk Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The graveyard killers strike, leaving a gutted man with parts of his anatomy missing. Detective Inspector Andy Ross, Detective Sergeant Clarissa "Izzy" Drake and the other members of the Merseyside Homicide unit are put to work trying to find a heinous killer. A second body surfaces which is killed and displayed afterward in, if it is possible, an even more heinous fashion, draped over an angel in another graveyard. A connection surfaces between the two men. They both were orphans and both went to Speke Hall as youths. One of them, named Matthew had been in prison for rape. And yet another body surfaces from a watery suicide. When Andy theorizes that the suicide is connected to the two dead men and finally theorizes that someone is killing rapists, maybe rapists from a group, the chase is on. Of course Andy and his team ferret out the murderers. But the book is about the manner in which they do so as well as weaving the tale of the monsters who are killers and those who are rapists.
Another tour de force by Brian L. Porter. This is easy to give five stars. The story progresses as it should. The bad guys are bad. The good guys are good. And knowing those things it still grabs your interest and forces you to learn more, more about this series of murders. The third murder finally leads our stalwart detectives to their prey.
What a wonderful tale this author weaves. I have reviewed a number of his books, enjoyed a number of his books and I have to say my feelings about this one are still the same. This author is a real character builder, is able to create people whose lives are real in the pages as you turn them. I enjoyed this book a great deal. I would recommend it to any reader above early teens. A great story, with great characters. Loved it.

[C.F. Rabbiosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives you everything you could want in a murder mystery: Rich, well developed characters with flaws and interesting backstories, gruesome and thought provoking murders, and a plot that constantly gives you thrills and chills, building with intensity… then comes together for the perfect ending.
Priest Gerald Byrne arrives in Liverpool to fill a position back at the old orphanage- Speke Hill, that once fostered him, but soon finds that his past will have a way of haunting him, and just in time for the city to be rocked by the sickening and bloody murders of two odd boys he went to school with. He starts having debilitating dreams involving one of the victims, and this strange phenomenon becomes an important part of the plot.
The investigation continues with Det. Inspector Ross and Sgt. Izzy, along with the endearing fat and Scottish medical examiner and a few more familiar characters. This book does a lot to incorporate a clearer picture of who these characters are, and really made me root for them as they put the pieces of this brutal murder mystery together. The new characters, such as the illusive Vera, and a seventeen-year-old suicide case to name only two, add a dimension of intrigue that made it hard to put the book down.
The first book was a great read, but this one, I feel, is even better. The victims are not exactly victims- the heroes not truly heroes, and the murder details are absolutely shocking. I highly recommend this series and will certainly read more by this talented author.

[Terry Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this fast moving murder/mystery. I love Porter's prose and all of the British slang. Going to read more of his books.

[George Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is high praise for me to state that ‘All Saints: A Murder on the Mersey’ is as good a read as the popular ‘Inspector Rebus’ murder mysteries written by Ian Rankin. Harry Porter weaves a complex tale that begins with a murder that takes place shortly after the return of Father Byrne to his Liverpool birthplace. D. I. Ross and his team of detectives begin their investigation of the brutal murder in which a mutilated body had been discovered on display in a churchyard. When a second even more horribly butchered body is found in a different churchyard, the hunt is on for serial killers and what if anything connects them to the churches. Ross’ methodical investigation gradually reveals the murders’ connections to a former Roman Catholic orphanage (where Father Byrne had been a resident as a child) and both recent and historical rapes. Do former orphans have anything to do with murders? Is it too much to think Father Byrne could be a killer? The story has enough twists and turns to keep anyone interested in finding out ‘who done it’. Time for me to read the first book of the series to see where the Mersey Murder Mysteries series began.

[John Irvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, Sir Clever O'Research (aka genius author Brian Porter,) has me on my elderly and humbled knees kissing the hem of his Novel Writer's Tunic for the second time in a fortnight. This time for the second book in his police thriller series “All Saints: Murder on the Mersey.”

His expertise in this (and other genres, I believe) has me flabbergasted once again with the complexities and intricacies of his endless research, and the mere scale of it. But flabbergastedness hasn't prevented me from consuming the book at a meteoric rate, and abandoning all my marital obligations.

Forgetting all the above for now I can sincerely advise that book #2 is as thrilling and unusual as book #1 was. The main characters ( the good guys) are mostly the same, but the baddies are badder! This author seems to just saunter through leaving the reader wide-eyed.

I won't comment on the storyline for obvious reasons as you deserving readers out there should be just as flummoxed as me! But rest assured, my fellow readers, that is book is as exceptional as the first, and is unputdownable!

Excited about number three now!!!!!

John Irvine

[Liette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second book was as good as the previous one and , had life not gotten in the way, I would have read it in almost 1 sitting.
This time Ross, Drake and their team are faced with some vigilante killings where the bodies are left in different churches cemeteries and as the action evolves, the “reason” for these killings becomes obvious.
Overall, the plot is good and got me hooked from the first page but, this might be only in the edition I read, some typos were becoming distracting and made me wonder if the editor did its job, especially when mentioning a character that has a sudden change of name.
I like that the characters are varied and well described without dwelling too much on their personal lives.

[Barry Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Another excellent book by Brian L Porter. This is the second in the series or the Mersey Murder Mysteries and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only annoying thing during the book was the glaring mistakes that kept on recurring, Peter Foster became Paul and Mark Proctor became Bolton, these were just two mistakes but there were many more throughout the book which rather spoils it.

[Shirley Avants · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both books 1 and 2 in this series I have read and enjoyed. The story lines are excellent. The characters are well fleshed out and feel real. The only reason I can't give a five star rating is because the proofreading seems to be nonexistent. Left out words, mixed up names and grammatical errors abound. Please do something about these problems.

[maria davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. With a good storyline and relatable characters too.

I thoroughly liked this book and would definitely recommend it to others. Especially those who enjoy reading crime and mysteries.

[Diane E]

Terrific story

So many typos I lost count . Not language related either .
Horrendous murders found in church cemeteries . Why. Rape related was surmised and a criminal profiler was called in and gave important suggestions that helped the police team.

[John Nesbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Police Procedural.

Have now read the first two of Brian’s Mersey mysteries. Both great storylines. Highly recommended. Looking forward to the others.

[Marilyn Hay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Series. I'm really enjoying these characters and the quality of the writing which keeps the plot moving along while maintaining suspense and keeping me off balance re: who the bad guys are. I highly recommend it and am off to read the next installment in the series.

[sarah buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shockingly superb read

Another great read with a great twisted ending.
Not sure how the sex/passion fitted into it but otherwise I was wrapped in the pages.
Onto the next one

[Catherine Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping I couldn't put the book down

[wally walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very unusual perpertrator

[Marie Shirley Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

A tad too much unnecessary vulgar language (I'm at that age where it's just dull).

The characters are drawn so well, it will take you some time to figure out the "who done it".

The murders are absolutely gross, don't recommend reading this at night, if you live alone.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TEENS/RAPE VICTIMS.

[Michael Schroeder]

Wonderful mystery.

Superb story with an excellent plot and believable characters. Highly recommended mystery thriller. This is a terrific adition to the mercy series.