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Detective Jason Smith #6
Selene
When a man is found tucked up in bed with his throat sliced open two days after Christmas, DS Jason Smith and his team are baffled. It appears he has been drugged, killed and carefully wrapped up in a duvet. The only evidence Smith finds are some strands of hair belonging to a woman. One month later, another man is killed in exactly the same manner but there appears to be no link whatsoever to the two men apart from the fact that they were both single, lonely and middle aged.
In the midst of the worst winter in years, Smith and his team quickly run out of ideas and tensions between the detectives rise. Frustration leads to conflicts both at work and in their personal lives. The only clue the team have is the murders were carried out under the glow of the full moon.
Just when Smith feels like he has reached the end of his tether and his own sanity is declining, help comes from an unexpected source; a man who knew this woman when she was a young girl in the mountains of Northern Romania. He sheds light on the reasons these men had to die. Smith finds out who this woman used to be but who she is now is still a mystery.
Haunted by lucid dreams and terrifying double awakenings, Smith stumbles upon something that will send him on a hunt for the most baffling murderer the people of York has even seen. With time quickly running out before the next full moon and the safety of one of his closest colleagues entering the equation, Smith finally closes in on the most terrifying murderer he has ever come across.
In the midst of the worst winter in years, Smith and his team quickly run out of ideas and tensions between the detectives rise. Frustration leads to conflicts both at work and in their personal lives. The only clue the team have is the murders were carried out under the glow of the full moon.
Just when Smith feels like he has reached the end of his tether and his own sanity is declining, help comes from an unexpected source; a man who knew this woman when she was a young girl in the mountains of Northern Romania. He sheds light on the reasons these men had to die. Smith finds out who this woman used to be but who she is now is still a mystery.
Haunted by lucid dreams and terrifying double awakenings, Smith stumbles upon something that will send him on a hunt for the most baffling murderer the people of York has even seen. With time quickly running out before the next full moon and the safety of one of his closest colleagues entering the equation, Smith finally closes in on the most terrifying murderer he has ever come across.
- GenresMystery
391 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2016
269 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Stewart Giles
83 books85 followersAfter reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live. After Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later. 3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series - the DC Harriet Taylor Cornwall series. The Beekeeper hit the shelves and hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well. The third in the series, The Backpacker I have self-published and is now available.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 14, 2018
4.5 STARS
DS Jason Smith and his team are investigating the murder of a man. He was drugged, then killed, and then tucked into bed as a parent would tuck in their child. A month later, another murder takes place. This victim, also, was sedated, then killed and tucked into bed.
There appears to be no connection between the victims ... no clues, no motive. They seemingly have nothing in common except for the fact the same weapon was used on both men .... and it was a full moon.
This has been the hardest and most frustrating time in Smith's life. Usually his gut feelings are to be trusted, but this time around the only thing he's having are what they call lucid dreams. Haunted by lucid dreams and terrifying double awakenings, Smith stumbles upon something that will send him on a hunt for the most baffling murderer the people of York has even seen.
Each of the books in this series is better than the last. Jason Smith has become one of my favorite characters. I really enjoy the mix of professional and personal. The returning characters begin to feel like family and I look forward to seeing whatever Smith gets into down the road.
There's lots of action, plenty of suspense, and many suspects to keep an eye on. There are a few twists and turns along the way that keeps the reader engaged with rapidly turned pages. The ending came as a complete surprise.
Many thanks to the author / Books n All Promotions / Jill Burkinshaw for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
DS Jason Smith and his team are investigating the murder of a man. He was drugged, then killed, and then tucked into bed as a parent would tuck in their child. A month later, another murder takes place. This victim, also, was sedated, then killed and tucked into bed.
There appears to be no connection between the victims ... no clues, no motive. They seemingly have nothing in common except for the fact the same weapon was used on both men .... and it was a full moon.
This has been the hardest and most frustrating time in Smith's life. Usually his gut feelings are to be trusted, but this time around the only thing he's having are what they call lucid dreams. Haunted by lucid dreams and terrifying double awakenings, Smith stumbles upon something that will send him on a hunt for the most baffling murderer the people of York has even seen.
Each of the books in this series is better than the last. Jason Smith has become one of my favorite characters. I really enjoy the mix of professional and personal. The returning characters begin to feel like family and I look forward to seeing whatever Smith gets into down the road.
There's lots of action, plenty of suspense, and many suspects to keep an eye on. There are a few twists and turns along the way that keeps the reader engaged with rapidly turned pages. The ending came as a complete surprise.
Many thanks to the author / Books n All Promotions / Jill Burkinshaw for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
October 18, 2018
NOTE: this review is for the newly updated and reedited Kindle version.
WOW what can I say I am absolutely loving this DS Smith series by Stewart Giles. Selene is book 6 and is another riveting page-turner. The series gets better book by book.
Selene is 10 years old when she sneaks around in the middle of the night to watch a Pagan Ceremony. What she sees shocks her into giving away her hiding place and she is captured and imprisoned. 6 years later she excapes but the experience has left deep pyschological scars.
Sad, lonely, middle aged men are being murdered and then tucked up in bed. This is a very difficult case for Smith and his team. There are no clues, no apparent motive and no links between the victims. As time drags on the team becomes depressed and nobody knows where to turn.
I love how the team develop book by book and Smith is really growing up he has had a lot of heartbreak and tragedy in his life and these have moulded him in to the person he is. That person is totally unique and my hat is off to the author for the way he has created and developed Smith and the rest of his team. All are unique characters with their own quirks and personalities but they all make up a very effective team.
I was sad to see one of my favourite characters leave but this is a realistic series and people come and go.
A very intriguing book with a lot of twists and turns and red herrings along the way. It had me guessing all the way to the end and of course I was totally wrong.
Another 5 star read - Brilliant!
WOW what can I say I am absolutely loving this DS Smith series by Stewart Giles. Selene is book 6 and is another riveting page-turner. The series gets better book by book.
Selene is 10 years old when she sneaks around in the middle of the night to watch a Pagan Ceremony. What she sees shocks her into giving away her hiding place and she is captured and imprisoned. 6 years later she excapes but the experience has left deep pyschological scars.
Sad, lonely, middle aged men are being murdered and then tucked up in bed. This is a very difficult case for Smith and his team. There are no clues, no apparent motive and no links between the victims. As time drags on the team becomes depressed and nobody knows where to turn.
I love how the team develop book by book and Smith is really growing up he has had a lot of heartbreak and tragedy in his life and these have moulded him in to the person he is. That person is totally unique and my hat is off to the author for the way he has created and developed Smith and the rest of his team. All are unique characters with their own quirks and personalities but they all make up a very effective team.
I was sad to see one of my favourite characters leave but this is a realistic series and people come and go.
A very intriguing book with a lot of twists and turns and red herrings along the way. It had me guessing all the way to the end and of course I was totally wrong.
Another 5 star read - Brilliant!
October 17, 2018
Christmas 2010 York – Lonely middle aged men are being brutally slain in the light of the full moon.
Romania 1985 – A young girl called Selene witnesses a human sacrifice and is kidnapped by the high priest.
How are these two events linked? Will DS Jason Smith figure it out before the killer strikes again?
So this is number six in the Smith series and I would highly recommend you read them in order just because you’ll miss out on some of the overall story line.
Another action packed and intriguing read from Stewart Giles but brace yourselves though because this is a bit of an emotional one too!
Jason is being tortured by double awakenings otherwise know as lucid dreams with each one more terrifying than the next but considering how many times he’s almost died, it didn’t surprise me that all of his emotional issues are finally catching up with him!
In the last book we had the addition of DI Bryonny Brownhill who continued to grow in this book. But there was also the addition of Yang Chu. He actually appeared at the end of the last book but he becomes a permanent member of the team and gets more of a role in this one. He’s smitten with DC Whitton but that bothers Smith, is he jealous, will he and Whitton finally get it together?
I did have a few issues though. The first was Thompson’s sudden illness, I felt it was too out of the blue and rushed. I was also left scratching my head at the ending but of course that is just my opinion!
Overall Selene is a fast paced, suspenseful novel with plenty of red herrings that will keep you guessing until the end.
Romania 1985 – A young girl called Selene witnesses a human sacrifice and is kidnapped by the high priest.
How are these two events linked? Will DS Jason Smith figure it out before the killer strikes again?
So this is number six in the Smith series and I would highly recommend you read them in order just because you’ll miss out on some of the overall story line.
Another action packed and intriguing read from Stewart Giles but brace yourselves though because this is a bit of an emotional one too!
Jason is being tortured by double awakenings otherwise know as lucid dreams with each one more terrifying than the next but considering how many times he’s almost died, it didn’t surprise me that all of his emotional issues are finally catching up with him!
In the last book we had the addition of DI Bryonny Brownhill who continued to grow in this book. But there was also the addition of Yang Chu. He actually appeared at the end of the last book but he becomes a permanent member of the team and gets more of a role in this one. He’s smitten with DC Whitton but that bothers Smith, is he jealous, will he and Whitton finally get it together?
I did have a few issues though. The first was Thompson’s sudden illness, I felt it was too out of the blue and rushed. I was also left scratching my head at the ending but of course that is just my opinion!
Overall Selene is a fast paced, suspenseful novel with plenty of red herrings that will keep you guessing until the end.
November 5, 2018
Cosy in bed you say? Well not happily if your left in this mess. Brilliant read.
September 5, 2019
I have enjoyed reading every book in this series so far, and as soon as I started reading Selene (book 6), I knew that this one would not disappoint either! 1985, Selene, aged 10, lives in Borsa, Northern Romania, and witnesses something that she shouldn't have, resulting in her being captured and held for 6 years. Imagine at any age, let alone a child, being captured and taken away from your family and never knowing if you will see them again? And not understanding what was happening nor why?! I was engrossed in the story from the start and was also intrigued as to what was going to happen to Selene. For the most part, the story is set in York but a couple of parts are set in the Ukraine and I never once felt confused (as I have done in the past with other books), and this is down to Mr Giles' clever way of writing. The weather is arctic, one of the worst winters in York, England, 2010, and there is a killer on the loose, his/her aim seemingly targeting single middle-aged males. I couldn't wait to find out how 'Selene' would fit in with the crimes that were being committed. Was Selene even in England? For all I knew, she could even have been recaptured! Smith, recuperating after being injured on his last eventful case, decides as only he would, to join the rest of the team in cracking the case; but this is one of the toughest, most frustrating cases that Smith and his team have worked on. I really liked the mystery and again, I love how cleverly Mr Giles writes, in that I was suspicious of many people, any one of them could have been the antagonist/s. As always, I enjoy the thread of humour and at one point I actually had tears in my eyes but I won't reveal why, so as not to give anything away. I felt so many emotions whilst reading this book, one being scared and I love a book that makes me feel scared! 😱 I loved the many twists and turns and again the totally unexpected shock! It is a totally gripping fast-paced read and any thriller lovers out there who haven't read any of this series are missing out on a real treat! Stewart Giles has fast become one of my top favourite authors. Thank you! X
October 19, 2018
This is the sixth in the Jason Smith series and I have to say that these books get better and better. I'm enjoying the insight into Smith's character and, although at first I thought the writer had made a mistake by showing how immature Smith was in the first book, his character is developing from book to book and I now bow down to the author's superior knowledge. Smith is growing with each book.
During the worst winter in York for years, men are being sedated and then killed, before they are tucked in like a child and left. Nothing seems to connect the victims, apart from the manner of death and Smith and his team are struggling to find out who the killer is.
