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Brodie Farrell ##8
Closer Still
“Bannister is one of the undersung treasures of the mystery genre.” ---Chicago Tribune
Although she has been trying to put her work, running a one-woman detective agency, on hold while she cares for her new baby, Jonathan, Brodie soon learns that taking time off is not as easy as it sounds. Not only does Jonathan have a rare disease that may leave him blind, his father, Detective Superintendent Jack Deacon, is going after the nastiest crook in town, Joe Loomis, who quickly retaliates by threatening Brodie and little Jonathan.
When Loomis bleeds to death while trying to utter a name that begins with the letter “D,” Brodie isn’t quite sure it is just a coincidence and worries Deacon may have become entangled in yet another crime. But Loomis had plenty of enemies and Deacon isn't the only one who had reason to do him harm. When Dev Stretton, another suspect, turns out to be linked to Brodie’s best friend, Daniel Hood, she has no choice but to take up the search for the killer. As events spiral out of control and entanglements weave together in complex patterns, Brodie must learn to keep her friends close, and her enemies closer still.
Although she has been trying to put her work, running a one-woman detective agency, on hold while she cares for her new baby, Jonathan, Brodie soon learns that taking time off is not as easy as it sounds. Not only does Jonathan have a rare disease that may leave him blind, his father, Detective Superintendent Jack Deacon, is going after the nastiest crook in town, Joe Loomis, who quickly retaliates by threatening Brodie and little Jonathan.
When Loomis bleeds to death while trying to utter a name that begins with the letter “D,” Brodie isn’t quite sure it is just a coincidence and worries Deacon may have become entangled in yet another crime. But Loomis had plenty of enemies and Deacon isn't the only one who had reason to do him harm. When Dev Stretton, another suspect, turns out to be linked to Brodie’s best friend, Daniel Hood, she has no choice but to take up the search for the killer. As events spiral out of control and entanglements weave together in complex patterns, Brodie must learn to keep her friends close, and her enemies closer still.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2008
7 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Jo Bannister
73 books96 followersJo Bannister lives in Northern Ireland, where she worked as a journalist and editor on local newspapers. Since giving up the day job, her books have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Most of her spare time is spent with her horse and dog, or clambering over archaeological sites. She is currently working on a new series of psychological crime/thrillers.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 5, 2024
When the death of a crime boss is linked to counterterrorism the town of Dimmock is turned upside down; Brodie and Daniel, Deacon and Voss are pushed to their limit. The usual mix of character study and suspense set against a backdrop of current events. Interesting, if not wholly satisfying.
"...around midnight a bunch of teenagers had the bright idea-- as bunches of teenagers will: there's no situation so fraught that it can't be made worse by s bunch of teenagers-- of setting off some fireworks." p. 213
"Instead she played the one card he could never trump. The job. Serving and protecting. Jack Deacon had no reservations about serving The People. It was the people who made up The People that he didn't like." p. 223
"...around midnight a bunch of teenagers had the bright idea-- as bunches of teenagers will: there's no situation so fraught that it can't be made worse by s bunch of teenagers-- of setting off some fireworks." p. 213
"Instead she played the one card he could never trump. The job. Serving and protecting. Jack Deacon had no reservations about serving The People. It was the people who made up The People that he didn't like." p. 223
February 8, 2025
What an arrogant unlikeable woman is Brodie ..
She uses Daniel
And doesn't really care much about deacon .yet "accidentally conceived " a child .
And speaking of the child shed rather work than be with him ..even a day after he had major surgery m. What a horrible mother.
What the hell deacon saw in her ? Worse and sadder us,Daniel the simp letting her control him, being her yes man . Needs to grow a pair.
As for the murder / mystery its barely there ...buried in idiot bodies whining and tantrums .
I quit halfway thru .it's not a mystery its a trainwreck .
She uses Daniel
And doesn't really care much about deacon .yet "accidentally conceived " a child .
And speaking of the child shed rather work than be with him ..even a day after he had major surgery m. What a horrible mother.
What the hell deacon saw in her ? Worse and sadder us,Daniel the simp letting her control him, being her yes man . Needs to grow a pair.
As for the murder / mystery its barely there ...buried in idiot bodies whining and tantrums .
I quit halfway thru .it's not a mystery its a trainwreck .
April 5, 2020
(not actually a review, just a quick summary because I'm just using Goodreads to remember which books I've read. Also note that date read is VERY much approximate).
The gangster stuff is a little hard to believe, but it's all good thriller fun. Strong female lead. Families all connected to each other by stuff from their pasts - who is whose parent? Kept me reading.
The gangster stuff is a little hard to believe, but it's all good thriller fun. Strong female lead. Families all connected to each other by stuff from their pasts - who is whose parent? Kept me reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2019
Brodie Farrell mystery. Deacon's criminal pal Joe Loomis is killed and the search for a killer mistakenly leads to a search for a terrorist. Very interesting story.
August 4, 2009
Jo Bannister has an impressive back catalogue to her name with over 20 novels now, standalones and in a number of series groupings. CLOSER STILL is the 8th Brodie Farrell book, released in 2008 with LIARS ALL the next in the series, released in 2009.
It's probably worth getting this out in the open up front. I'm not a fan of Brodie Farrell, and that's not just because she's one of those "gifted" amateurs who seem to climb over the backs of the cops. In particular, her "partner" Jack Deacon who seems to do most of the graft and take most of the professional hits, whilst Brodie does the "solve the crime" using deduction alone stunt right at the end. Whilst it is possible for that sort of scenario to work - it may require less of the smugness that seems to go along with Brodie. To say nothing of the complicated private lives that seem to overshadow everything - even a possible terrorist plot.
In CLOSER STILL there's actually quite an interesting plot development going on. The death of a local gangster (who has recently threatened Brodie and their baby son) gets Jack into all sorts of warm water. Who killed Joe Loomis, is the death connected with drugs or is there a more sinister terrorist plot? Unfortunately the investigation ploughs on under the increasing melodrama of the vision problems of Jack and Brodie's baby son, the ongoing angst of their not really partnership, the unrequited love of Brodie's business associate Daniel, the self-imposed angst of Brodie as the lure of work over motherhood rears its head and, well you're probably getting the picture by now.
Unfortunately the plot just disappears, and whilst events leading up to the resolution are undoubtedly slightly outlandish, in these days of terrorist activities there was something compelling and strangely plausible about the whole thing. Mind you, Jack Deacon is not a man to be messed with and his confrontation with extreme danger towards the end of the book is an absolute highlight. Having said that, this leaping in and solving the puzzle when poor Jack's trying to keep mind, limb and the town in one piece is probably just another example of what is so annoying about Brodie. One day I must read one of Bannister's non-Brodie books as I really do like the police aspects of these books - the main character just puts me right off unfortunately.
Books by Jo Bannister:
Standalones:
* The Matrix
* The Winter Plain
* A Cactus Garden
* Mosaic
* The Mason Codex (Unlawful Entry)
* The Lazarus Hotel
* The Tinderbox
* From Fire and Flood
* Fathers and Sins
Brodie Farrell series:
* Echoes of Lies
* True Witness
* Reflections
* Depths of Solitude
* Breaking Faith
* Requiem for a Dealer
* Flawed
* Closer Still
* Liars All (2009)
Clio Rees / Harry Marsh series:
* Striving with Gods (An Uncertain Death)
* Gilgamesh
* The Going Down of the Sun
* The Fifth Cataract
Mickey Flynn series:
* Shards (Critical Angle)
* Death and Other Lovers
Castlemere series:
* A Bleeding of Innocents
* Charisma (Sins of the Heart)
* A Taste for Burning (Burning Desires)
* No Birds Sing
* Broken Lines
* The Hireling's Tale
* Changelings
Rosie Holland series:
* The Primrose Convention
* The Primrose Switchback
It's probably worth getting this out in the open up front. I'm not a fan of Brodie Farrell, and that's not just because she's one of those "gifted" amateurs who seem to climb over the backs of the cops. In particular, her "partner" Jack Deacon who seems to do most of the graft and take most of the professional hits, whilst Brodie does the "solve the crime" using deduction alone stunt right at the end. Whilst it is possible for that sort of scenario to work - it may require less of the smugness that seems to go along with Brodie. To say nothing of the complicated private lives that seem to overshadow everything - even a possible terrorist plot.
In CLOSER STILL there's actually quite an interesting plot development going on. The death of a local gangster (who has recently threatened Brodie and their baby son) gets Jack into all sorts of warm water. Who killed Joe Loomis, is the death connected with drugs or is there a more sinister terrorist plot? Unfortunately the investigation ploughs on under the increasing melodrama of the vision problems of Jack and Brodie's baby son, the ongoing angst of their not really partnership, the unrequited love of Brodie's business associate Daniel, the self-imposed angst of Brodie as the lure of work over motherhood rears its head and, well you're probably getting the picture by now.
Unfortunately the plot just disappears, and whilst events leading up to the resolution are undoubtedly slightly outlandish, in these days of terrorist activities there was something compelling and strangely plausible about the whole thing. Mind you, Jack Deacon is not a man to be messed with and his confrontation with extreme danger towards the end of the book is an absolute highlight. Having said that, this leaping in and solving the puzzle when poor Jack's trying to keep mind, limb and the town in one piece is probably just another example of what is so annoying about Brodie. One day I must read one of Bannister's non-Brodie books as I really do like the police aspects of these books - the main character just puts me right off unfortunately.
Books by Jo Bannister:
Standalones:
* The Matrix
* The Winter Plain
* A Cactus Garden
* Mosaic
* The Mason Codex (Unlawful Entry)
* The Lazarus Hotel
* The Tinderbox
* From Fire and Flood
* Fathers and Sins
Brodie Farrell series:
* Echoes of Lies
* True Witness
* Reflections
* Depths of Solitude
* Breaking Faith
* Requiem for a Dealer
* Flawed
* Closer Still
* Liars All (2009)
Clio Rees / Harry Marsh series:
* Striving with Gods (An Uncertain Death)
* Gilgamesh
* The Going Down of the Sun
* The Fifth Cataract
Mickey Flynn series:
* Shards (Critical Angle)
* Death and Other Lovers
Castlemere series:
* A Bleeding of Innocents
* Charisma (Sins of the Heart)
* A Taste for Burning (Burning Desires)
* No Birds Sing
* Broken Lines
* The Hireling's Tale
* Changelings
Rosie Holland series:
* The Primrose Convention
* The Primrose Switchback
September 7, 2009
I don't think I've read the other Brodie Farrell books, so this story is kind of in medias res for me. Basically, Brodie is a single mom and PI who is trying to take time off work to care for her son, who has a congenital disease.
The baby daddy is implicated in a murder of a local tough--Joe Loomis--so she is out in the field trying to prove his innocence.
Usually, I like the British mysteries for their attention to character, and this one has some moments, but I didn't really get the relationships with her 2 men: the baby daddy and the best friend (complete with unrequited love for her).
The ending is quite drawn out and turns to what are essentially pyrotechnics, and that was the most disappointing part of the story.
The baby daddy is implicated in a murder of a local tough--Joe Loomis--so she is out in the field trying to prove his innocence.
Usually, I like the British mysteries for their attention to character, and this one has some moments, but I didn't really get the relationships with her 2 men: the baby daddy and the best friend (complete with unrequited love for her).
The ending is quite drawn out and turns to what are essentially pyrotechnics, and that was the most disappointing part of the story.
February 17, 2012
I really like the Jo Bannister books but this one I liked least. A man is stabbed in town and makes
his way to Bodie's office where he dies saying a word that begins with the letter D. A great search is begun with people who have names beginning with D. Terrorism and drugs enter the plot as well as
a woman who had been involved with the murder victim. A lot of people are terrified and leave town
causing traffic jams in all directions. The fear of a bomb being exploded in the center of town
and the traffic jams prevent the police from dealing with the problem but in the end all has been
solved with the discovery that a heretofore unsuspected person is found to have been the one responsible for the death.
his way to Bodie's office where he dies saying a word that begins with the letter D. A great search is begun with people who have names beginning with D. Terrorism and drugs enter the plot as well as
a woman who had been involved with the murder victim. A lot of people are terrified and leave town
causing traffic jams in all directions. The fear of a bomb being exploded in the center of town
and the traffic jams prevent the police from dealing with the problem but in the end all has been
solved with the discovery that a heretofore unsuspected person is found to have been the one responsible for the death.
April 29, 2012
I enjoyed reading this book, as I have the enjoyed the other few Jo Bannister mysteries I have picked up. It was easy to believe the panic that her town is thrown into under the threat of a terrorist attack, and to understand why the townspeople acted as they did. A good read, though not my favorite of her mysteries so far.
August 29, 2008
I was disappointed. Originally, I really liked the Brodie Farrell books, but they've become very repetitive. The author will not stop harping on the tragic love triangle. Overall, quite heavy-handed.
October 6, 2008
I always enjoy reading the Brodie Farrell mysteries. I have to admit though that this was quite easier to put down then others. Sometimes thats a good thing though if you're busy. Of course, I always like series books.
December 4, 2008
A tale of murder, terrorists, bombs and a baby with serious health problems all set in a small English town. How can you not get wrapped up in this? I actually spent more time reading this than I have with much of anything lately because of a busy schedule. That alone says a lot!
July 11, 2014
I enjoy all of the Brodie Farrell mysteries, although I sometimes get annoyed with the main character's self-centered attitude. The plots are usually interesting and I like the supporting characters.
December 20, 2008
not liking brodie so far.
not one of bannister's best.
not one of bannister's best.
August 9, 2009
Great mystery reading.
July 19, 2015
Drug out too long. Dry British literature.
October 30, 2015
As much as I like this series, I thought this book has the weakest plot. Some of the characters behaved very illogically and I don't think this can be justified by a neat explanation.
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February 9, 2009Great book!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews