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DCI Eve Clay #3
Day of the Dead (3)
The man who calls himself Vindici broke out of prison last year. Now he's filmed himself torturing and killing pedophiles in Liverpool's affluent suburbs. Half the city's residents are celebrating: now the streets are safer for their children. But for DCI Eve Clay and her team at the Merseyside Police, it's a nightmare. Their job is to solve the crime and lock up the killer—hard enough without being despised by the public they are trying to protect. And now, just when they think they've cracked the case, they receive a photo of Vindici, at a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico. So if Vindici is 5,000 miles away, who are they hunting in Liverpool? DCI Eve Clay must draw on all her cunning to unmask a killer who is somehow always one step ahead.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 4, 2017
27 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
Mark Roberts
122 books53 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Mark Roberts was born and raised in Liverpool and was educated at St. Francis Xavier's College. He was a teacher for twenty years and for the last thirteen years has worked with children with severe learning difficulties. He received a Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for best new play of the year. He is the author of What She Saw which was longlisted for a CWA Gold Dagger. Blood Mist, the first in his DCI Eve Clay series, went to number one in the Australian kindle chart.
Mark Roberts was born and raised in Liverpool and was educated at St. Francis Xavier's College. He was a teacher for twenty years and for the last thirteen years has worked with children with severe learning difficulties. He received a Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for best new play of the year. He is the author of What She Saw which was longlisted for a CWA Gold Dagger. Blood Mist, the first in his DCI Eve Clay series, went to number one in the Australian kindle chart.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 7, 2017
Macabre thriller set in LIVERPOOL
Day of the Dead is the third in Mark Robert’s Eve Clay detective series – firmly set in Liverpool. It is as dark and disturbing as the first two… The city really comes to life, but in a way that not too many would recognise.
Eve herself was an orphan. She was brought up by the sisters in the St Michael’s Catholic Care Home for Children, where she was abused (just once) by the handyman/gardener, Christopher Hawkins, who pretended to help her locate a lost cat. She was rescued by Jimmy Peace, a fellow inhabitant of the home who attacked Chrisopher. He (as in Jimmy) was taken away by the police and Eve never saw him again – though she later discovered he had died in an accident at sea. She thus has a particular and peculiar attitude towards paedophiles. The book opens with two being sadistically murdered on her patch. The public rejoice, but Eve – ever the detective – is determined to bring the perpetrator to justice. The murders are in the style of Justin Truman, the self styled ‘Vindici’ – a London killer of paedophiles who escaped after having been convicted years previously. But is the murderer Vindici or a copy cat? And why Liverpool? And what is the connection to Eve? The murderer makes it clear that she is also the centre of his attentions… And yet she doesn’t even know Vindici.
The story is fast moving and intense. The plot unfolds with many a twist and turn along the way. Eve’s past comes back to haunt her. The denouement is unexpected, violent, and shocking.
The book is an extremely well written, and thought provoking, detective thriller. But, for me, it is so much more… It is set in the heart of South Liverpool – exactly where I was born and brought up. All the street names and locations are familiar to me. If evidence were needed of the power of fiction ‘set in location’ then this is it!
Day of the Dead is the third in Mark Robert’s Eve Clay detective series – firmly set in Liverpool. It is as dark and disturbing as the first two… The city really comes to life, but in a way that not too many would recognise.
Eve herself was an orphan. She was brought up by the sisters in the St Michael’s Catholic Care Home for Children, where she was abused (just once) by the handyman/gardener, Christopher Hawkins, who pretended to help her locate a lost cat. She was rescued by Jimmy Peace, a fellow inhabitant of the home who attacked Chrisopher. He (as in Jimmy) was taken away by the police and Eve never saw him again – though she later discovered he had died in an accident at sea. She thus has a particular and peculiar attitude towards paedophiles. The book opens with two being sadistically murdered on her patch. The public rejoice, but Eve – ever the detective – is determined to bring the perpetrator to justice. The murders are in the style of Justin Truman, the self styled ‘Vindici’ – a London killer of paedophiles who escaped after having been convicted years previously. But is the murderer Vindici or a copy cat? And why Liverpool? And what is the connection to Eve? The murderer makes it clear that she is also the centre of his attentions… And yet she doesn’t even know Vindici.
The story is fast moving and intense. The plot unfolds with many a twist and turn along the way. Eve’s past comes back to haunt her. The denouement is unexpected, violent, and shocking.
The book is an extremely well written, and thought provoking, detective thriller. But, for me, it is so much more… It is set in the heart of South Liverpool – exactly where I was born and brought up. All the street names and locations are familiar to me. If evidence were needed of the power of fiction ‘set in location’ then this is it!
June 11, 2017
This is my first time reading anything by Mark Roberts so even though DAY OF THE DEAD is book three in the Eve Clay Series, it can easily be read as a standalone.
DCI Eve Clay and her team are on the hunt for a killer who is hunting paedophiles in Liverpool and ritualistically murdering them. Believing it to be the work of Vindici who had escaped from prison, Eve knows that this will not be a straight-forward case. For one thing, the public adores Vindici who is revered for making the streets safer for their children, and for another, Eve also has her own past memories to deal with which continue to haunt her. But when it becomes clear that they are dealing with a copycat, everything is thrown into the air, and suddenly Eve is unsure of who she can trust...
Methodical, gritty, and well-paced, DAY OF THE DEAD by Mark Roberts is the kind of crime fiction novel that messes with your emotions and gets under your skin. The story is spread out over the three days of the investigation and this really worked as I never felt bored or lost interest.
As a mother, the topics covered in this story horrified and scared the living daylights out of me and made for some very uncomfortable moments, but the narrative is so well-written that you just have to keep reading. Eve Clay is a very likeable character and the relationships that exist between her and other members of the team were really interesting to watch. Usually the killer is instantly the 'baddie' but what was strange in DAY OF THE DEAD was that I couldn't dislike the killer in this story, at least not in the beginning - that is not to say I liked the killer but, like the general public in this tale, for most of the story there is that consensus that these monsters deserved to die. It is only nearer to the end that the flawed logic of this belief is made clear - and I felt that the ending was damn near perfect!
DAY OF THE DEAD by Mark Roberts is a dark, intense, and deeply compelling novel and I will definitely read more from this author. If you are a fan of crime fiction then you must read this book.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
DCI Eve Clay and her team are on the hunt for a killer who is hunting paedophiles in Liverpool and ritualistically murdering them. Believing it to be the work of Vindici who had escaped from prison, Eve knows that this will not be a straight-forward case. For one thing, the public adores Vindici who is revered for making the streets safer for their children, and for another, Eve also has her own past memories to deal with which continue to haunt her. But when it becomes clear that they are dealing with a copycat, everything is thrown into the air, and suddenly Eve is unsure of who she can trust...
Methodical, gritty, and well-paced, DAY OF THE DEAD by Mark Roberts is the kind of crime fiction novel that messes with your emotions and gets under your skin. The story is spread out over the three days of the investigation and this really worked as I never felt bored or lost interest.
As a mother, the topics covered in this story horrified and scared the living daylights out of me and made for some very uncomfortable moments, but the narrative is so well-written that you just have to keep reading. Eve Clay is a very likeable character and the relationships that exist between her and other members of the team were really interesting to watch. Usually the killer is instantly the 'baddie' but what was strange in DAY OF THE DEAD was that I couldn't dislike the killer in this story, at least not in the beginning - that is not to say I liked the killer but, like the general public in this tale, for most of the story there is that consensus that these monsters deserved to die. It is only nearer to the end that the flawed logic of this belief is made clear - and I felt that the ending was damn near perfect!
DAY OF THE DEAD by Mark Roberts is a dark, intense, and deeply compelling novel and I will definitely read more from this author. If you are a fan of crime fiction then you must read this book.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
April 26, 2022
Very well written. Not what I was expecting. Very detailed and gruesome. Deep dive into a messy main character who needs therapy but wants to help people. Not my kind of book per se but don’t regret reading it
August 15, 2020
I did not enjoy reading this book. It was mainly the style of writing I did not agree with - it was not engaging, continually jolted you out of the storyline, and there were so many characters that I could not keep any straight in my head, leading to a lack of suspense and surprise when the leak /culprit was revealed.
I don't think the reveal about Lucien was treated very well at all - it felt discriminatory to use the fact that he was a hermaphrodite to justify him becoming a serial killer, then to chuck in that Christine was actually his mother, the moving story about his sister's death was a lie, and that he wanted to be in a relationship with Vindici seemed absurd.
The whole storyline with Bob Rimmer felt like a complete waste of time. Are we meant to feel sorry for a man who's wife has terminal cancer? Yet this same man does not want to spend any time with his wife and is rude to her mother. He is accused of being the leak because he wipes evidence and covers up a new lead - this is corrupt behaviour and is never explained. He then is inferred to drown himself; officers learn that he is dead and then he is never mentioned again. This felt like an unnecessary addition to the novel, as was Sammy. A supposed rape victim of her father who lusts after a police officer and succeeds in making the officer lust after her. This same officer then inexplicably turns round near the end of the novel to state he now loathes Sammy, and then we find out at the end that Sammy lied about her father being a paedophile, meaning he was murdered for no reason. There do not appear to be any legal ramifications of Sammy lying. Why include either of these stories, as they only served to frustrate the reader and further detach them from the main storyline.
Overall, it was a poorly executed novel with too many characters, too many storyline that were underdeveloped with characters that you did not feel any emotions towards, and I can safely say I will not be reading another Mark Roberts novel again.
I don't think the reveal about Lucien was treated very well at all - it felt discriminatory to use the fact that he was a hermaphrodite to justify him becoming a serial killer, then to chuck in that Christine was actually his mother, the moving story about his sister's death was a lie, and that he wanted to be in a relationship with Vindici seemed absurd.
The whole storyline with Bob Rimmer felt like a complete waste of time. Are we meant to feel sorry for a man who's wife has terminal cancer? Yet this same man does not want to spend any time with his wife and is rude to her mother. He is accused of being the leak because he wipes evidence and covers up a new lead - this is corrupt behaviour and is never explained. He then is inferred to drown himself; officers learn that he is dead and then he is never mentioned again. This felt like an unnecessary addition to the novel, as was Sammy. A supposed rape victim of her father who lusts after a police officer and succeeds in making the officer lust after her. This same officer then inexplicably turns round near the end of the novel to state he now loathes Sammy, and then we find out at the end that Sammy lied about her father being a paedophile, meaning he was murdered for no reason. There do not appear to be any legal ramifications of Sammy lying. Why include either of these stories, as they only served to frustrate the reader and further detach them from the main storyline.
Overall, it was a poorly executed novel with too many characters, too many storyline that were underdeveloped with characters that you did not feel any emotions towards, and I can safely say I will not be reading another Mark Roberts novel again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2018
I've now read the first 3 installments in the DCI Eve Clay series and I have to say this is my favourite so far. Although the 3rd in the series each book can easily be read as a stand alone book.
Eve and her team are once again up against evil and this time with more of an uncomfortable plot subject than normal. Without giving too much away this outing shows again how much of good a writer Mark Roberts is as my feelings towards each side are torn. Should you be sympathising with the 'bad guys'? What is really right and wrong?
One of my favourite things about this series is the fact that from page 1 to the last page you are thrown straight into the story and it's non stop till the end. Although there are insights into the private lives of Eve and her team it doesn't distract from the plot.
A highly recommended series of books with a fat 5 stars for all 3. Now onto book 4.
Eve and her team are once again up against evil and this time with more of an uncomfortable plot subject than normal. Without giving too much away this outing shows again how much of good a writer Mark Roberts is as my feelings towards each side are torn. Should you be sympathising with the 'bad guys'? What is really right and wrong?
One of my favourite things about this series is the fact that from page 1 to the last page you are thrown straight into the story and it's non stop till the end. Although there are insights into the private lives of Eve and her team it doesn't distract from the plot.
A highly recommended series of books with a fat 5 stars for all 3. Now onto book 4.