The reader is given a clue in the story of Selene, a small girl who witnesses a human sacrifice in Romania, before she is captured and imprisoned for six years. The reader then expects Selene to be the killer, but what is her name now she is living in York? I am sure that all readers will think it is the psychiatrist brought in by DI Brownhill - as I did. Read it to find out!
This is a page-turner of a novel, with clues aplenty and lots of action. This series has been updated and re-mastered and is all the better for it. Don't miss out on a great read!
During the worst winter in York for years, men are being sedated and then killed, before they are tucked in like a child and left. Nothing seems to connect the victims, apart from the manner of death and Smith and his team are struggling to find out who the killer is.
The reader is given a clue in the story of Selene, a small girl who witnesses a human sacrifice in Romania, before she is captured and imprisoned for six years. The reader then expects Selene to be the killer, but what is her name now she is living in York? I am sure that all readers will think it is the psychiatrist brought in by DI Brownhill - as I did. Read it to find out!
This is a page-turner of a novel, with clues aplenty and lots of action. This series has been updated and re-mastered and is all the better for it. Don't miss out on a great read!
July 10, 2023
Another twisted tale by Stewart Giles. Jason Smith certainly gets the run around in these books. Selene was no different. I never figured out who the killer was so that's always a bonus.
October 31, 2023
Another page turner. I pace myself when getting Stewart Giles books as I can't put them down once I start.
October 30, 2018
I have been a fan of Stewart’s for a little while now and I absolutely adore the series featuring DS Jason Smith. I couldn’t wait to get a copy of ‘Selene’ and dive straight in. Well blimey oh riley this is one hell of a scary but brilliant read. I absolutely loved it but more about that in a bit.
What can I say about DS Jason Smith? He was born in Australia but he was sent to live with his grandmother following the disappearance of his young sister. Smith blames himself for her disappearance. I don’t think that blame can be apportioned to any one party as it was one of those tragedies that couldn’t have been predicted or prevented. Smith didn’t have much of a personal relationship with his parents and he saw his grandmother as more of a mother figure. They had a very close relationship and a very strong bond. Sadly she has now passed away but Smith thinks about her and misses her every single day of the year. ‘Selene’ sees Smith back at work following the horrific events of a previous book. I think Smith has come back stronger and cheekier. He doesn’t seem to have a filter and he literally says what he thinks even if that means he gets himself into the odd pickle or two. Smith is very good at what he does and he has a gut instinct that is almost 100% accurate. He gets on well with most people but there are a select few that I think he would class as friends. Smith works well as part of a team but equally he works just as well on his own. If something is a bit iffy or a bit dangerous then he puts himself in the firing line so to speak. Smith is a fair boss who wouldn’t ask anybody to do anything that he wouldn’t be willing to do himself. Smith has your back but if you drop a clanger that jeopardises either the case or members of the public or both then he doesn’t hesitate to let you know that he isn’t happy. This latest case presents Smith with a very complex puzzle and of course Smith has to come up with a solution. Will Smith solve the case? Can a murderer be stopped in his or her tracks? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my god this was one hell of a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride of a read. I was hooked from the moment I picked the book up and read the synopsis. It’s fair to say that I became addicted to reading this book and I was always in need of my next fix. I couldn’t bear to be parted from the book but if I did have to put the book down, I did so begrudgingly and I immediately started to count down the time until I could pick the book up again. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters but that intention soon flew out of the window because I would still be reading the book a couple of hours later and many chapters down the line. The quality of the writing, the storylines and the realistic characters are all superb. Reading this book really was like being on a rollercoaster ride with twists and turns aplenty and several times I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was going to happen next. Silly me though because I realised that if I wanted to know how the story ended then of course I would need to read on. There is a fair bit of blood, guts and gore in the book but in my opinion, the blood, guts and gore isn’t gratuitous and is a necessary part of the story.
In short, I absolutely loved reading ‘Selene’ and I would definitely, definitely recommend this author and his books to other readers. ‘Selene’ has to be my favourite book of the series so far. The series just goes from strength to strength. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
What can I say about DS Jason Smith? He was born in Australia but he was sent to live with his grandmother following the disappearance of his young sister. Smith blames himself for her disappearance. I don’t think that blame can be apportioned to any one party as it was one of those tragedies that couldn’t have been predicted or prevented. Smith didn’t have much of a personal relationship with his parents and he saw his grandmother as more of a mother figure. They had a very close relationship and a very strong bond. Sadly she has now passed away but Smith thinks about her and misses her every single day of the year. ‘Selene’ sees Smith back at work following the horrific events of a previous book. I think Smith has come back stronger and cheekier. He doesn’t seem to have a filter and he literally says what he thinks even if that means he gets himself into the odd pickle or two. Smith is very good at what he does and he has a gut instinct that is almost 100% accurate. He gets on well with most people but there are a select few that I think he would class as friends. Smith works well as part of a team but equally he works just as well on his own. If something is a bit iffy or a bit dangerous then he puts himself in the firing line so to speak. Smith is a fair boss who wouldn’t ask anybody to do anything that he wouldn’t be willing to do himself. Smith has your back but if you drop a clanger that jeopardises either the case or members of the public or both then he doesn’t hesitate to let you know that he isn’t happy. This latest case presents Smith with a very complex puzzle and of course Smith has to come up with a solution. Will Smith solve the case? Can a murderer be stopped in his or her tracks? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my god this was one hell of a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride of a read. I was hooked from the moment I picked the book up and read the synopsis. It’s fair to say that I became addicted to reading this book and I was always in need of my next fix. I couldn’t bear to be parted from the book but if I did have to put the book down, I did so begrudgingly and I immediately started to count down the time until I could pick the book up again. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters but that intention soon flew out of the window because I would still be reading the book a couple of hours later and many chapters down the line. The quality of the writing, the storylines and the realistic characters are all superb. Reading this book really was like being on a rollercoaster ride with twists and turns aplenty and several times I almost had to read through my fingers as I feared what was going to happen next. Silly me though because I realised that if I wanted to know how the story ended then of course I would need to read on. There is a fair bit of blood, guts and gore in the book but in my opinion, the blood, guts and gore isn’t gratuitous and is a necessary part of the story.
In short, I absolutely loved reading ‘Selene’ and I would definitely, definitely recommend this author and his books to other readers. ‘Selene’ has to be my favourite book of the series so far. The series just goes from strength to strength. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
October 12, 2018
This is book 6 in the amazing DS Smith series, and you really need to read the previous books to see what Smith has been made to go though and how it has affected him.
This book is another brilliant one in the series, with some nice big Red Herrings throughout and lots of nice little twists in it.
There is also happiness, with the inevitable love interest finally happening, and sadness with the death of another main character. Stewart is definitely not afraid of shaking things up in his books and this one proves that he is not scared to kill off likable recurring characters.
The story switches between the current in York and the 1980s in Russia/Ukraine, and the way this is done is very good as you know the background to the main antagonist through the 1980s to find out why they are doing the things they do.
The story follows Smith and the team as they investigate the murder of two men, who are not connected in anyway and are killed almost a month apart. With no new leads the new DI brings in a psychiatrist she has used in the past to see if she can work out who the murderer is and why they are killing in the way they are.
When I started reading Stewart's books I could take everything at face value, but as his writing style has changed so have the characters, and people I thought were the main cuplrit turn out to be innocent, but I knew from reading the last couple of books that they wouldn't be far away and once the reveal happened it would be obvious throughout that they did it.
I actually spent most of the time listening to this book through audible so thought I would add my review of the narration at the end of this post.
The narrator for this one, along with most of the previous books (except Harlequin) was J.T. McDaniel. Although he doesn't do accents and the women sound the same as the men I have got used to his narration and it feels weird listening to these books being narrated by someone else. Overall the pace of the book's narration is perfect and I loved the way he speaks.
Overall this is a brilliant read and I am off to start on Horsemen now, which I will be reviewing in a couple of weeks.
This book is another brilliant one in the series, with some nice big Red Herrings throughout and lots of nice little twists in it.
There is also happiness, with the inevitable love interest finally happening, and sadness with the death of another main character. Stewart is definitely not afraid of shaking things up in his books and this one proves that he is not scared to kill off likable recurring characters.
The story switches between the current in York and the 1980s in Russia/Ukraine, and the way this is done is very good as you know the background to the main antagonist through the 1980s to find out why they are doing the things they do.
The story follows Smith and the team as they investigate the murder of two men, who are not connected in anyway and are killed almost a month apart. With no new leads the new DI brings in a psychiatrist she has used in the past to see if she can work out who the murderer is and why they are killing in the way they are.
When I started reading Stewart's books I could take everything at face value, but as his writing style has changed so have the characters, and people I thought were the main cuplrit turn out to be innocent, but I knew from reading the last couple of books that they wouldn't be far away and once the reveal happened it would be obvious throughout that they did it.
I actually spent most of the time listening to this book through audible so thought I would add my review of the narration at the end of this post.
The narrator for this one, along with most of the previous books (except Harlequin) was J.T. McDaniel. Although he doesn't do accents and the women sound the same as the men I have got used to his narration and it feels weird listening to these books being narrated by someone else. Overall the pace of the book's narration is perfect and I loved the way he speaks.
Overall this is a brilliant read and I am off to start on Horsemen now, which I will be reviewing in a couple of weeks.
October 9, 2019
I enjoyed the book and love the characters although Whitton is annoying me I know she may be jealous but she is coming across like teenager having tantrums, and a series loses something when a single character ends up in a relationship it seems to distract from the main story lines, this is not a criticism of the author! I love the series it is just if you are not reading a romance book it distracts me (I take it a fault on my part not the writers).
I am looking forward to where the series heads and have read and enjoyed some of the authors other books.
I am looking forward to where the series heads and have read and enjoyed some of the authors other books.
September 13, 2018
I have read all of the books in the DS Jason Smith series and Smith has become increasingly tedious. He needs rehabilitating as a character. In short, he has simply become a jerk. Character is no longer complex or multidimensional.
January 27, 2018
Need to be reading the next one what an author
Stewart Giles is an amazing author came across him on goodreads and so glad I listened to reader reviews thankyou
Stewart Giles is an amazing author came across him on goodreads and so glad I listened to reader reviews thankyou
October 23, 2019
I did not think this series could get any better, but with this book it surely did. I was almost in tears when a certain person passed away.
Great book now on to book 7 Horsemen.
Great book now on to book 7 Horsemen.
October 16, 2020
Just about held on to its 5* rating.
June 4, 2022
Another great read. I just can’t get enough of Jason smith.
January 16, 2024
Not bad
Once again I have to say l enjoyed this book maybe not as good as the previous book but an enjoyable read
Once again I have to say l enjoyed this book maybe not as good as the previous book but an enjoyable read
July 16, 2025
Love it, has me turning those pages as quick as I can.
October 20, 2018
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I enjoyed this one, it was well paced and the plotline was gripping.
I enjoyed the twists in this book and the ending was great. The characters were excellent as always and it was great to see the relationships develop even further as the team struggled to crack on of the hardest cases they have faced to date.
The writing style was great and I loved the layout and the punchy length chapters but I was a little disappointed that the Kindle book ended at 84% though as I thought there was more to come in the story!
Four stars from me for this one - highly recommended and a great addition to the DS Smith series!
I enjoyed this one, it was well paced and the plotline was gripping.
I enjoyed the twists in this book and the ending was great. The characters were excellent as always and it was great to see the relationships develop even further as the team struggled to crack on of the hardest cases they have faced to date.
The writing style was great and I loved the layout and the punchy length chapters but I was a little disappointed that the Kindle book ended at 84% though as I thought there was more to come in the story!
Four stars from me for this one - highly recommended and a great addition to the DS Smith series!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews