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Charlie Priest #1
The Mayfly
It's happening again.
A mutilated body discovered in the woods.
A murderous plan conceived in the past.
A reckoning seventy years in the making . . .
Charlie Priest, ex-detective inspector turned London lawyer, is hired by influential entrepreneur Kenneth Ellinder to investigate the murder of his son. But Priest is no ordinary lawyer. Brilliant, yet flawed, this case will push him, and those closest to him, to the edge.
Priest traces the evidence back to the desperate last days of the Second World War. Buried in the ashes of the Holocaust is a secret so deadly its poison threatens to destroy the very heart of the establishment.
With more victims going missing, Priest realises that not everyone should be trusted. As he races to uncover the truth, can he prevent history from repeating itself?
A mutilated body discovered in the woods.
A murderous plan conceived in the past.
A reckoning seventy years in the making . . .
Charlie Priest, ex-detective inspector turned London lawyer, is hired by influential entrepreneur Kenneth Ellinder to investigate the murder of his son. But Priest is no ordinary lawyer. Brilliant, yet flawed, this case will push him, and those closest to him, to the edge.
Priest traces the evidence back to the desperate last days of the Second World War. Buried in the ashes of the Holocaust is a secret so deadly its poison threatens to destroy the very heart of the establishment.
With more victims going missing, Priest realises that not everyone should be trusted. As he races to uncover the truth, can he prevent history from repeating itself?
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 15, 2017
46 people are currently reading
1191 people want to read
About the author
James Hazel
7 books109 followersBefore turning his hand to writing, James Hazel was a lawyer in private practice specialising in corporate and commercial litigation and employment law.
He was an equity partner in a regional law firm and held a number of different department headships until he quit legal practice to pursue his dream of becoming an author.
He has a keen interest in criminology and a passion for crime thrillers, indie music and all things retro.
James lives on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds with his wife and three children.
He was an equity partner in a regional law firm and held a number of different department headships until he quit legal practice to pursue his dream of becoming an author.
He has a keen interest in criminology and a passion for crime thrillers, indie music and all things retro.
James lives on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds with his wife and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
June 26, 2017
“Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.”
― Primo Levi
The Mayfly begins with the discovery of a badly mutilated body in a cabin, deep in the woods. This very much sets the scene for the horrifying events that follow.
Our protagonist Charlie Priest is a an ex Detective Inspector turned successful lawyer, who we meet in the aftermath of a break-in at his home. Charlie is viciously attacked by someone who clearly believes that Charlie has something belonging to him. When Charlie's attacker is found dead the next day, he finds himself entangled in a web that's so intricate that there's a danger that he may never get out of this alive.
The story shifts between the early days of post war Britain and the present, and involves the interrogation of a former Nazi concentration camp doctor. It's intriguing to see how the author pulls these dual timelines together to create a cracking read. I'm not always a fan of dual timelines but this one worked perfectly. There are some great characters, not least Charlie - although he has dissociation disorder, he's extremely smart, astute, and has a great sense of humour that I loved. The fact that he also has a serial killer brother ( now residing in a high security mental health unit ) puts an unusual spin on the storyline.
What a fantastic start to what is to become ( I understand ) a long running series. James Hazel has announced his arrival on the literary scene with balloons, whistles and bells! It was utterly compelling with intelligent narrative and a unique and a gripping plot. Watch out for James Hazel, I think we're going to hear lots of good things about him in the future.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for my ARC in exchange for an honest review*
― Primo Levi
The Mayfly begins with the discovery of a badly mutilated body in a cabin, deep in the woods. This very much sets the scene for the horrifying events that follow.
Our protagonist Charlie Priest is a an ex Detective Inspector turned successful lawyer, who we meet in the aftermath of a break-in at his home. Charlie is viciously attacked by someone who clearly believes that Charlie has something belonging to him. When Charlie's attacker is found dead the next day, he finds himself entangled in a web that's so intricate that there's a danger that he may never get out of this alive.
The story shifts between the early days of post war Britain and the present, and involves the interrogation of a former Nazi concentration camp doctor. It's intriguing to see how the author pulls these dual timelines together to create a cracking read. I'm not always a fan of dual timelines but this one worked perfectly. There are some great characters, not least Charlie - although he has dissociation disorder, he's extremely smart, astute, and has a great sense of humour that I loved. The fact that he also has a serial killer brother ( now residing in a high security mental health unit ) puts an unusual spin on the storyline.
What a fantastic start to what is to become ( I understand ) a long running series. James Hazel has announced his arrival on the literary scene with balloons, whistles and bells! It was utterly compelling with intelligent narrative and a unique and a gripping plot. Watch out for James Hazel, I think we're going to hear lots of good things about him in the future.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for my ARC in exchange for an honest review*
July 24, 2017
I'm stunned at the professionalism and high quality writing of this brilliant book considering James Hazel is a new author and voice in the world of chilling and high octane thrillers!
I was well and truly hooked from the very first grisly page, where the author holds nothing back in the horrendous discovery of a mutilated body in a log cabin. We then switch to 1945 and the brutality and atrocities of Buchenwald concentration camp - with a mysterious order from a Military Intelligence Colonel. From then on it is non stop tension, intrigue, gruesome murders and blood pulsing moments incorporated in a well thought out and intelligent plot- this book pulls you in from the start and doesn't let you go until the nail biting finish.
There's some great engaging characters in this book and I really liked ex D.I turned London lawyer Charlie Priest who suffers from dissociative disorder- he's a terrific main character and someone I look forward to reading about in the author's future books in this series.
I can't recommend "The Mayfly" enough, and if you have the time, I seriously suggest you read this in a few a sittings as possible , it's so compelling - before you know it, the pages are turning quicker than you can keep up!
This is one of those books for me, where I wish I could give it more than 5 stars, it's exactly what I like in a book of this genre and without a doubt I expect it to do exceedingly well this year. Watch out for the name James Hazel, we will be seeing a lot more from him in the future!!
An amazing 5 stars!
I was well and truly hooked from the very first grisly page, where the author holds nothing back in the horrendous discovery of a mutilated body in a log cabin. We then switch to 1945 and the brutality and atrocities of Buchenwald concentration camp - with a mysterious order from a Military Intelligence Colonel. From then on it is non stop tension, intrigue, gruesome murders and blood pulsing moments incorporated in a well thought out and intelligent plot- this book pulls you in from the start and doesn't let you go until the nail biting finish.
There's some great engaging characters in this book and I really liked ex D.I turned London lawyer Charlie Priest who suffers from dissociative disorder- he's a terrific main character and someone I look forward to reading about in the author's future books in this series.
I can't recommend "The Mayfly" enough, and if you have the time, I seriously suggest you read this in a few a sittings as possible , it's so compelling - before you know it, the pages are turning quicker than you can keep up!
This is one of those books for me, where I wish I could give it more than 5 stars, it's exactly what I like in a book of this genre and without a doubt I expect it to do exceedingly well this year. Watch out for the name James Hazel, we will be seeing a lot more from him in the future!!
An amazing 5 stars!
October 19, 2018
This is a great debut from James Hazel, the first in the Charlie Priest series. There are some great reviews already on this so I will keep this succinct. Charlie is a divorced ex-cop turned successful lawyer specialising in fraud investigations. His practice consists of a diverse set of able colleagues, Vincent Okoro, Georgie Someday and the socially awkward, OCD obsessed Solly. After a harrowing night when an intruder cons his way into his apartment, Priest finds himself involved in a investigation that goes back to WW2, the Buchenwald Concentration Camp and the horrifying work of a number of Nazi doctors in the development and modification of poisons, the secret work of Colonel Ruck in Military Intelligence and Operation Mayfly. With a story that goes back and forth in time, that has resulted in powerful, ruthless and sick forces, part of the House of Mayfly, determined to get their hands on a flashdrive that threatens their existence. Charlie is the focus of their hunt, as in the present day a number of murders and abductions occur.
This is a well plotted novel, fast paced with its short chapters and the narrative is compulsive reading. The character of Charlie is its greatest strength with his disassociative disorder that can overwhelm him at times to the point he cannot operate at all. His brother, William, another sufferer of the condition is a serial killer in a secure psychiatric facility who he visits regularly, although his sister, Sarah, has disowned William. There is an unevenness in the narrative occasionally, but the greatest weakness in the book is having female characters such as Jessica, who serves as a beautiful and sexually alluring woman for Charlie but nothing else other than as a plot device for the plot's conclusion and Georgie, brilliant, but there is insufficient evidence of this and she is lazily depicted as a damsel in distress. Additionally, there is insufficient character development of Vincent, the black inhouse consul. Hopefully these issues will get resolved as the series progresses further. Nevertheless, this was a highly suspenseful and tense read which I recommend to others.
This is a well plotted novel, fast paced with its short chapters and the narrative is compulsive reading. The character of Charlie is its greatest strength with his disassociative disorder that can overwhelm him at times to the point he cannot operate at all. His brother, William, another sufferer of the condition is a serial killer in a secure psychiatric facility who he visits regularly, although his sister, Sarah, has disowned William. There is an unevenness in the narrative occasionally, but the greatest weakness in the book is having female characters such as Jessica, who serves as a beautiful and sexually alluring woman for Charlie but nothing else other than as a plot device for the plot's conclusion and Georgie, brilliant, but there is insufficient evidence of this and she is lazily depicted as a damsel in distress. Additionally, there is insufficient character development of Vincent, the black inhouse consul. Hopefully these issues will get resolved as the series progresses further. Nevertheless, this was a highly suspenseful and tense read which I recommend to others.
July 11, 2017
This is a creepy thriller that alternates between 2 time lines that link disturbing events in the present to a horrific chapter from the past.
In the present, DCI Tiff Rowlinson attends a gruesome scene in an isolated cabin in south Wales. So he’s more than a little surprised when British attorney general Sir Philip Wren arrives unannounced with a team from the Met. Wren doesn’t say much but 2 things are immediately clear. He is deeply unsettled by what he’s seen & has no intention of allowing Rowlinson to investigate.
In 1946 Col. Albert Ruck is tucked away in a remote english farmhouse with a handful of staff. His mission is simple: make his “guest” talk. In the messy clean-up following the war, he was charged with snatching Dr. Kurt Schneider from Buchenwald concentration camp. The good doctor is infamous for the experiments he carried out, specializing in modified poisons. Now he spends his days being interrogated in a barn & Ruck has some very specific questions.
Charlie Priest retired from the Met 10 years ago & became a lawyer. Now he heads up an exclusive firm with 3 carefully chosen associates. Vincent Okoro is a large, intimidating man with a brilliant legal mind. Simon Solomon is a geeky forensic accountant afflicted with a variety of ticks & zero social skills. Georgie Someday is the new girl, a tireless researcher & sharp as a tack. After Charlie is attacked in his home one night, all 4 of them will be affected by the disturbing events that follow.
That’s it for the plot, folks. The less you know going in, the better. But I’ll pass on some advice. Practice cringing……a lot. Oh, and if you ever get a letter with something lumpy inside? Maybe leave town.
Charlie gets caught up in the search for a killer & soon realizes that he himself has multiple connections to whatever the hell is going on. Former colleagues, missing women and something else…..the pervasive sense of something evil that has existed for decades. Tension builds with every discovery & as new characters are introduced, some of them will make you nervous. They’re a little blurry around the edges & you can’t help but question their motives. All you know for sure is there are people who will do anything to keep a secret safely hidden.
The plot is complex & the historical story line is just as compelling as the one set in present day. At about the 80% mark, I felt like I needed to take a deep breath before turning each page. There’s a whole herd of twists & each new piece of info sends you haring off after a fresh suspect. It’s a thriller with a capital T but what bumped it up to 4 stars for me was the main character.
Charlie is an interesting guy. He lives alone & tends to avoid social situations that require normal behaviour. Because even when he’s physically present, Charlie may not really be there. He has dissociative disorder & it’s a rather sneaky affliction. He can be in the middle of a conversation when an episode hits & suddenly he’s outside himself, watching as he flounders for something to say. At other times he may not recognize his own hand as belonging to his body. His memory of what occurred becomes spotty & time has an elastic quality. There’s a very good reason that he sometimes worries about his sanity but I’ll let you discover that for yourself.
Just a heads up. There is some gruesome content so if you’re a fan of cozies, step away from the book now. Actually, run. Personally, I think I’m going to hang around & see what Charlie gets up to in book #2.
In the present, DCI Tiff Rowlinson attends a gruesome scene in an isolated cabin in south Wales. So he’s more than a little surprised when British attorney general Sir Philip Wren arrives unannounced with a team from the Met. Wren doesn’t say much but 2 things are immediately clear. He is deeply unsettled by what he’s seen & has no intention of allowing Rowlinson to investigate.
In 1946 Col. Albert Ruck is tucked away in a remote english farmhouse with a handful of staff. His mission is simple: make his “guest” talk. In the messy clean-up following the war, he was charged with snatching Dr. Kurt Schneider from Buchenwald concentration camp. The good doctor is infamous for the experiments he carried out, specializing in modified poisons. Now he spends his days being interrogated in a barn & Ruck has some very specific questions.
Charlie Priest retired from the Met 10 years ago & became a lawyer. Now he heads up an exclusive firm with 3 carefully chosen associates. Vincent Okoro is a large, intimidating man with a brilliant legal mind. Simon Solomon is a geeky forensic accountant afflicted with a variety of ticks & zero social skills. Georgie Someday is the new girl, a tireless researcher & sharp as a tack. After Charlie is attacked in his home one night, all 4 of them will be affected by the disturbing events that follow.
That’s it for the plot, folks. The less you know going in, the better. But I’ll pass on some advice. Practice cringing……a lot. Oh, and if you ever get a letter with something lumpy inside? Maybe leave town.
Charlie gets caught up in the search for a killer & soon realizes that he himself has multiple connections to whatever the hell is going on. Former colleagues, missing women and something else…..the pervasive sense of something evil that has existed for decades. Tension builds with every discovery & as new characters are introduced, some of them will make you nervous. They’re a little blurry around the edges & you can’t help but question their motives. All you know for sure is there are people who will do anything to keep a secret safely hidden.
The plot is complex & the historical story line is just as compelling as the one set in present day. At about the 80% mark, I felt like I needed to take a deep breath before turning each page. There’s a whole herd of twists & each new piece of info sends you haring off after a fresh suspect. It’s a thriller with a capital T but what bumped it up to 4 stars for me was the main character.
Charlie is an interesting guy. He lives alone & tends to avoid social situations that require normal behaviour. Because even when he’s physically present, Charlie may not really be there. He has dissociative disorder & it’s a rather sneaky affliction. He can be in the middle of a conversation when an episode hits & suddenly he’s outside himself, watching as he flounders for something to say. At other times he may not recognize his own hand as belonging to his body. His memory of what occurred becomes spotty & time has an elastic quality. There’s a very good reason that he sometimes worries about his sanity but I’ll let you discover that for yourself.
Just a heads up. There is some gruesome content so if you’re a fan of cozies, step away from the book now. Actually, run. Personally, I think I’m going to hang around & see what Charlie gets up to in book #2.
April 21, 2017
Wow I loved The Mayfly. More than I expected to (always a good thing) and that is probably down to the completely compelling characters (Charlie Priest my newest book crush) and the rest (Georgie my newest girl crush) plus the brilliantly horrific plot which does get right under your skin. **slight shudder**
I won’t give anything away but the story fairly rocks along, whilst at the same time fleshing out (so to speak) the characters, digging them into your consciousness so when bad things happen to them you are all discombobulated – and bad things do happen. Boy do they.
I like to find new crime fiction that has a different spin to put on things – what James Hazel does here is give you all the elements of a decent crime thriller with added oomph. Charlie Priest really is no ordinary lawyer – I’ll let you find out why for yourselves – but it adds a brilliantly intriguing twist on things that allows for some really meaningful moments in a plot full of layered depth. Also, his family is kind of weird – in the best reading way, I loved them. Even the one that I should probably be wary of.
I loved the past/present elements that all fused together ultimately, I really had no idea where this was going to end up, another reason for enjoying it thoroughly – I like the unpredictable not a lot get me that way these days. Even if I’d worked out every nuance though I would still have loved it – the characters are so fascinating, their relationships in our infancy of knowing them here are cleverly addictive – can’t wait for more now. Really. If the next book in the series is as good then its heading straight onto the must buy list.
Occasionally horrifically shiver inducing, never less than irresistible, The Mayfly is really top notch. Intelligently constructed, characters to die for and a truly sterling opening to what I hope will be a long running series. Charlie Priest. Remember the name.
I love this part.
Highly Recommended.
I won’t give anything away but the story fairly rocks along, whilst at the same time fleshing out (so to speak) the characters, digging them into your consciousness so when bad things happen to them you are all discombobulated – and bad things do happen. Boy do they.
I like to find new crime fiction that has a different spin to put on things – what James Hazel does here is give you all the elements of a decent crime thriller with added oomph. Charlie Priest really is no ordinary lawyer – I’ll let you find out why for yourselves – but it adds a brilliantly intriguing twist on things that allows for some really meaningful moments in a plot full of layered depth. Also, his family is kind of weird – in the best reading way, I loved them. Even the one that I should probably be wary of.
I loved the past/present elements that all fused together ultimately, I really had no idea where this was going to end up, another reason for enjoying it thoroughly – I like the unpredictable not a lot get me that way these days. Even if I’d worked out every nuance though I would still have loved it – the characters are so fascinating, their relationships in our infancy of knowing them here are cleverly addictive – can’t wait for more now. Really. If the next book in the series is as good then its heading straight onto the must buy list.
Occasionally horrifically shiver inducing, never less than irresistible, The Mayfly is really top notch. Intelligently constructed, characters to die for and a truly sterling opening to what I hope will be a long running series. Charlie Priest. Remember the name.
I love this part.
Highly Recommended.
June 30, 2022
The Mayfly is the first in the series by James Hazel with the central character, Charlie Priest, an ex-policeman cum lawyer.
This is a bit of an odd review for me. As happens quite often I found it all tied up way too quickly in the end and the whole plot was revealed in a conversation between the two main combatants, rather than being worked through as a plot. Ordinarily, this would be enough to mark a crime fiction book down decidedly.
But, while the Mayfly had some rough edges and one could believe it to be a first novel, it was indeed a great, thrilling read. I am sure the writing will be tighter as the series moves on but the plot line is wonderful. Tie in historic evils from the Nazi doctors of WWII, with cults, underworld, and modern-day greed and you are reading a fast-paced British thriller. A core collection of characters, sometimes with questionable interactions, at times the writing is a little loose and at other times there appear to be easier avenues for the characters to traverse. Sometimes things just happen too quickly and easily but this is one of those books where you are ready to ignore that to keep turning pages to reach the outcome.
While I am aware that at points I seem to be quite down on this book, I readily admit I am eager to read more of the series. Mayfly was a page-turning read and after all, it is fiction. I am looking forward to more development amongst the characters and seeing where James Hazel turns in the coming books.
This is a bit of an odd review for me. As happens quite often I found it all tied up way too quickly in the end and the whole plot was revealed in a conversation between the two main combatants, rather than being worked through as a plot. Ordinarily, this would be enough to mark a crime fiction book down decidedly.
But, while the Mayfly had some rough edges and one could believe it to be a first novel, it was indeed a great, thrilling read. I am sure the writing will be tighter as the series moves on but the plot line is wonderful. Tie in historic evils from the Nazi doctors of WWII, with cults, underworld, and modern-day greed and you are reading a fast-paced British thriller. A core collection of characters, sometimes with questionable interactions, at times the writing is a little loose and at other times there appear to be easier avenues for the characters to traverse. Sometimes things just happen too quickly and easily but this is one of those books where you are ready to ignore that to keep turning pages to reach the outcome.
While I am aware that at points I seem to be quite down on this book, I readily admit I am eager to read more of the series. Mayfly was a page-turning read and after all, it is fiction. I am looking forward to more development amongst the characters and seeing where James Hazel turns in the coming books.
July 9, 2017
Wowzers! This is an absolute firecracker of a debut novel that pulls together some remarkable characters, a fiendishly clever motive, some very brutal deaths and tops it off with an irreverent sense of humour that draws it together perfectly. The resulting novel, The Mayfly, introduces a former Detective Inspector, now turned successful fraud lawyer who is the original lovable rogue - a rough diamond of a man characterised by his social ineptness and dissociative disorder. The Mayfly opens deep in the midst of winter in South Wales with DCI Tiff Rowlinson attending a grotesque crime scene and a mutilated corpse discovered in a woodland glade and with the Attorney General, Sir Philip Wren himself, attending. A macabre means of death has been employed.. and despite never being gratuitously gory, it is guaranteed to stay foremost in readers minds!
Despite his many detractions, protagonist Charlie Priest is impossible not to fall for. Not in a romantic sense of the word, but if his flippant irreverence and cheeky banter do not leave readers wanting a repeat experience, then I will be staggered. The action opens with Charlie attempting, rather unsuccessfully, to pan fry lemon sole but being distracted by the arrival of an agitated and unspecified individual who attempts to to knock seven bells out of him under the misnomer that he has been received a flash drive, sent from whom and containing exactly what is left undisclosed. Leaving Priest a little worse for wear, the man heads into the night only for a sore Charlie to be visited by the next morning in his offices by the sweating and incapable ‘tool’ that is DI McEwen. Showing Priest a picture of his visitor of the previous night and detailing his excruciatingly painful death by impalement on a greased shaft, Charlie is informed that the man's identity is Miles Ellinder - black sheep and step-son of Kenneth Ellinder, CEO of a powerful pharmaceuticals company. DI McEwen’s first question is to ask Charlie just why his business card was found amongst the clothes stripped from Miles prior to his extremely painful demise. The unexpected arrival of Kenneth Ellinder and his daughter, Jessica, to the offices of Priest & Co requesting Charlie’s assistance in discovering just what motivated Mile’s murder and citing their scepticism of DI McEwan acumen, which all seems very sensible to Charlie, presents him with an opportunity to clear his name. But just as Charlie starts to make headway in discovering what lies behind the sordid affair, the news that the Attorney General, Sir Philip Wren, has hung himself and his only daughter has gone missing see the stakes raised significantly higher.
London based Priest & Co. are staffed by an assortment of quirky oddballs, all endearing in their own right and very distinctive, from eager associate Georgie Someday, with her remarkable processing capacity to the OCD encumbered and likely autistic accountant, Solly. The characters who proliferate Priest’s time away from the office are also equally memorable, from his PhD serial killer and now certified criminally insane brother, William, his ever forgiving sister, Sarah, her layabout husband and his vindictive ex-wife, Assistant Commissioner Dee Auckland. With his ex police contacts, an Attorney General godfather and his derealisation - an alternative manifestation of his dissociative disorder than makes real life even foggier - Charlie Priest is a humorous and beleaguered central character in the world of crime fiction that offers something new.
Despite the rave reviews from many friends, I was reluctant to try this novel due to its split timeline, one strand of which was related to the liberation of Buchenwald Concentration Camp in 1945 and continues with the interrogation of a Nazi doctor, Dr Kurt Schneider, responsible for some horrific experiments on prisoners of war. However, James Hazel never lingers on these scenes and they merely provides a wider context for the overarching premise of his wider story.
Brilliantly researched, with some obvious attention to detail, the background of information that is conveyed is enormous, but it never feels for a minute like an overload or information dump. There is so much detail conveyed between the characters in the simple course of general conversation and banter, that makes this book is child's play to get pulled into. And suddenly, despite the suspension of disbelief required, it makes gloriously irresistible reading matter. The Mayfly is a pure adrenaline rush with a hatful of great characters and a tightly knotted plot with no obvious loose ends or lingering questions, except, what is next for the irrepressible Charlie Priest? Either way, I shall be following closely behind. Fast, furious and fresh, The Mayfly is a crackerjack of a thriller which hangs together so well and is characterised by a devilishly scathing humour.
Despite his many detractions, protagonist Charlie Priest is impossible not to fall for. Not in a romantic sense of the word, but if his flippant irreverence and cheeky banter do not leave readers wanting a repeat experience, then I will be staggered. The action opens with Charlie attempting, rather unsuccessfully, to pan fry lemon sole but being distracted by the arrival of an agitated and unspecified individual who attempts to to knock seven bells out of him under the misnomer that he has been received a flash drive, sent from whom and containing exactly what is left undisclosed. Leaving Priest a little worse for wear, the man heads into the night only for a sore Charlie to be visited by the next morning in his offices by the sweating and incapable ‘tool’ that is DI McEwen. Showing Priest a picture of his visitor of the previous night and detailing his excruciatingly painful death by impalement on a greased shaft, Charlie is informed that the man's identity is Miles Ellinder - black sheep and step-son of Kenneth Ellinder, CEO of a powerful pharmaceuticals company. DI McEwen’s first question is to ask Charlie just why his business card was found amongst the clothes stripped from Miles prior to his extremely painful demise. The unexpected arrival of Kenneth Ellinder and his daughter, Jessica, to the offices of Priest & Co requesting Charlie’s assistance in discovering just what motivated Mile’s murder and citing their scepticism of DI McEwan acumen, which all seems very sensible to Charlie, presents him with an opportunity to clear his name. But just as Charlie starts to make headway in discovering what lies behind the sordid affair, the news that the Attorney General, Sir Philip Wren, has hung himself and his only daughter has gone missing see the stakes raised significantly higher.
London based Priest & Co. are staffed by an assortment of quirky oddballs, all endearing in their own right and very distinctive, from eager associate Georgie Someday, with her remarkable processing capacity to the OCD encumbered and likely autistic accountant, Solly. The characters who proliferate Priest’s time away from the office are also equally memorable, from his PhD serial killer and now certified criminally insane brother, William, his ever forgiving sister, Sarah, her layabout husband and his vindictive ex-wife, Assistant Commissioner Dee Auckland. With his ex police contacts, an Attorney General godfather and his derealisation - an alternative manifestation of his dissociative disorder than makes real life even foggier - Charlie Priest is a humorous and beleaguered central character in the world of crime fiction that offers something new.
Despite the rave reviews from many friends, I was reluctant to try this novel due to its split timeline, one strand of which was related to the liberation of Buchenwald Concentration Camp in 1945 and continues with the interrogation of a Nazi doctor, Dr Kurt Schneider, responsible for some horrific experiments on prisoners of war. However, James Hazel never lingers on these scenes and they merely provides a wider context for the overarching premise of his wider story.
Brilliantly researched, with some obvious attention to detail, the background of information that is conveyed is enormous, but it never feels for a minute like an overload or information dump. There is so much detail conveyed between the characters in the simple course of general conversation and banter, that makes this book is child's play to get pulled into. And suddenly, despite the suspension of disbelief required, it makes gloriously irresistible reading matter. The Mayfly is a pure adrenaline rush with a hatful of great characters and a tightly knotted plot with no obvious loose ends or lingering questions, except, what is next for the irrepressible Charlie Priest? Either way, I shall be following closely behind. Fast, furious and fresh, The Mayfly is a crackerjack of a thriller which hangs together so well and is characterised by a devilishly scathing humour.
May 21, 2023
Wow! What a great book! James Hazel has done a wonderful job with this novel. Not only has he written a very entertaining story but has really hit the mark with a bunch of great characters. Character development is very good and the pace of this story is spot on.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Mayfly and found it to be very entertaining, thinking this would make a great film. This thriller is very gruesome and has a great plot. The main character, Lawyer Charlie Priest faces an intruder in his London home, searching for something in particular. Follow Charlie to discover what the item is, why it is important and the history behind it all.
I loved how this story was told and how it developed. Everything is revealed and sorted out by the end with a regular dose of conspiracy thrown in for good measure. I think The Mayfly is a top class thriller, quality writing with lots of research and I loved how things were explained to the reader so they can understand the nuts and bolts of what was going on.
Excellent, brilliant debut novel. Kept me guessing and enthralled the whole time, and I’d certainly recommend it.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Mayfly and found it to be very entertaining, thinking this would make a great film. This thriller is very gruesome and has a great plot. The main character, Lawyer Charlie Priest faces an intruder in his London home, searching for something in particular. Follow Charlie to discover what the item is, why it is important and the history behind it all.
I loved how this story was told and how it developed. Everything is revealed and sorted out by the end with a regular dose of conspiracy thrown in for good measure. I think The Mayfly is a top class thriller, quality writing with lots of research and I loved how things were explained to the reader so they can understand the nuts and bolts of what was going on.
Excellent, brilliant debut novel. Kept me guessing and enthralled the whole time, and I’d certainly recommend it.
June 12, 2017
There was something about The Mayfly that attracted me, even though it doesn’t really fit in with my tastes. I don’t like books where the main character is “ex-police turned lawyer/journalist/PI” etc, but the fact that this was to do with a secret society and it drew in links back from history made me too intrigued to not request it.
Charlie Priest is our main character, he’s a successful lawyer, after being a successful Detective Inspector and he’s troubled (like they always are). Priest’s brother is a serial killer and he has dissociative disorder, but despite this, he’s stellar at his job and he’s a bit of a laugh. Priest certainly is an interesting and likable character, so no doubt I will check out the next in this series, just to revisit his character.
In terms of the plot, you can tell this was really well researched. The plot, as a whole, is pretty unique, and the ties to WWII and the Nazis was definitely the reason I picked this one up, so I felt a little let down that there weren’t that many flashbacks to that era and there wasn’t an awful lot of explanation as to how and why the secret society was born. Don’t me wrong, it doesn’t just leave you up in the air, it does explain, but it could have been developed and done better.
There is no doubt that this book is fast paced and keeps you on your toes. The first half of the novel, I flew through. The second half of the book then pulls in some romance and things begin to get a little cheesy. From the feelings felt by the characters, to conversations, there were a couple of eye-roll moments, but it wasn’t all that bad.
While I thought the plot, the crimes, the victims and all the rest, was good, it did get a little confusing at times. There were so many paths being drawn into this one investigation that I got a little lost at some points, and for this reason, guessing the “bad guy” can be tricky… but really, it’s very easy.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book. If the romance parts were removed, this could have been a 5 star read for me, because that would have taken away all the cheese. This is a good 4 star read for me, and like I said, I will definitely look into the next book in this series.
Thanks to Reader’s First & Bonnier Zaffre for sending me an ARC copy of this book. And also to Netgalley for my eARC copy.
Charlie Priest is our main character, he’s a successful lawyer, after being a successful Detective Inspector and he’s troubled (like they always are). Priest’s brother is a serial killer and he has dissociative disorder, but despite this, he’s stellar at his job and he’s a bit of a laugh. Priest certainly is an interesting and likable character, so no doubt I will check out the next in this series, just to revisit his character.
In terms of the plot, you can tell this was really well researched. The plot, as a whole, is pretty unique, and the ties to WWII and the Nazis was definitely the reason I picked this one up, so I felt a little let down that there weren’t that many flashbacks to that era and there wasn’t an awful lot of explanation as to how and why the secret society was born. Don’t me wrong, it doesn’t just leave you up in the air, it does explain, but it could have been developed and done better.
There is no doubt that this book is fast paced and keeps you on your toes. The first half of the novel, I flew through. The second half of the book then pulls in some romance and things begin to get a little cheesy. From the feelings felt by the characters, to conversations, there were a couple of eye-roll moments, but it wasn’t all that bad.
While I thought the plot, the crimes, the victims and all the rest, was good, it did get a little confusing at times. There were so many paths being drawn into this one investigation that I got a little lost at some points, and for this reason, guessing the “bad guy” can be tricky… but really, it’s very easy.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book. If the romance parts were removed, this could have been a 5 star read for me, because that would have taken away all the cheese. This is a good 4 star read for me, and like I said, I will definitely look into the next book in this series.
Thanks to Reader’s First & Bonnier Zaffre for sending me an ARC copy of this book. And also to Netgalley for my eARC copy.
June 12, 2017
Fast paced, gritty, and full of intrigue, The Mayfly lived up to my high expectations and left me wanting more. It had my attention from page one and kept me devouring it until the very end.
The characters are well crafted - Charlie Priest is a great new protagonist, not your typical Detective. In fact, he's not a Detective at all anymore - he used to be, but is now a lawyer. He's brilliant, bold, and a bit of a maverick, making him a great character to read about. His assistant, Georgie, is a bit annoying at times but overall she's rather likeable; she's sweet and fairly naive but has the same brilliant knack for picking up on things that others (apart from Priest, of course) wouldn't think to notice, and they work well together. Then there's Priest's family - a story in itself really!
I love the WW2 element in this. Well, I shouldn't say 'love' as such, because it's rather horrible and disturbing, but I found it very interesting nevertheless. I love reading and watching anything to do with World War 2, so this element definitely interested me. Kurt Schneider ( I couldn't resists looking him up) seems to have been based on a real person, and the story seems - to me, anyway - really well researched.
The story moves along at a good pace without being too fast. The switching between different narratives, and indeed different time frames, can take a second to readjust to - who's speaking, which country are we in, which year? - as is always the case with those kinds of narratives, but it's easy enough to work out what's happening despite lots of names and people cropping up!
I felt towards the end of the novel there was a little big more cheesiness included, particularly with some of the romantic relationships, which I didn't like as much. However despite this I felt that James Hazel's writing was really great. He uses just the right level of description, and I feel that The Mayfly is really well written - so I'd highly recommend this novel, and am eager to read future books in the series!
Many thanks to Readers First and Netgalley for providing a copy of this novel, on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
The characters are well crafted - Charlie Priest is a great new protagonist, not your typical Detective. In fact, he's not a Detective at all anymore - he used to be, but is now a lawyer. He's brilliant, bold, and a bit of a maverick, making him a great character to read about. His assistant, Georgie, is a bit annoying at times but overall she's rather likeable; she's sweet and fairly naive but has the same brilliant knack for picking up on things that others (apart from Priest, of course) wouldn't think to notice, and they work well together. Then there's Priest's family - a story in itself really!
I love the WW2 element in this. Well, I shouldn't say 'love' as such, because it's rather horrible and disturbing, but I found it very interesting nevertheless. I love reading and watching anything to do with World War 2, so this element definitely interested me. Kurt Schneider ( I couldn't resists looking him up) seems to have been based on a real person, and the story seems - to me, anyway - really well researched.
The story moves along at a good pace without being too fast. The switching between different narratives, and indeed different time frames, can take a second to readjust to - who's speaking, which country are we in, which year? - as is always the case with those kinds of narratives, but it's easy enough to work out what's happening despite lots of names and people cropping up!
I felt towards the end of the novel there was a little big more cheesiness included, particularly with some of the romantic relationships, which I didn't like as much. However despite this I felt that James Hazel's writing was really great. He uses just the right level of description, and I feel that The Mayfly is really well written - so I'd highly recommend this novel, and am eager to read future books in the series!
Many thanks to Readers First and Netgalley for providing a copy of this novel, on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
June 4, 2017
Finished reading: June 3rd 2017
"I don't know what history will remember me as. A murderer? A scientist? A revolutionalist? I suppose it depends who writes the textbook you're reading. But history will remember me."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
March 23, 2022
Lawyer Charlie Priest faces an intruder in his London home, searching for something in particular. Follow Charlie to discover what the item is, why it is important and the history behind it all.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Mayfly and found it to be very entertaining, thinking this would make a great film. This thriller is very gruesome and has a great plot. Character development of the people involved is very good and the pace of this story is spot on.
One of my pet hates is when novels rock backwards and forwards in time frames. The Mayfly has two major time periods, 1946 and the present day! However, this time shifting actually works and it does not annoy me. This time shifting gives the reader background information so that you understand the history and nature of the beast. The fact that you are little ahead of Charlie in finding out what is going on does not spoil this story. The joy for the reader is getting the bigger picture rather than the snippets Charlie gets along the way. I enjoyed reading the 1946 parts of this story - an era I generally avoid - because it was so engaging.
I loved how this story was told and how it developed. Everything is revealed and sorted out by the end with a regular dose of conspiracy thrown in for good measure. I think The Mayfly is a top class thriller, quality writing with lots of research and I loved how things were explained to the reader so they can understand the nuts and bolts of what was going on. I can find nothing wrong with The Mayfly and consider it an OUTSTANDING 5 star read.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Mayfly and found it to be very entertaining, thinking this would make a great film. This thriller is very gruesome and has a great plot. Character development of the people involved is very good and the pace of this story is spot on.
One of my pet hates is when novels rock backwards and forwards in time frames. The Mayfly has two major time periods, 1946 and the present day! However, this time shifting actually works and it does not annoy me. This time shifting gives the reader background information so that you understand the history and nature of the beast. The fact that you are little ahead of Charlie in finding out what is going on does not spoil this story. The joy for the reader is getting the bigger picture rather than the snippets Charlie gets along the way. I enjoyed reading the 1946 parts of this story - an era I generally avoid - because it was so engaging.
I loved how this story was told and how it developed. Everything is revealed and sorted out by the end with a regular dose of conspiracy thrown in for good measure. I think The Mayfly is a top class thriller, quality writing with lots of research and I loved how things were explained to the reader so they can understand the nuts and bolts of what was going on. I can find nothing wrong with The Mayfly and consider it an OUTSTANDING 5 star read.
May 24, 2017
The Mayfly opens with a pretty grizzly murder and this sets the tone for the rest of the book. It then follows Charlie Priest in the aftermath of an attack in his home, an attack that comes completely out of the blue. When his attacker is found dead the next day, Priest becomes entangled in a web with so many threads that it is hard to see where they begin and end.
I really liked Charlie Priest as a character. As with many main characters, Priest has his own demons and they follow him throughout The Mayfly. I really liked how he was developed during the course of the book and I would be interested to read more about him.
I enjoyed The Mayfly! It was a compulsive and engaging read. I liked the characters, and the plot was interesting. This is the second book I’ve read recently to feature Buchenwald which is an odd coincidence. The dual timeline works well, but I found the jumping between characters to be a bit confusing at times. However, it’s a good read. A little gory, and with plenty to keep the reader guessing!
Recommended!
I really liked Charlie Priest as a character. As with many main characters, Priest has his own demons and they follow him throughout The Mayfly. I really liked how he was developed during the course of the book and I would be interested to read more about him.
I enjoyed The Mayfly! It was a compulsive and engaging read. I liked the characters, and the plot was interesting. This is the second book I’ve read recently to feature Buchenwald which is an odd coincidence. The dual timeline works well, but I found the jumping between characters to be a bit confusing at times. However, it’s a good read. A little gory, and with plenty to keep the reader guessing!
Recommended!
June 1, 2017
First things first: This book was FANTASTIC. If you're a mystery/thriller fan, you need to check this book out. OK, now on to the details.
I don't want to give too much away because the reveals are great, and you're going to want to stay up late reading.
The book follows Charlie Priest, a former cop turned lawyer with his own issues. But despite his flaws, he's a fantastic investigator, who is attacked by a strange man one night in his home. The next day, the man is dead - killed brutally - and the victim's family wants to hire Priest to figure out what happened. The answers lie deep in history, from the horrors of Buchenwald in 1945 and a remote farm post-war, all leading to to the present day. Priest must fight to figure out what is going on as the body count rises.
The elements of the book are blended really well, creating an atmosphere that just screams "thriller." This book combines dark history, creepy families and just enough gore to make you want to sleep with one eye open. Figuring out how all the pieces fit together is a great challenge and I did not figure it out before the ending.
The scenario presented in the book is just real enough to really scare you, which also adds to the fun. The characters are fantastic; well written and flawed, but with enough character to like them. I think this is the start of a new series, and I'm ecstatic to see them again.
Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book. It is one of my top reads so far this year.
Highly recommended.
I don't want to give too much away because the reveals are great, and you're going to want to stay up late reading.
The book follows Charlie Priest, a former cop turned lawyer with his own issues. But despite his flaws, he's a fantastic investigator, who is attacked by a strange man one night in his home. The next day, the man is dead - killed brutally - and the victim's family wants to hire Priest to figure out what happened. The answers lie deep in history, from the horrors of Buchenwald in 1945 and a remote farm post-war, all leading to to the present day. Priest must fight to figure out what is going on as the body count rises.
The elements of the book are blended really well, creating an atmosphere that just screams "thriller." This book combines dark history, creepy families and just enough gore to make you want to sleep with one eye open. Figuring out how all the pieces fit together is a great challenge and I did not figure it out before the ending.
The scenario presented in the book is just real enough to really scare you, which also adds to the fun. The characters are fantastic; well written and flawed, but with enough character to like them. I think this is the start of a new series, and I'm ecstatic to see them again.
Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book. It is one of my top reads so far this year.
Highly recommended.
May 29, 2017
James Hazel has an excellent way of keeping the action tight and gripping all the way through.
The police find a grisly scene in a log cabin. With the smell stale and heavy and the police taking in the atmosphere of flesh eating flies swarming around a dead naked body of a man with his flesh hanging off him. It looked like he had been poisoned.
Charlie Priest an ex-detective inspector is now working as lawyer in London has a visit from a fake policeman to Charlie Priest at his home. The fake policeman is a hard ruthless man he wants to know where a flash drive is, but Charlie Priest doesn't help him. Priests was strapped to his own chair and suffered blows to his head by a T-baton. It appears that Charlie had never seen this man before.
Consequently Charlie Priest will have to be careful as he may be approached by this fake policeman again.
With a mutilated body discovered in the woods. A murder plan conceived in the past a reckoning seventy years in the making, James Hazel is a name to keep an eye out for.
The police find a grisly scene in a log cabin. With the smell stale and heavy and the police taking in the atmosphere of flesh eating flies swarming around a dead naked body of a man with his flesh hanging off him. It looked like he had been poisoned.
Charlie Priest an ex-detective inspector is now working as lawyer in London has a visit from a fake policeman to Charlie Priest at his home. The fake policeman is a hard ruthless man he wants to know where a flash drive is, but Charlie Priest doesn't help him. Priests was strapped to his own chair and suffered blows to his head by a T-baton. It appears that Charlie had never seen this man before.
Consequently Charlie Priest will have to be careful as he may be approached by this fake policeman again.
With a mutilated body discovered in the woods. A murder plan conceived in the past a reckoning seventy years in the making, James Hazel is a name to keep an eye out for.
August 18, 2019
Kitabı ben sevmedim. Neden sevmediğimi hemen açıklayayım. Çünkü Naziler ve savaş vardı. Flashback şeklinde sık sık geçmişe gittik.
Charlie Priest karakteri benim için yeni ve serinin ilk kitabı bu. Aslında ondan epey hoşlandım. Klasik ayyaş polis değil. Polisliği bırakmış, avukatlık yapıyor ve klişelerin aksine kahve değil çay seviyor. Aynı zamanda bir de hastalıkla boğuşuyor. Ara sıra gerçeklikten kopuyor ve olmayan şeyler görüyor. O arada yaptıklarını hatırlamıyor. Zor bir hastalık. Onun konumundaki biri için tehlikeli de.
Katile gelecek olursak. Tek bir hareketle kendini belli etti. Katil olduğunu değil belki ama olayla ilgisi olduğunu anladım.
Sonunu bilsem de bilmesem de savaşla ilgili kitaplar hoşuma gitmiyor. Bunu da kütüphanemin bir daha ziyaret etmeyeceğim tarafına kaldırıyorum. Beğenmedim 👎🏻
Charlie Priest karakteri benim için yeni ve serinin ilk kitabı bu. Aslında ondan epey hoşlandım. Klasik ayyaş polis değil. Polisliği bırakmış, avukatlık yapıyor ve klişelerin aksine kahve değil çay seviyor. Aynı zamanda bir de hastalıkla boğuşuyor. Ara sıra gerçeklikten kopuyor ve olmayan şeyler görüyor. O arada yaptıklarını hatırlamıyor. Zor bir hastalık. Onun konumundaki biri için tehlikeli de.
Katile gelecek olursak. Tek bir hareketle kendini belli etti. Katil olduğunu değil belki ama olayla ilgisi olduğunu anladım.
Sonunu bilsem de bilmesem de savaşla ilgili kitaplar hoşuma gitmiyor. Bunu da kütüphanemin bir daha ziyaret etmeyeceğim tarafına kaldırıyorum. Beğenmedim 👎🏻
April 28, 2024
James Hazel's debut novel certainly had a good opening. In the present day ex-DI, now lawyer, Charlie Priest is attacked in his home by someone looking for something Priest doesn't possess. In 1945 Germany Colonel Ruck is searching for something in a liberated concentration camp, & slowly but surely the stories come together.
Hazel's plot was intriguing, but just seemed to plod along for a lot of the novel. There were just about enough good chapters to keep me reading to the end, but I'm not sure it was really worth the effort.
Hazel's plot was intriguing, but just seemed to plod along for a lot of the novel. There were just about enough good chapters to keep me reading to the end, but I'm not sure it was really worth the effort.
June 21, 2017
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for a review copy of The Mayfly, an exciting adventure set in and around London.
Charlie Priest used to be a policeman and now he is a successful fraud lawyer. He lives a quiet life so is surprised to be attacked in his flat and told to hand over a flash drive he doesn't have. He could live with that if the man who attacked him wasn't found dead the next day in a particularly nasty way with Charlie's business card in his pocket.
The Mayfly is a compulsive read. It has enough pace and tension to keep you turning the pages to find out what is coming next. The information release is also judicious, just enough at a time to make you want more but not enough to guess so you have to keep reading. The plot is pure hokum but addictive hokum so again you keep reading to find out where Mr Hazel is taking you. Needless to say I read it one sitting, giving up some sleep time to do so.
I'm not normally a fan of split narratives but the occasional chapters about the interrogation of a former Nazi doctor in 1946 give the reader much needed information and food for thought as to how they fit in. It works well and I commend the author on his inventive and unusual plot - it's hard to believe this is a first novel as it seems so assured.
Charlie and his team are a very likeable bunch of misfits, Charlie with his dissociative disorder and serial killer brother, Solly the accountant with his OCD and possible autism, Vincent the barrister with his flamboyant outfits and Georgie the associate with no social life but they work well together and are very loyal. It makes for great reading and I'd love to meet them again.
The Mayfly is a hugely entertains read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
Charlie Priest used to be a policeman and now he is a successful fraud lawyer. He lives a quiet life so is surprised to be attacked in his flat and told to hand over a flash drive he doesn't have. He could live with that if the man who attacked him wasn't found dead the next day in a particularly nasty way with Charlie's business card in his pocket.
The Mayfly is a compulsive read. It has enough pace and tension to keep you turning the pages to find out what is coming next. The information release is also judicious, just enough at a time to make you want more but not enough to guess so you have to keep reading. The plot is pure hokum but addictive hokum so again you keep reading to find out where Mr Hazel is taking you. Needless to say I read it one sitting, giving up some sleep time to do so.
I'm not normally a fan of split narratives but the occasional chapters about the interrogation of a former Nazi doctor in 1946 give the reader much needed information and food for thought as to how they fit in. It works well and I commend the author on his inventive and unusual plot - it's hard to believe this is a first novel as it seems so assured.
Charlie and his team are a very likeable bunch of misfits, Charlie with his dissociative disorder and serial killer brother, Solly the accountant with his OCD and possible autism, Vincent the barrister with his flamboyant outfits and Georgie the associate with no social life but they work well together and are very loyal. It makes for great reading and I'd love to meet them again.
The Mayfly is a hugely entertains read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
June 13, 2017
I’ll admit I had high expectations for The Mayfly as I’d seen nothing but good things about this book from my fellow book bloggers. However, even then, this surpassed my expectations….this is an excellent, well-researched, complex plot that hooks the reader from the very first page.
The Mayfly opens with the discovery of a particularly gruesome murder scene which sets the tone for the rest of the book! We are then taken back to Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945 – interestingly this is the second book I have read recently that touches upon the torture within this concentration camp. I don’t actively seek out books with the Holocaust as a subject but it’s fascinating how different authors use this, in very different ways, as a backdrop to their present day plots.
The Mayfly is an interesting take on a criminal investigation as Charlie Priest is no longer in the police force, he has turned his back on his dectective inspector days and is now a lawyer specialising in commercial law. However, Charlie becomes involved within the investigation when an entrepreneur hires him to investigate his son’s murder as he does not trust the policeman who is in charge.
This book is frankly stunning, I cannot believe that this is a debut as it is a chunky book with a complex plot that is based, in part, on fact therefore needed substantial research to ensure its credibility. The author’s background in corporate and criminal litigation shines through in Priest’s character.
This is one of those books whereby I slowed my reading down towards the end as I really did not want it to end, Hazel’s writing style is fantastic, keeping the reader engaged throughout with his fast-paced and gritty narrative. I enjoyed the time shift between the late 1940’s and the present day, this added an extra dimension to the investigation.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from James Hazel.
The Mayfly opens with the discovery of a particularly gruesome murder scene which sets the tone for the rest of the book! We are then taken back to Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945 – interestingly this is the second book I have read recently that touches upon the torture within this concentration camp. I don’t actively seek out books with the Holocaust as a subject but it’s fascinating how different authors use this, in very different ways, as a backdrop to their present day plots.
The Mayfly is an interesting take on a criminal investigation as Charlie Priest is no longer in the police force, he has turned his back on his dectective inspector days and is now a lawyer specialising in commercial law. However, Charlie becomes involved within the investigation when an entrepreneur hires him to investigate his son’s murder as he does not trust the policeman who is in charge.
This book is frankly stunning, I cannot believe that this is a debut as it is a chunky book with a complex plot that is based, in part, on fact therefore needed substantial research to ensure its credibility. The author’s background in corporate and criminal litigation shines through in Priest’s character.
This is one of those books whereby I slowed my reading down towards the end as I really did not want it to end, Hazel’s writing style is fantastic, keeping the reader engaged throughout with his fast-paced and gritty narrative. I enjoyed the time shift between the late 1940’s and the present day, this added an extra dimension to the investigation.
I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from James Hazel.
February 25, 2023
1,5⭐️
Co to było? Trzy fabuły jedna książka.
Co to było? Trzy fabuły jedna książka.
October 10, 2024
Not brilliant, not rubbishi just thought after an brilliant opening this was going to be a exciting read, it just did not work for me unfortunately.
June 17, 2017
'A mutilated body discovered in the woods.
A murderous plan conceived in the past.
A reckoning seventy years in the making . . .’
The Mayfly is the debut novel from James Hazel and is the first in a new series featuring ex-cop turned lawyer, Charlie Priest.
Just published by Bonnier Zaffre, The Mayfly is a crime novel with a very intriguing historical twist. With the next novel, The Ash Doll, due out in Summer 2018, James Hazel is an exciting new writer to watch out for.
‘A sanctuary built out of love and innocence, defiled in the most grotesque manner’
The Mayfly opens up with a stomach-churning scene of horror that immediately pulls the reader into the story. A body is discovered in an abandoned summer house in South Wales with injuries inflicted that are beyond the worst nightmares of most.
The scene is quickly cordoned off and Sir Philip Wren, the Attorney General, gets summoned to this site of horrors.
‘It’s happening again.’
A chilling statement that has lots to reveal.
Meanwhile, London lawyer Charlie Priest is at home when an unexpected guest comes knocking.
Charlie Priest is the main protagonist of The Mayfly. An ex-cop turned highly successful London lawyer, Charlie works closely with a select team of employees at his practice, Priest & Co.
‘Priest had spent eight years of his life excelling as a policeman before he committed what his former colleagues judged to be the ultimate betrayal by becoming a lawyer. As if the natural mistrust that existed between law enforcers and law manipulators wasn’t enough, Priest had rubbed salt in the wound by making an awful lot of money in the process’
Charlie has always been very selective of his clients, dealing with cases where he can only guarantee success. He is a high-achiever with an excellent record but Charlie has his faults. A condition known as ‘Dissociative Disorder’ has plagued Charlie all his life. Over the years he has grown used to it’s warning signs and has the coping mechanisms now in place to deal with it.
One rather persuasive new client is pharmaceutical giant Kenneth Ellinder. The Ellinder’s are an extremely wealthy family and money is no object as they seek to uncover the reasons as to why their son was murdered. Initially, Charles is slow to take on the case, after already being the victim of a very recent assault, but circumstances soon change as Charlie finds himself fighting for his survival against an evil that has it’s roots in our history.
Buchenwald Concentration camp. Germany 1945, the American troops witness the horrors of the Nazi regime following the emancipation of the camp.
‘Thousands of them crammed into spaces designed for a few hundred at most. Stripped naked except for loin cloths. Freezing. Dying. Their bodies had shrivelled through malnourishment to such an extent that they barely resembled human beings anymore. The walking dead…'
With the onset of the Nuremberg Trials, Nazis are gathered up and interrogated to reveal the barbarity of the atrocities inflicted on the victims of the camp. These were heinous acts of inhumanity that still impact many in today’s society.
The depiction of the camps is excellently portrayed by James Hazel but The Mayfly is not a book that remains in the annals of history. As a reader, you are taken through the decades as the ripple effect continues it’s way through generations.
The Mayfly is not a book for the faint of heart. There are very gruesome scenes throughout that will make you question humanity and the levels of violence that can be inflicted on one by another. The book does have a romantic element in it though so this does water down the intensity of the horror to some degree.
Charlie Priest is a great new hero in crime fiction. James Hazel has created a flawed individual who has his own personal demons to carry which makes for a very intriguing character.
The Mayfly is a very talented and unbelievable debut. With book 2 in the series, The Ash Doll, coming out next summer, I expect James Hazel will be a name recognised by many in the future. One-to-watch…..
A murderous plan conceived in the past.
A reckoning seventy years in the making . . .’
The Mayfly is the debut novel from James Hazel and is the first in a new series featuring ex-cop turned lawyer, Charlie Priest.
Just published by Bonnier Zaffre, The Mayfly is a crime novel with a very intriguing historical twist. With the next novel, The Ash Doll, due out in Summer 2018, James Hazel is an exciting new writer to watch out for.
‘A sanctuary built out of love and innocence, defiled in the most grotesque manner’
The Mayfly opens up with a stomach-churning scene of horror that immediately pulls the reader into the story. A body is discovered in an abandoned summer house in South Wales with injuries inflicted that are beyond the worst nightmares of most.
The scene is quickly cordoned off and Sir Philip Wren, the Attorney General, gets summoned to this site of horrors.
‘It’s happening again.’
A chilling statement that has lots to reveal.
Meanwhile, London lawyer Charlie Priest is at home when an unexpected guest comes knocking.
Charlie Priest is the main protagonist of The Mayfly. An ex-cop turned highly successful London lawyer, Charlie works closely with a select team of employees at his practice, Priest & Co.
‘Priest had spent eight years of his life excelling as a policeman before he committed what his former colleagues judged to be the ultimate betrayal by becoming a lawyer. As if the natural mistrust that existed between law enforcers and law manipulators wasn’t enough, Priest had rubbed salt in the wound by making an awful lot of money in the process’
Charlie has always been very selective of his clients, dealing with cases where he can only guarantee success. He is a high-achiever with an excellent record but Charlie has his faults. A condition known as ‘Dissociative Disorder’ has plagued Charlie all his life. Over the years he has grown used to it’s warning signs and has the coping mechanisms now in place to deal with it.
One rather persuasive new client is pharmaceutical giant Kenneth Ellinder. The Ellinder’s are an extremely wealthy family and money is no object as they seek to uncover the reasons as to why their son was murdered. Initially, Charles is slow to take on the case, after already being the victim of a very recent assault, but circumstances soon change as Charlie finds himself fighting for his survival against an evil that has it’s roots in our history.
Buchenwald Concentration camp. Germany 1945, the American troops witness the horrors of the Nazi regime following the emancipation of the camp.
‘Thousands of them crammed into spaces designed for a few hundred at most. Stripped naked except for loin cloths. Freezing. Dying. Their bodies had shrivelled through malnourishment to such an extent that they barely resembled human beings anymore. The walking dead…'
With the onset of the Nuremberg Trials, Nazis are gathered up and interrogated to reveal the barbarity of the atrocities inflicted on the victims of the camp. These were heinous acts of inhumanity that still impact many in today’s society.
The depiction of the camps is excellently portrayed by James Hazel but The Mayfly is not a book that remains in the annals of history. As a reader, you are taken through the decades as the ripple effect continues it’s way through generations.
The Mayfly is not a book for the faint of heart. There are very gruesome scenes throughout that will make you question humanity and the levels of violence that can be inflicted on one by another. The book does have a romantic element in it though so this does water down the intensity of the horror to some degree.
Charlie Priest is a great new hero in crime fiction. James Hazel has created a flawed individual who has his own personal demons to carry which makes for a very intriguing character.
The Mayfly is a very talented and unbelievable debut. With book 2 in the series, The Ash Doll, coming out next summer, I expect James Hazel will be a name recognised by many in the future. One-to-watch…..
July 30, 2018
The Mayfly is the first in an exciting new series featuring a really engaging and fascinating character, Charlie Priest.
Charlie is an ex-policeman now lawyer with a select clientele of rich and powerful people. His brother is currently serving life as a convicted serial killer and his younger sister is constantly trying to fix him up on a date. His ex-wife HATES him, his staff adore him and there’s the little issue of him suffering from dissociative disorder meaning he frequently zones out from reality, which can be quite unhelpful when he finds himself investigating a gruesome murder.
With two timelines running through this story it’s fair to say this book is not for those with aversion to gore as there are some very disturbing murders and flashbacks to the Holocaust.
This is a really well researched and gripping thriller and I personally can’t wait to read the next book in this series The Ash Doll which is being published late September 2018.
Charlie is an ex-policeman now lawyer with a select clientele of rich and powerful people. His brother is currently serving life as a convicted serial killer and his younger sister is constantly trying to fix him up on a date. His ex-wife HATES him, his staff adore him and there’s the little issue of him suffering from dissociative disorder meaning he frequently zones out from reality, which can be quite unhelpful when he finds himself investigating a gruesome murder.
With two timelines running through this story it’s fair to say this book is not for those with aversion to gore as there are some very disturbing murders and flashbacks to the Holocaust.
This is a really well researched and gripping thriller and I personally can’t wait to read the next book in this series The Ash Doll which is being published late September 2018.
July 7, 2017
3⭐️⭐️⭐️
I think there must be two books out there called The Mayfly, the one that everyone is giving 4 and 5 stars to, and then this one that I have just read.
Because this book just about scraped 3 stars. It was very slow to get started, probably 50% in, and it was disjointed, jumping between time periods, jumping between story threads, and the characters are really difficult to gel with.
Very disappointing.
I think there must be two books out there called The Mayfly, the one that everyone is giving 4 and 5 stars to, and then this one that I have just read.
Because this book just about scraped 3 stars. It was very slow to get started, probably 50% in, and it was disjointed, jumping between time periods, jumping between story threads, and the characters are really difficult to gel with.
Very disappointing.
January 3, 2018
Excellent. Love Charlie Priest (and Georgie!)
November 30, 2017
The Mayfly by James Hazel starts with a bang with a murder followed by a sudden attack on the main character, Charlie Priest in his home. When The attacker is found dead the next day, it is Priest who investigates and sees this mystery to its finale.
I liked James's writing, his fast pace and his character Charlie Priest. Being a lawyer, Charlie comes across as a no nonsense guy who has enough grit and determination to take on a mystery which has its roots in the Nazi and World War.
This is an extreme thriller which has its darker shades and gore and is definitely not for the faint hearted.
I liked James's flow of writing, there are no moments which jarred even when the story is written in dual time lines.
A great fast paced intriguing thriller, a must read for readers of this genre...
I liked James's writing, his fast pace and his character Charlie Priest. Being a lawyer, Charlie comes across as a no nonsense guy who has enough grit and determination to take on a mystery which has its roots in the Nazi and World War.
This is an extreme thriller which has its darker shades and gore and is definitely not for the faint hearted.
I liked James's flow of writing, there are no moments which jarred even when the story is written in dual time lines.
A great fast paced intriguing thriller, a must read for readers of this genre...
May 12, 2018
Charlie Priest je sympaťák a James Hazel prostě umí psát. Tuhle detektivku slupnete jak malinu a byť se rozhodně nejedná o dílo výrazných literárních kvalit, jako odpočinkovka nejen od hutných románů, ale hlavně od všech těch Žen a Dívek to funguje fantasticky. Myslím, že si po delší době přijdou na své i chlapi a já se moc těším na další osudy postav, které se v Jepici mihnuly - jmenovitě Georgii a Williama :)
July 4, 2017
What a chilling read this was!! It cleverly mixed the now and then and seamlessly jumped between the two and made the horrific incidents seem even more grizzly, the more that you learnt!
From the gruesome first chapter this story had me gripped and the author does a wonderful job of increasing the tension with each chapter.
Charlie Priest is unwittingly lured from his life now as a lawyer, into his old life as a policeman and investigates the murder of a man found impaled with many links to himself and others around him. He's no stranger to serial killers as his brother is already in jail after committing many murders and the more he investigates the more he uncovers, and more people end up suffering which makes you wonder who will be next!
The story in the past is set around World War II and the horrific use of poisons and torture on the Nazi concentration Camp inmates and really adds another chilling element to the story.
The characters surrounding Charlie Priest all have their own interesting qualities, especially his assistant Georgie who is straight talking and eager to learn, no matter what danger she could end up putting herself in.
The mysteries of the deaths were puzzling and absorbing to read about and how it all linked to the humble Mayfly was another fascinating aspect of this confident and enthralling thriller!
thank you to Readers First for my copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review
From the gruesome first chapter this story had me gripped and the author does a wonderful job of increasing the tension with each chapter.
Charlie Priest is unwittingly lured from his life now as a lawyer, into his old life as a policeman and investigates the murder of a man found impaled with many links to himself and others around him. He's no stranger to serial killers as his brother is already in jail after committing many murders and the more he investigates the more he uncovers, and more people end up suffering which makes you wonder who will be next!
The story in the past is set around World War II and the horrific use of poisons and torture on the Nazi concentration Camp inmates and really adds another chilling element to the story.
The characters surrounding Charlie Priest all have their own interesting qualities, especially his assistant Georgie who is straight talking and eager to learn, no matter what danger she could end up putting herself in.
The mysteries of the deaths were puzzling and absorbing to read about and how it all linked to the humble Mayfly was another fascinating aspect of this confident and enthralling thriller!
thank you to Readers First for my copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review
March 20, 2018
I když si nijak zvlášť nelibuji v thrillerech a hrdinech se zvláštními osobnostními črty, musím říct, že Charlie Priest je velkej sympaťák a rozhodně ho chci znovu potkat!
Příběh je napínavý, neotřelý a samozřejmě vede k velkému odhalení, které nezklame.
Příběh je napínavý, neotřelý a samozřejmě vede k velkému odhalení, které nezklame.
August 6, 2017
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This is the author's debut novel and to be totally honest, I thought it showed. Sometimes you read a debut that is just so well written that you can't believe the author is new to the task. In this case, I felt that the writing wasn't quite as polished as some other debuts that I've read this year.
Before turning his hand to creative writing, the author was a lawyer in private practice specialising in corporate and commercial litigation and employment law. I'm not sure if that perhaps led to a more formal writing style, but I felt like the writing didn't flow quite as easily as it should, especially in the first half of the book. I found it a tad forced. I also found some of the dialogue a little bit off, and at times I found myself thinking that people just wouldn't say that to each other, or wouldn't interact with each other in the way described.
Okay, so enough about that. On the positive side, I did enjoy Charlie Priest and his character. He was definitely weird and more than a little bit unusual, which I liked. I probably wouldn't be far wrong is describing him as a bit of a misfit actually. He has a brother in a mental institution, who is there for committing some serious crimes, and it almost seems as if mental instability runs in the family. So, Charlie seems a little bit different. I liked that. This, coupled with the strange crimes he is investigating, involving some disbursing forms of death, and the insertion of a mayfly into the throats of certain victims, makes for a really good read.
I enjoyed this story, I really loved how different and odd many of the characters were, and despite my criticisms above, I would read the next book in the series as I believe that Charlie Priest has a lot of potential, as do a few of the peripheral characters. I'll also be interested to see how the author develops in terms of his writing style.
In fairness, I feel that I must mention that I have read a number of reviews of this book, none of which have mentioned the writing issues that I mention above. So, it might just be me, and you shouldn't be put off reading the book because of my feelings. I can only express honestly how I felt and the thoughts I had while reading the book. It would seem that many other readers had no problem at all with the writing style.
Overall, an entertaining read that I enjoyed, and I look forward to the next one in the series.
PS, the South African cover is different to the one in the picture in that the primary colours are white and pink, and not blue.
My Rating: * * *
Publication Date: July 2017 (South Africa)
Genre: Crime Thriller
Format: Trade Paperback
Source: My own purchased copy.
This is the author's debut novel and to be totally honest, I thought it showed. Sometimes you read a debut that is just so well written that you can't believe the author is new to the task. In this case, I felt that the writing wasn't quite as polished as some other debuts that I've read this year.
Before turning his hand to creative writing, the author was a lawyer in private practice specialising in corporate and commercial litigation and employment law. I'm not sure if that perhaps led to a more formal writing style, but I felt like the writing didn't flow quite as easily as it should, especially in the first half of the book. I found it a tad forced. I also found some of the dialogue a little bit off, and at times I found myself thinking that people just wouldn't say that to each other, or wouldn't interact with each other in the way described.
Okay, so enough about that. On the positive side, I did enjoy Charlie Priest and his character. He was definitely weird and more than a little bit unusual, which I liked. I probably wouldn't be far wrong is describing him as a bit of a misfit actually. He has a brother in a mental institution, who is there for committing some serious crimes, and it almost seems as if mental instability runs in the family. So, Charlie seems a little bit different. I liked that. This, coupled with the strange crimes he is investigating, involving some disbursing forms of death, and the insertion of a mayfly into the throats of certain victims, makes for a really good read.
I enjoyed this story, I really loved how different and odd many of the characters were, and despite my criticisms above, I would read the next book in the series as I believe that Charlie Priest has a lot of potential, as do a few of the peripheral characters. I'll also be interested to see how the author develops in terms of his writing style.
In fairness, I feel that I must mention that I have read a number of reviews of this book, none of which have mentioned the writing issues that I mention above. So, it might just be me, and you shouldn't be put off reading the book because of my feelings. I can only express honestly how I felt and the thoughts I had while reading the book. It would seem that many other readers had no problem at all with the writing style.
Overall, an entertaining read that I enjoyed, and I look forward to the next one in the series.
PS, the South African cover is different to the one in the picture in that the primary colours are white and pink, and not blue.
My Rating: * * *
Publication Date: July 2017 (South Africa)
Genre: Crime Thriller
Format: Trade Paperback
Source: My own purchased copy.
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