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The Detective's Daughter #5
The Dog Walker
January, 1987: in the depths of winter, only joggers and dog walkers brave the Thames towpath after dark. Helen Honeysett, a young newlywed, sets off for an evening run from her riverside cottage. Only her dog returns. Twenty-nine years later, her husband has asked Stella Darnell, a private detective, and her sidekick Jack Harmon, to find out what happened all those years ago. But when the five households on that desolate stretch of towpath refuse to give up their secrets, Stella and Jack find themselves hunting a killer whose trail has long gone cold.
416 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2017
168 people are currently reading
322 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Thomson
19 books174 followersLesley Thomson was born in 1958 and grew up in London. She went to Holland Park Comprehensive and the Universities of Brighton and Sussex. Her novel A Kind of Vanishing won The People's Book Prize in 2010. Lesley combines writing with teaching creative writing. She lives in Lewes with her partner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
February 27, 2020
*3.5 Stars*
Lesley Thomson's protagonists are Stella Darnell, the owner of a central London cleaning business, and Jack Harmon, an underground train driver. This seemingly strangely assorted couple run a successful private detective agency when they are not doing their day jobs. While Stella is supremely efficient and practical, Jack is – well - weird. He has a strong sense of the supernatural, and that rules his life. Jack has a girlfriend, Bella, while Stella is a divorcee who has no time for men at all. Her closest companion is a miniature poodle called Stanley.
Stella's father was a detective inspector, and imparted a great deal of his expertise to his daughter. This is the fifth book in a series entitled The Detective's Daughter. Stella's mother, Suzie, is very close to Stella, although her daughter has never forgiven her for divorcing Terry, her father. Suzie never stops emphasising what an unsatisfactory husband Terry was, because he was always out on duty. Terry died some years ago and Stella always imagines his voice telling her what to do when she is working on an investigation.
Stella is interviewed in her office by a wealthy young estate agent, Natasha Latimer, who is living in the end unit of a row of Georgian cottages close to the Thames at Kew. The side wall of her cottage is actually on the towpath and she is converting it for re-sale. She has had an enormous basement cut out underneath the cottage. She wants Stella's company, Clean Slate, to provide a live-in cleaner to keep the building absolutely immaculate so she can put it on the market and sell it at a huge profit. But this is not the only thing she wants. She hears strange noises at night and is convinced that the house is haunted by a young woman who disappeared (thought to have been murdered) in 1987. She was an attractive blonde named Helen Honeysett, who actually lived in No.4, and went jogging frequently late at night with her dog, Baxter.
Natasha Latimer wants Clean Slate to get rid of Honeysett's ghost as well. Strangely, Helen Honeysett was also an estate agent.
Stella decides she will accept this very difficult contract, because she has the ideal cleaner in mind – Jack (who works as a cleaner on top of all his other occupations.)
This is where the narrative becomes exceedingly complicated, continually switching from the present to 1987 and the events leading up to and following Helen Honeysett's disappearance. The families occupying the cottages are almost the same as those occupying them in 1987, so you have the same characters in both sections of the story, except that they are now 30 years older. They are all great dog lovers, so you have dogs, who gradually die and get replaced, too. So you can be forgiven for being slightly confused.
Stella is then approached by Adam Honeysett, widower of Helen, to take up the cold case and solve Helen's murder. Stella already has him in mind as her No.1 suspect.
My favourite character is Jack, wedded to his theory that there are people he calls 'True Hosts' who are potentially or actually murderers, and are intrinsically evil.
Recommended to dog lovers, ghost hunters and lovers of ingenious plots.
Lesley Thomson's protagonists are Stella Darnell, the owner of a central London cleaning business, and Jack Harmon, an underground train driver. This seemingly strangely assorted couple run a successful private detective agency when they are not doing their day jobs. While Stella is supremely efficient and practical, Jack is – well - weird. He has a strong sense of the supernatural, and that rules his life. Jack has a girlfriend, Bella, while Stella is a divorcee who has no time for men at all. Her closest companion is a miniature poodle called Stanley.
Stella's father was a detective inspector, and imparted a great deal of his expertise to his daughter. This is the fifth book in a series entitled The Detective's Daughter. Stella's mother, Suzie, is very close to Stella, although her daughter has never forgiven her for divorcing Terry, her father. Suzie never stops emphasising what an unsatisfactory husband Terry was, because he was always out on duty. Terry died some years ago and Stella always imagines his voice telling her what to do when she is working on an investigation.
Stella is interviewed in her office by a wealthy young estate agent, Natasha Latimer, who is living in the end unit of a row of Georgian cottages close to the Thames at Kew. The side wall of her cottage is actually on the towpath and she is converting it for re-sale. She has had an enormous basement cut out underneath the cottage. She wants Stella's company, Clean Slate, to provide a live-in cleaner to keep the building absolutely immaculate so she can put it on the market and sell it at a huge profit. But this is not the only thing she wants. She hears strange noises at night and is convinced that the house is haunted by a young woman who disappeared (thought to have been murdered) in 1987. She was an attractive blonde named Helen Honeysett, who actually lived in No.4, and went jogging frequently late at night with her dog, Baxter.
Natasha Latimer wants Clean Slate to get rid of Honeysett's ghost as well. Strangely, Helen Honeysett was also an estate agent.
Stella decides she will accept this very difficult contract, because she has the ideal cleaner in mind – Jack (who works as a cleaner on top of all his other occupations.)
This is where the narrative becomes exceedingly complicated, continually switching from the present to 1987 and the events leading up to and following Helen Honeysett's disappearance. The families occupying the cottages are almost the same as those occupying them in 1987, so you have the same characters in both sections of the story, except that they are now 30 years older. They are all great dog lovers, so you have dogs, who gradually die and get replaced, too. So you can be forgiven for being slightly confused.
Stella is then approached by Adam Honeysett, widower of Helen, to take up the cold case and solve Helen's murder. Stella already has him in mind as her No.1 suspect.
My favourite character is Jack, wedded to his theory that there are people he calls 'True Hosts' who are potentially or actually murderers, and are intrinsically evil.
Recommended to dog lovers, ghost hunters and lovers of ingenious plots.
February 28, 2020
3* for me.
I received this from the publisher when it was released. I put it aside as it was a book in my mailbox unsolicited which I thought I’d get to soon. I hadn’t agreed to read it so I intended to read it it released date had come and gone. So no rush I thought. But it slipped down my physical shelf and here I am! Ages later.
As with a lot of us, we read proofs and arcs first. I decided to pick this one up when sorting my shelves and unhauling some books I no longer needed.
Anyhoooo.....
I did like the premise of this story, but in places found I was completely lost.
It swapped between years which when done well, works, doesn’t make it a struggle for someone like me to keep up. I know I’m getting old and my brain cells get tired but they were left exhausted at times trying to place it all in my head.
I think it’s a case of, it’s perfectly understandable by the person who wrote it but it wasn’t to me.
Then I discovered the publisher had sent me a book in a series and this was book 5!
Why do they do that! It definitely isn’t a standalone as there is backstory to the main characters. Mwah.
So based on all that. ......that’s how I felt
I received this from the publisher when it was released. I put it aside as it was a book in my mailbox unsolicited which I thought I’d get to soon. I hadn’t agreed to read it so I intended to read it it released date had come and gone. So no rush I thought. But it slipped down my physical shelf and here I am! Ages later.
As with a lot of us, we read proofs and arcs first. I decided to pick this one up when sorting my shelves and unhauling some books I no longer needed.
Anyhoooo.....
I did like the premise of this story, but in places found I was completely lost.
It swapped between years which when done well, works, doesn’t make it a struggle for someone like me to keep up. I know I’m getting old and my brain cells get tired but they were left exhausted at times trying to place it all in my head.
I think it’s a case of, it’s perfectly understandable by the person who wrote it but it wasn’t to me.
Then I discovered the publisher had sent me a book in a series and this was book 5!
Why do they do that! It definitely isn’t a standalone as there is backstory to the main characters. Mwah.
So based on all that. ......that’s how I felt
April 27, 2024
The fifth novel in this intriguing series begins with Stella Darnell and Clean Slate being hired by arrogant property developer Natasha Latimer to provide someone to keep an eye on her new property at No. 1 Thames Cottages. Latimer’s sister Claudia is convinced the place is haunted by the ghost of estate agent Helen Honeysett who disappeared 29 years earlier from her home at No. 4.
Soon after surveying the area, Stella is approached by Helen’s widower Adam who wants to hire Stella to discover who really murdered his wife. The main suspect at the time was plumber Steven Lawson who lived at No. 2. Although never charged, he took his own life a few weeks later.
Once again, Stella is joined by her best cleaner and fellow detective, Tube driver Jack Harmon. Between them, they seem to discover a whole host of possible suspects but very little in the way of concrete evidence. Thames Cottages runs at right angles to a towpath beside the River Thames along which virtually all the locals walk their dogs. It appears that almost all the occupants of Thames Cottages could have been on the towpath on that fateful evening.
Once again, Lesley Thomson has managed to fashion a highly engrossing tale for fans of modern crime fiction and dog lovers everywhere.
Soon after surveying the area, Stella is approached by Helen’s widower Adam who wants to hire Stella to discover who really murdered his wife. The main suspect at the time was plumber Steven Lawson who lived at No. 2. Although never charged, he took his own life a few weeks later.
Once again, Stella is joined by her best cleaner and fellow detective, Tube driver Jack Harmon. Between them, they seem to discover a whole host of possible suspects but very little in the way of concrete evidence. Thames Cottages runs at right angles to a towpath beside the River Thames along which virtually all the locals walk their dogs. It appears that almost all the occupants of Thames Cottages could have been on the towpath on that fateful evening.
Once again, Lesley Thomson has managed to fashion a highly engrossing tale for fans of modern crime fiction and dog lovers everywhere.
July 19, 2019
The Dog Walker is the best novel that Lesley Thomson has written. As I turned the pages I was curiously hungry for clues.
Dog walkers and joggers use the Thames towpath between Kew Bridge and Mortlake Crematorium.
The voice of little Megan is told with absolute precision that makes you believe in the character. As Megan and her friends notice a poster of missing Helen Honeysett she tells her friends that her dad told her that Helen was killed by her husband.
Police have no clue to what happened to the disappearance of 26-year-old Helen Honeysett. Adam Honeysett her husband was the last one to see her alive.
When Megan is questioned it appears that her dad, Steven Lawson hadn't told police that he had rescued Mrs Honeysett's dog. Could he have been the last person to see Helen Honeysett alive. Bette Lawson, Steven's wife was upset that he hadn't told her about Mrs Honeysett's dog.
The question that Bette is now asking herself were there many other things that her husband hadn't told her?
Megan lets out her secret that she had seen her father following Helen Honeysett to the towpath. The scenes are adding quite a long list of suspects who live in the Thames cottages who had a motive for murder.
There is Mr Honeysett who is playing the broken-hearted routine but he could have killed his wife and pushed her into the river.
Megan's dad Steven Lawson may have been having an affair with Helen Honeysett and there are of course many other suspect that come into the spotlight.
The question is who do you think had a motive to murder Helen?
I highly recommend The Dog Walker as it's screaming out who done it?
Dog walkers and joggers use the Thames towpath between Kew Bridge and Mortlake Crematorium.
The voice of little Megan is told with absolute precision that makes you believe in the character. As Megan and her friends notice a poster of missing Helen Honeysett she tells her friends that her dad told her that Helen was killed by her husband.
Police have no clue to what happened to the disappearance of 26-year-old Helen Honeysett. Adam Honeysett her husband was the last one to see her alive.
When Megan is questioned it appears that her dad, Steven Lawson hadn't told police that he had rescued Mrs Honeysett's dog. Could he have been the last person to see Helen Honeysett alive. Bette Lawson, Steven's wife was upset that he hadn't told her about Mrs Honeysett's dog.
The question that Bette is now asking herself were there many other things that her husband hadn't told her?
Megan lets out her secret that she had seen her father following Helen Honeysett to the towpath. The scenes are adding quite a long list of suspects who live in the Thames cottages who had a motive for murder.
There is Mr Honeysett who is playing the broken-hearted routine but he could have killed his wife and pushed her into the river.
Megan's dad Steven Lawson may have been having an affair with Helen Honeysett and there are of course many other suspect that come into the spotlight.
The question is who do you think had a motive to murder Helen?
I highly recommend The Dog Walker as it's screaming out who done it?
April 26, 2017
This was my first time reading Lesley Thomson but it certainly won't be my last as THE DOG WALKER really captured my interest and held it to the very last line.
In 1987. new resident Helen Honeysett disappears without a trace and is never seen or heard from again. Fast forward to 2016 and Stella and Jack take on a cleaning case that may involve some ghostly encounters, but as they are asked to look into the cold case from 1987, who knows what dark and disturbing secrets they may uncover.
As the tale alternates between past and present, it is almost like two separate stories that are each fascinating by themselves, yet we know that they will converge at some point, as the truth of what happened all those years ago unfolds in front of our eyes. I really enjoyed the premise of this story - the secretive, small neighbourhood, and the idea that no matter how much time passes, the truth can always find its way to the surface. I don't want to give anything away so I won't say too much.
THE DOG WALKER by Lesley Thomson has it's own distinct flair and style which stands out among the crime fiction genre, and I found the story really enjoyable, and the mystery completely gripping. With plenty of twists and turns, THE DOG WALKER by Lesley Thomson is well worth a read.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
In 1987. new resident Helen Honeysett disappears without a trace and is never seen or heard from again. Fast forward to 2016 and Stella and Jack take on a cleaning case that may involve some ghostly encounters, but as they are asked to look into the cold case from 1987, who knows what dark and disturbing secrets they may uncover.
As the tale alternates between past and present, it is almost like two separate stories that are each fascinating by themselves, yet we know that they will converge at some point, as the truth of what happened all those years ago unfolds in front of our eyes. I really enjoyed the premise of this story - the secretive, small neighbourhood, and the idea that no matter how much time passes, the truth can always find its way to the surface. I don't want to give anything away so I won't say too much.
THE DOG WALKER by Lesley Thomson has it's own distinct flair and style which stands out among the crime fiction genre, and I found the story really enjoyable, and the mystery completely gripping. With plenty of twists and turns, THE DOG WALKER by Lesley Thomson is well worth a read.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
April 14, 2017
While I generally like to read books in series in order, I think you could read this without worrying too much about the back story of Stella and Jack (the ending does suggest that Jack may be moving on from his past). The setting as before is the river at Hammersmith, an unsolved crime from the 1980s, and an interest in the houses of west London. The author does like the surviving old places, houses both large and small which have escaped the attention of developers (in this case, a cottage has succumbed to one and to the current trend for basement excavation). The atmosphere is done really well: a hint of spookiness but with realistic explanations. I felt the conclusion was a bit rushed and melodramatic compared to the pace of the rest of the novel, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. (I did of course guess where missing Helen had ended up!) Dogs play an important part in this story and it turns out that Stella's dog Stanley has a past and a connection to the case. There was a bit too much dog poo, generally, but don't let it put you off!
March 28, 2018
I struggled to get through this book. Too many characters, too many dogs, too much inane detail, too many pages. It could have been edited to half the length and would have lost nothing. Very disappointed.
May 4, 2019
Thank goodness that's over.... A detective book which is set in London, has a character mysteriously disappear, has a shifting time frame and crucially contains a map in the front cover has my attention. Sadly, all the great promise of this book did not deliver. Almost from the off I found it irritating and confusing. For starters - the writer writes in an American vernacular which, as someone from London was very disconcerting. The characters are confusing and interchangeable and despite hackneyed attempts to create them, the plot contained no real suspense or threat. A disappointing experience and closing the book for the final time was a happy release.
July 26, 2018
I quite liked this book. Good solution to the murder mystery. I found one of the detectives to be really unbelievable which put me off the book.
June 3, 2017
This is the first book I've finished since I took a (somewhat mysterious) seizure - I'm fine now, touch wood, but I found my concentration levels have been shockingly poor for the last three weeks or so (I can't even think how long it's been - do you see what I mean?!)
Anyway - great read: WONDERFUL characters, and a superb yarn. I'll get a full review up on the blog in the next few days - I am running a bit behind - but I would thoroughly recommend this. A complex, meaty case that put me slightly in mind of The Cuckoo's Calling. It definitely won't be my last Lesley Thomson! She's a very impressive storyteller. And hopefully it's helped to restore my reading mojo!
Anyway - great read: WONDERFUL characters, and a superb yarn. I'll get a full review up on the blog in the next few days - I am running a bit behind - but I would thoroughly recommend this. A complex, meaty case that put me slightly in mind of The Cuckoo's Calling. It definitely won't be my last Lesley Thomson! She's a very impressive storyteller. And hopefully it's helped to restore my reading mojo!
June 18, 2017
This book is set in present day and 1987, in London. A group of cottages are the setting for a disappearance, they run alongside the Thames, it is used often by dog walkers. One particular dog walker and jogger was Helen Honeysett, she went missing one evening in 1987 and her body was never found. The residents were questioned at the time, but nobody was arrested. In the present day setting, Stella, owner of Clean Slate, is asked to investigate the old case by Adam, the husband of Helen. Her colleague Jack is asked to discover strange noises in a different house. Between Stella and Jack they gradually work through both their cases, talking to residents, raking through old notes and newspaper clippings. It soon becomes obvious that not everybody is as they seem, they have things to hide, secrets that they want to keep, and their own reasons for not wanting to be involved.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is very well paced and even though there are a lot of characters , they are memorable and unique. There has been obvious prior planning in this book as the underlying plots and stories are very intertwined. It has been very well laid out and includes a very helpful cottage plan at the beginning of the book, listing residents living in the houses in 1987 and also present day. Towards the later end of the story as Stella is working through her thoughts, the author shows the views from the perspective of Stella, for example, What was he / she doing? Could he / she have etc. The story comes to a very satisfying ending, leaving no unanswered questions. It had me hooked from the first few pages right through to the final page.
I would highly recommend this book to readers of crime and mystery books. I will be buying more of this authors books.
I would like to thank Portobello Book Blog https://portobellobookblog.com/ and Lesley Thompson for this book that I was lucky enough to win in a giveaway.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is very well paced and even though there are a lot of characters , they are memorable and unique. There has been obvious prior planning in this book as the underlying plots and stories are very intertwined. It has been very well laid out and includes a very helpful cottage plan at the beginning of the book, listing residents living in the houses in 1987 and also present day. Towards the later end of the story as Stella is working through her thoughts, the author shows the views from the perspective of Stella, for example, What was he / she doing? Could he / she have etc. The story comes to a very satisfying ending, leaving no unanswered questions. It had me hooked from the first few pages right through to the final page.
I would highly recommend this book to readers of crime and mystery books. I will be buying more of this authors books.
I would like to thank Portobello Book Blog https://portobellobookblog.com/ and Lesley Thompson for this book that I was lucky enough to win in a giveaway.
May 30, 2017
I won a copy of this book in a competition and thought it look like a good read, and it was, I really enjoyed it. There are lots of interesting characters in the book, many of which could have a motive for the murder. As Stella and Jack investigate the story unfolds and keeps you reading to the end to see what really happened.
May 20, 2017
Again, very atmospheric. I like the way she always weaves back in time, especially being familiar with those years.
My main gripe is too much language. Apart from that would have given five stars. Really kept me going till the end. I hope this isn't the end of the series.
My main gripe is too much language. Apart from that would have given five stars. Really kept me going till the end. I hope this isn't the end of the series.
April 28, 2017
There are two things that I love in a book, the first is a map and the second is a varied cast of characters.
The Dog Walker has both of these things, set in London it has a nice map which shows where the events took place and a great collection of characters young and old perfect for throwing you off the scent of the murderer in the midst.
Told over the course of twenty nine years, the story visits the disappearance of Helen Honeysett, a beautiful young woman who vanishes whilst running besides the Thames with her dog back in 1987. With her whole life ahead of her she never returns and everyone she knows is a suspect from her husband to her neighbours.
Fast forward to 2016, Stella Darnell a cleaner who is also an exception private detective is approached by a lady who lives in the area that Helen went missing in, she complains of a ghostly presence in her home, could it be the missing Mrs Honeysett?
Along with her partner in crime Jack, Stella sets out find out what happened to Helen but with so many possible suspects will she ever find out what happened to her?
It has a perfect atmospheric setting, London is a true star in the story, especially during the 80's POVs, it feels dark and gloomy, just a little bit dangerous.
The Dog Walker is told from past and present POV's from multiple characters and like all good crime novels you just don't know who is guilty and who is innocent. I love these types of novels, I hate a book that straight away you pinpoint who the murderer and The Dog Walker had me guessing right till the end.
Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Dog Walker has both of these things, set in London it has a nice map which shows where the events took place and a great collection of characters young and old perfect for throwing you off the scent of the murderer in the midst.
Told over the course of twenty nine years, the story visits the disappearance of Helen Honeysett, a beautiful young woman who vanishes whilst running besides the Thames with her dog back in 1987. With her whole life ahead of her she never returns and everyone she knows is a suspect from her husband to her neighbours.
Fast forward to 2016, Stella Darnell a cleaner who is also an exception private detective is approached by a lady who lives in the area that Helen went missing in, she complains of a ghostly presence in her home, could it be the missing Mrs Honeysett?
Along with her partner in crime Jack, Stella sets out find out what happened to Helen but with so many possible suspects will she ever find out what happened to her?
It has a perfect atmospheric setting, London is a true star in the story, especially during the 80's POVs, it feels dark and gloomy, just a little bit dangerous.
The Dog Walker is told from past and present POV's from multiple characters and like all good crime novels you just don't know who is guilty and who is innocent. I love these types of novels, I hate a book that straight away you pinpoint who the murderer and The Dog Walker had me guessing right till the end.
Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 28, 2018
I kept trying to read this book but eventually gave up half way through. It is the first one I have read by this author and whilst the ingredients were there for a good book (detective, dogs, murder plot), I just found it a strange and cumbersome to read. Too much detail where it wasn't needed and overall I just wouldn't recommend as I felt it was a tiring and confusing read.
June 24, 2017
I've enjoyed some of the previous books in the Detective's Daughter series but this was so dire I gave up on it. Quite a few of the characters didn't ring true and it just seemed like a poor imitation of the previous books by this author. I had no interest in finding out who killed who or why.
June 26, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thomson’s atmospheric writing this time around has taken us to another obscure corner of London – she seems to specialise in those – where a crime was committed that shatters one family and blights the lives of others, including the husband of the victim. With two timelines running – one set around the time of the murder and afterwards as the consequences begin to stack up, while the other one is set here and now centred on the investigative efforts of Stella and Jack.
While there is not much in the way of gore in Thomson’s work, that doesn’t mean it is a particularly cosy read. Murder is not treated as an interesting puzzle here, but an act that has cut short a life and shattered the lives of others caught up in the investigation. Thomson writes particularly well from the pov of children who are involved, trying to make sense of what they see and hear. The sense of damage caused is reinforced by Jack’s own experiences as a child, which means he often imagines he is talking to his long-dead mother and goes on long, nocturnal walks as he has problems sleeping.
That said, this isn’t overall a gloomy read, either. While Thomson refuses to treat the crime with levity, Stella’s relationship with her mother, Suzie, is often amusing and her efforts to control Stanley, the little poodle she has acquired, are particularly funny if you have ever owned a dog. While Stanley is evidently fond of her, she clearly isn’t someone who is a natural around animals.
But for me, the reason why this is a standout read, is that in common with the rest of the series, the investigation into the crime slowly unravels. There are no speedy shortcuts. Between them, Stella and Jack piece together snippets of information to help discover who was doing what when the crime was committed. Some of those snippets prove to be wrong, or lead them astray – some we know from the start cannot be right, thanks to the flashbacks which give us, the reader, insights into aspects of the crime and its impact on the bystanders that Stella and Jack cannot have. Thomson’s thorough, precise approach means this book is a joy. In attempting to find out who killed Helen, Stella and Jack need to talk to all the residents in the row of cottages running alongside the towpath – in getting to meet all the potential suspects and witnesses, we also are introduced to a cast of characters who bounce off the page with their vividness.
One of the bonuses in having read the previous books – though it isn’t necessary to do so in order to enjoy The Dog Walker – is that we also have the pleasure of meeting up again with the likes of Suzie, Stella’s mother, and Lucie May, journalist and former lover of Terry Darnell, Stella’s father. I particularly enjoyed the role that Lucie played in this story and how it gave us a further insight into her character.
If you enjoy reading books more about the why than the gory deed itself – if you enjoy watching characters’ motivations and secrets unpeeled, then track this one down. While there are many cold case mysteries out there – books of this quality don’t come along all that often.
10/10
While there is not much in the way of gore in Thomson’s work, that doesn’t mean it is a particularly cosy read. Murder is not treated as an interesting puzzle here, but an act that has cut short a life and shattered the lives of others caught up in the investigation. Thomson writes particularly well from the pov of children who are involved, trying to make sense of what they see and hear. The sense of damage caused is reinforced by Jack’s own experiences as a child, which means he often imagines he is talking to his long-dead mother and goes on long, nocturnal walks as he has problems sleeping.
That said, this isn’t overall a gloomy read, either. While Thomson refuses to treat the crime with levity, Stella’s relationship with her mother, Suzie, is often amusing and her efforts to control Stanley, the little poodle she has acquired, are particularly funny if you have ever owned a dog. While Stanley is evidently fond of her, she clearly isn’t someone who is a natural around animals.
But for me, the reason why this is a standout read, is that in common with the rest of the series, the investigation into the crime slowly unravels. There are no speedy shortcuts. Between them, Stella and Jack piece together snippets of information to help discover who was doing what when the crime was committed. Some of those snippets prove to be wrong, or lead them astray – some we know from the start cannot be right, thanks to the flashbacks which give us, the reader, insights into aspects of the crime and its impact on the bystanders that Stella and Jack cannot have. Thomson’s thorough, precise approach means this book is a joy. In attempting to find out who killed Helen, Stella and Jack need to talk to all the residents in the row of cottages running alongside the towpath – in getting to meet all the potential suspects and witnesses, we also are introduced to a cast of characters who bounce off the page with their vividness.
One of the bonuses in having read the previous books – though it isn’t necessary to do so in order to enjoy The Dog Walker – is that we also have the pleasure of meeting up again with the likes of Suzie, Stella’s mother, and Lucie May, journalist and former lover of Terry Darnell, Stella’s father. I particularly enjoyed the role that Lucie played in this story and how it gave us a further insight into her character.
If you enjoy reading books more about the why than the gory deed itself – if you enjoy watching characters’ motivations and secrets unpeeled, then track this one down. While there are many cold case mysteries out there – books of this quality don’t come along all that often.
10/10
April 21, 2025
Stella Darnell has a cleaning buisness but is also a detective. Her friend Jack can see ghosts. Together they are trying to solve a cold case of what really happened to Helen Honeysett and Steven Lawson.
This is not the first book in the series to feature Stella and Jack but the first book for me to pick up. I do prefer to read in order as I like to get to know the characters.
This book was a hard read for me. A lot of the story takes place upon a tow path with dog walkers. I was really plodding along with this story which seemed to jump about a lot between the row of cottages and the tow path. At times I didn't know where I was, one minute the characters were on the tow path then they were in a house, then back on the tow path as quick as anything.
The plot of the story at times was very confusing, lots of characters and dogs. I think the whole story could have been shorter and less complicated. I felt I was going round in circles as overall not a lot happened.
Why does Jack see ghosts. I didn't read this book as a ghost story. I don't think this adds anything to the story at all. I'm really not too sure what all this True Host business was about unless it is made more clear in the other books in the series.
For me I really didn't enjoy this book at all and won't be seeking out anymore in the series. It really was hard going.
This is not the first book in the series to feature Stella and Jack but the first book for me to pick up. I do prefer to read in order as I like to get to know the characters.
This book was a hard read for me. A lot of the story takes place upon a tow path with dog walkers. I was really plodding along with this story which seemed to jump about a lot between the row of cottages and the tow path. At times I didn't know where I was, one minute the characters were on the tow path then they were in a house, then back on the tow path as quick as anything.
The plot of the story at times was very confusing, lots of characters and dogs. I think the whole story could have been shorter and less complicated. I felt I was going round in circles as overall not a lot happened.
Why does Jack see ghosts. I didn't read this book as a ghost story. I don't think this adds anything to the story at all. I'm really not too sure what all this True Host business was about unless it is made more clear in the other books in the series.
For me I really didn't enjoy this book at all and won't be seeking out anymore in the series. It really was hard going.
November 10, 2018
Village London with odd mysteries
These stories are so well written, I tend to forget to consider how far they deviate from reality. People in an area of London on the banks of the Thames live in the same roads for decades with the same neighbours and contacts as the two investigators. If this was based in a small market town in a rural Wales or Ireland, it might ring true, but cosmopolitan London - no chance. There are almost no immigrants, everyone is very English and victims and the perpetrators of nasty crimes continue to haunt the same locations, allowing the narrative to switch between the eighties and the time of the investigation which, of course, finds clues which weren't picked up at the time of the crimes. All very unbelievable, but it doesn't really matter. the story is engrossing and the prose ready to read. Lesley Thompson has a unique style although by book 5 it is somewhat predictable. A fun read.
These stories are so well written, I tend to forget to consider how far they deviate from reality. People in an area of London on the banks of the Thames live in the same roads for decades with the same neighbours and contacts as the two investigators. If this was based in a small market town in a rural Wales or Ireland, it might ring true, but cosmopolitan London - no chance. There are almost no immigrants, everyone is very English and victims and the perpetrators of nasty crimes continue to haunt the same locations, allowing the narrative to switch between the eighties and the time of the investigation which, of course, finds clues which weren't picked up at the time of the crimes. All very unbelievable, but it doesn't really matter. the story is engrossing and the prose ready to read. Lesley Thompson has a unique style although by book 5 it is somewhat predictable. A fun read.
March 3, 2018
Another excellently crafted story by Lesley Thomson.
This time a young estate agent disappears in 1987 on the Thames towpath near Mortlake Crematorium, there are several suspects, but one person takes their life and it’s assumed they killed the young woman and either buried the body or threw it into the Thames.
Fast forward to the present and Stella Darnell has been asked to investigate an apparent haunting in the newly and expensively refurbished home of Natasha Latimer. She wants a live-in housekeeper until the mystery is solved. The house is in the same row of terraces that Helen Honeysett, the missing estate agent, lived.
Lots of twists and turns and the identity of the real culprit is kept secret until almost the very end.
Jack Harmon, Stella’s sidekick, and Stella revel in their awkward relationship but bounce ideas off each other and eventually between them solve the case.
This time a young estate agent disappears in 1987 on the Thames towpath near Mortlake Crematorium, there are several suspects, but one person takes their life and it’s assumed they killed the young woman and either buried the body or threw it into the Thames.
Fast forward to the present and Stella Darnell has been asked to investigate an apparent haunting in the newly and expensively refurbished home of Natasha Latimer. She wants a live-in housekeeper until the mystery is solved. The house is in the same row of terraces that Helen Honeysett, the missing estate agent, lived.
Lots of twists and turns and the identity of the real culprit is kept secret until almost the very end.
Jack Harmon, Stella’s sidekick, and Stella revel in their awkward relationship but bounce ideas off each other and eventually between them solve the case.
March 7, 2022
Another great book by Lesley Thomson - I’m so glad this one was showing as “available now” on my library’s Libby app!
It concerns the disappearance of an estate agent in the 1980s. Her body is not found, and a neighbour is suspected of killing her. He commits suicide, leaving behind two children and a wife who is the only person convinced of his innocence.
Thirty years later, the missing / dead woman’s husband hires Stella Darnell to investigate the case. She and sidekick Jack shake the tree and more than one person with murderous intent fall out.
As usual, there is a personal connection. And Jack is still looking for “true hosts” so there’s a slight supernatural feel. And a starring role for Stanley the poodle.
All in all, a great read. Highly recommended.
Three word review: Stanley’s backstory revealed.
It concerns the disappearance of an estate agent in the 1980s. Her body is not found, and a neighbour is suspected of killing her. He commits suicide, leaving behind two children and a wife who is the only person convinced of his innocence.
Thirty years later, the missing / dead woman’s husband hires Stella Darnell to investigate the case. She and sidekick Jack shake the tree and more than one person with murderous intent fall out.
As usual, there is a personal connection. And Jack is still looking for “true hosts” so there’s a slight supernatural feel. And a starring role for Stanley the poodle.
All in all, a great read. Highly recommended.
Three word review: Stanley’s backstory revealed.
September 10, 2023
Quite possibly the most confusing murder mystery I've ever read. Dual timeline novels are very common these days, but this one didn't work. I think it's because the street, and its residents, were almost identical in both timelines (just 30 years older). Most of the residents never came to life for me, so I kept getting their names (and the names of their dogs) mixed up. The author provided a helpful spreadsheet at one point, but that really shouldn't be necessary!
A great deal was made of Jack's obsession with the supernatural, until I felt sure there really would be a ghost. When it turned out to be an ordinary murderer, I felt as though the author had wasted my time.
I found it hard to believe that so many people walk their dogs along deserted London towpaths in the dead of night. I found the numerous coincidences even harder to believe.
A great deal was made of Jack's obsession with the supernatural, until I felt sure there really would be a ghost. When it turned out to be an ordinary murderer, I felt as though the author had wasted my time.
I found it hard to believe that so many people walk their dogs along deserted London towpaths in the dead of night. I found the numerous coincidences even harder to believe.
March 11, 2018
This is a tightly-wound tale of a haunted house and murder most foul; a story of a part-time, aspiring detective, Stella, and her cohort, Jack, bent on solving a 27-year-old murder that took place on or near a walkway—a ‘towpath’—fronting the Thames river, perpendicular to a row of heritage-type homes whose owners and respective tenants want nothing to do with the detective’s probing questions. Romping through the pages are dogs. Various dogs, whose names are a challenge to keep straight, and, of course, one particular dog-walker who strolls at midnight, mostly, with a dog collar loosely slung around his neck. A delicious read!
July 16, 2019
Good story
I really enjoy the characters in this series - Stella, Jack, Jackie etc. And I enjoyed the story of the missing estate agent but I got a little frustrated when a “third” person was introduced in the narrative. I also found Stella and Jack very tiresome at times with their “are we/aren’t we partners”. Are they a team? Are they destined to be lovers? Who knows but for a detective’s daughter she takes some really unnecessary actions which are completely opposite to the character. I’ve read all the books in the series and look forward to the next one but just found this one a bit lame.
I really enjoy the characters in this series - Stella, Jack, Jackie etc. And I enjoyed the story of the missing estate agent but I got a little frustrated when a “third” person was introduced in the narrative. I also found Stella and Jack very tiresome at times with their “are we/aren’t we partners”. Are they a team? Are they destined to be lovers? Who knows but for a detective’s daughter she takes some really unnecessary actions which are completely opposite to the character. I’ve read all the books in the series and look forward to the next one but just found this one a bit lame.
March 27, 2021
Have enjoyed the other books in this series. This one has good main characters and the dialogue is good. The plot though needed a good chunk of editing to reduce it down to a level that maintained interest. I was bored 75% of the way in. I ploughed on to the end but found myself putting it down a lot, finished it with relief and didn't really care who had done it. There is a key part of the plot which hinges on the police failing to do something so blindingly obvious it is beyond credibility. Without that failure to act, there is no plot. (Can't say what for obvious reasons.) I spotted it as soon as I read it; the editor should have too.
September 16, 2018
What I particularly like about Thomson's The Detective's Daughter series is with each new book we get to discover a little more about the charaters that these tales are based around....it's like reuniting with old friends and realising there is so much more to love about them. What Thomson also does well is give us a true detective tale, with many possible clues to many possible suspects....this one I enjoyed so much as it is once again based in Kew and the Thames tow path which I have such fond memories of. So thank you Ms Thomson, for giving me an opportunity to reminisce...
June 22, 2017
It's a dog's life.
Very good story or should I say two stories. It took me a while though to follow who was who and in which time period. Sometimes I couldn't figure out where you were. I think a map of the area at the beginning would have helped,showing the cottages in respect to the river etc.
I felt Bella shouldn't have been in the story,, she seemed pointless.
But all in all I felt it was a good story. Well worth reading.
Very good story or should I say two stories. It took me a while though to follow who was who and in which time period. Sometimes I couldn't figure out where you were. I think a map of the area at the beginning would have helped,showing the cottages in respect to the river etc.
I felt Bella shouldn't have been in the story,, she seemed pointless.
But all in all I felt it was a good story. Well worth reading.
June 27, 2017
I was lucky to find this series of great books back when the first was published. Since then I have read each one in order of publication. I have looked forward to the next and now on No 5 of this series I again hopefully look forward to the next for Stella and Jack. I believe that if you happened on one of these books you could definitely read them as a stand alone book but I have enjoyed our two's journey throughout the series.
July 7, 2017
I found 'The Dog Walker' an easy read but the many coincidences to move the plot forward make it a bit incredible. To quote a few as examples, Jackie's husband is a witness in the central crime investigation, Lucie turns out to be Bette's sister, Stanley lived in the same house as Brian Judd...and so it goes on. I know life is stranger than fiction, but...So, not as highly recommended as the previous Detective's Daughter novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2017
What a delight!
Reading the first in this series, with the strangest coupling of detectives ever, ensured that I would read them all. This was no disappointment, they entered yet another strange world, and the perfectly drawn characters and wonderful writing are to be savoured. Love love love it! With Fred Vargas, Lesley Thomson is the most original crime writer of today.
Reading the first in this series, with the strangest coupling of detectives ever, ensured that I would read them all. This was no disappointment, they entered yet another strange world, and the perfectly drawn characters and wonderful writing are to be savoured. Love love love it! With Fred Vargas, Lesley Thomson is the most original crime writer of today.
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