March 1, 2019
There is a lot about the Eve Clay series that is intriguing. The novels have interesting pretexts and a good cast of characters. But how many serial killers can possibly be connected to a six year old girl in Liverpool? The plot device of cases connected to the lead detective's childhood is becoming overused, and we are only at book 3 in the series.
Day Of The Dead concerns the death of several paedophiles. The reaction is well done, with the public, the media and even some of the detectives thinking that the killer is doing a public service. Once again in this series, the case links to a previously convicted killer with some celebrity.
Much of the plot is a straightforward police procedural with few twists. The story arc is simple until the ending, which becomes a bit of a mass reveal as every loose thread is tied up in a rather rushed fashion.
Day Of The Dead concerns the death of several paedophiles. The reaction is well done, with the public, the media and even some of the detectives thinking that the killer is doing a public service. Once again in this series, the case links to a previously convicted killer with some celebrity.
Much of the plot is a straightforward police procedural with few twists. The story arc is simple until the ending, which becomes a bit of a mass reveal as every loose thread is tied up in a rather rushed fashion.
December 21, 2019
Foremost thing I have noticed while reading the book I hated DCI Eve Clay the most due to her intense interrogation and it was best part which connected me to the whole novel and I know she was just doing her job but the plot of the novel where your antagonist is a good man and being a reader I don't want him to get caught. But as the story goes its more than eyes meets, you get a copycat here and through a great riddles secret starts getting out. Sometimes the sentences writing were odd and took time to get that But other times it was nice and compelling to read. Ikno this my first novel in this series but it lacked character representation and as the series is not connected you can pick up from between the series but writer should have managed some time on characters which should have connected the readers to them. Otherwise this is a decent novel.
Thanks&BeHappy.
Thanks&BeHappy.
July 25, 2017
The first two books in the Eve Clay series were excellent but this is even better, an exciting and tense thriller with many twists and turns and unexpected revelations. As usual, Eve Clay's early life has a prominent place in the novel and characters from her past are key to the solving of the crime. Paedophilia is the central theme and Eve and her colleagues are tasked with solving the murders of several Liverpool paedophiles. The book has a very contemporary feel with references to the deep/dark web, and in the background is the recurring theme in crime fiction of corruption among serving officers. A superb read from start to finish! More please.
February 14, 2018
What would thriller writers do without child molesters?
This book was OK, better than some. One female character bothered me. If somebody is warped and twisted, then something is wrong. It may not be what they are saying is wrong, but something is definitely wrong.
I think what put me off this book the most was a real feeling of us, the good people, and them, the monsters. I like books that acknowledge a continuum. Monsters are not a species apart. They are me on a bad day, what I could have been but for a few lucky breaks. They deserve our compassion and understanding. Well, at least, that's what we should aspire to, even if the impulse to hate and jeer is strong.
This book was OK, better than some. One female character bothered me. If somebody is warped and twisted, then something is wrong. It may not be what they are saying is wrong, but something is definitely wrong.
I think what put me off this book the most was a real feeling of us, the good people, and them, the monsters. I like books that acknowledge a continuum. Monsters are not a species apart. They are me on a bad day, what I could have been but for a few lucky breaks. They deserve our compassion and understanding. Well, at least, that's what we should aspire to, even if the impulse to hate and jeer is strong.
February 1, 2024
Too many characters in the Police force and for a good enough time you keep getting confused between them without getting a good reason to form any sort of emotional connect with any of them. Overall predictable also, its like you trace an unnecessary zigzag path to reach where a straight line could land you. Police catches the killers only when they give it away and then the investigations reveal nothing much again till the time the killers voluntarily tell them how and why they did it, as if to mock the efforts. Not a great read in my opinion.
October 13, 2017
This is the first book I have read by this author and it most certainly won't be the last. Day And of the Dead is a gripping read which evolves around the gruesome torture and killing of paedophiles. My mistake was not reading this Eve Clay series from the beginning and that is something I intend to do. A very controversial storyline which had me engrossed from start to finish as there were several suspects and some great twists
A superbly written book from Mark Roberts
A superbly written book from Mark Roberts
June 24, 2017
A copycat killer is emulating a convicted and escaped serial killer who targeted paedophiles. DCI Eve Clay and her team return for a third outing as these new killings are happening on her Liverpool patch. Investigations take them to two possible suspects and reveal a leak in the constabulary. Plenty of action and red herrings in this story. Another great read from Roberts.
April 9, 2018
A serial killer escapes from custody and 5 years later a series of related crimes are committed.
Really good idea for a book, but a real mess in practice / execution - too many strands and the constant switching between different plot lines was confusing and there were too many convenient co-incidences / clues.
Overall rating 2.5
Really good idea for a book, but a real mess in practice / execution - too many strands and the constant switching between different plot lines was confusing and there were too many convenient co-incidences / clues.
Overall rating 2.5
June 1, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
So underrated!!!! I was so hooked!
The plot is so interesting, the FMC is a badass who is juggling her work commitments and family responsibilities. The mystery is top tier because there’s so many elements to this story. The way that the book follows the plot hour by hour is just so satisfying and maximises the potential for detailing and engagement.
So underrated!!!! I was so hooked!
The plot is so interesting, the FMC is a badass who is juggling her work commitments and family responsibilities. The mystery is top tier because there’s so many elements to this story. The way that the book follows the plot hour by hour is just so satisfying and maximises the potential for detailing and engagement.
March 3, 2018
not the best story ever - there are not many surprises except the twist between that boy & his mother... rest was foreseeable... why the story is lined up in 2019 i don‘t get but maybe it makes sense if you read the other stories in this series...
January 10, 2018
Just so mixed up in the end... same as the last book... not going to read anymore form this author
January 24, 2019
Such a great book with lots of twists and turns....loved the ending.
February 4, 2019
Very enjoyable book. I haven't read the first two but I didn't miss it.
October 1, 2019
Good storyline as usual. Loving Mark Roberts books at the moment.
December 11, 2019
Readable. But awful subject matter. And paedophiles are depicted as pure monsters, which seems slightly simplistic.
December 31, 2019
Loving the Eve Clay series 🙂
February 11, 2020
It was ok but not something I would re-read.
April 14, 2020
Bisschen viel los diesmal, aber trotzdem wieder sehr gut.
Ich mag den Schreibstil und die Charaktere sehr.
Ich mag den Schreibstil und die Charaktere sehr.
April 19, 2020
Didn’t grip me at all
August 6, 2020
I found this one a little too dark and somewhat disturbing although with some interesting aspects. Overall somewhat poorly written as i found typos in the e-book version.
July 23, 2023
not me bawling my eyes out for the last 30 pages straight, mark roberts znova nesklamal
September 9, 2025
Meh. Somehow predictable and far-fetched at the same time. There were too many different characters to keep track of and at least one story with unsatisfying loose ends. 3 stars is generous.
June 12, 2017
The Day of the Dead is my first experience of the talented Mark Roberts, and what an experience it was! Described as 'intricate and fast-paced' it is everything a modern day thriller should be.
Spread over three intense action-packed days, it seems like weeks have passed since the beginning. Roberts' attention to detail and character depth is phenomenal, bringing an entirely believable story to life in spectacular fashion. The running theme of 'neither one thing, nor another' is as fresh and current as it is confusing and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Full of unexpected twists, just when you think you may have a clue what is going on, the rug is swept from under your feet and chaos descends once more.
Genuinely one of the best serial killer thrillers I have read this year, I am looking forward to reading more from Mark Roberts.
Spread over three intense action-packed days, it seems like weeks have passed since the beginning. Roberts' attention to detail and character depth is phenomenal, bringing an entirely believable story to life in spectacular fashion. The running theme of 'neither one thing, nor another' is as fresh and current as it is confusing and keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Full of unexpected twists, just when you think you may have a clue what is going on, the rug is swept from under your feet and chaos descends once more.
Genuinely one of the best serial killer thrillers I have read this year, I am looking forward to reading more from Mark Roberts.
January 3, 2018
another stonking read from Mark Roberts. this series gets better with each new Eve Clay thriller 😄
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews