What do you think?
Rate this book
Calladine & Bayliss #7
Dead Jealous
DEAD JEALOUS by Helen H. Durrant
A teenage girl’s body is found in the back of a car on the notorious Hobfield housing estate. No one had reported her missing, but she’s been dead for a week.
Meanwhile, an old jar is brought into the station. It was found carefully wrapped in a blanket, with a child’s pink hairclip. The jar contains ashes and bone fragments.
Seventeen years ago Detective Tom Calladine had been part of a team investigating the disappearance of Jessica Wilkins. Her mother had taken her to Leesdon Park one summer afternoon.
She went to get the child an ice cream and when she returned her daughter was gone. Over the years there were no sightings, no witnesses — nothing.
Will there finally be closure for this unsolved mystery?
And why was the girl found in the car killed and why are her friends not telling her the whole story?
Detectives Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss will unravel a web of lies and pain, in this fast-moving and gripping crime mystery.
Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the stunning conclusion
If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Mel Sherratt, Ruth Rendell, or Mark Billingham you will enjoy this exciting new crime fiction writer.
DEAD JEALOUS is book seven of a new series of detective thrillers featuring D.S. Ruth Bayliss and D.I. Tom Calladine.
THE DETECTIVES
Tom Calladine is a detective inspector who is devoted to his job. His personal life, however, is not so successful. Having been married and divorced before the age of twenty-one has set a pattern that he finds difficult to escape.
Ruth Bayliss is in her mid-thirties, plain-speaking but loyal. She is balancing her professional life with looking after a small child.
THE SETTING
The fictional village of Leesdon on the outskirts of an industrial northern English city. There is little work and a lot of crime. The bane of Calladine’s life is the Hobfield housing estate, breeding ground to all that is wrong with the area that he calls home.
THE DCI GRECO BOOKS
Book 1: DARK MURDER
Book 2: DARK HOUSES
Book 3: DARK TRADE
THE CALLADINE & BAYLISS MYSTERY SERIES
Book 1: DEAD WRONG
Book 2: DEAD SILENT
Book 3: DEAD LIST
Book 4: DEAD LOST
Book 5: DEAD & BURIED
Book 6: DEAD NASTY
Book 7: DEAD JEALOUS
A teenage girl’s body is found in the back of a car on the notorious Hobfield housing estate. No one had reported her missing, but she’s been dead for a week.
Meanwhile, an old jar is brought into the station. It was found carefully wrapped in a blanket, with a child’s pink hairclip. The jar contains ashes and bone fragments.
Seventeen years ago Detective Tom Calladine had been part of a team investigating the disappearance of Jessica Wilkins. Her mother had taken her to Leesdon Park one summer afternoon.
She went to get the child an ice cream and when she returned her daughter was gone. Over the years there were no sightings, no witnesses — nothing.
Will there finally be closure for this unsolved mystery?
And why was the girl found in the car killed and why are her friends not telling her the whole story?
Detectives Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss will unravel a web of lies and pain, in this fast-moving and gripping crime mystery.
Full of twists and turns, this is a crime thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the stunning conclusion
If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Mel Sherratt, Ruth Rendell, or Mark Billingham you will enjoy this exciting new crime fiction writer.
DEAD JEALOUS is book seven of a new series of detective thrillers featuring D.S. Ruth Bayliss and D.I. Tom Calladine.
THE DETECTIVES
Tom Calladine is a detective inspector who is devoted to his job. His personal life, however, is not so successful. Having been married and divorced before the age of twenty-one has set a pattern that he finds difficult to escape.
Ruth Bayliss is in her mid-thirties, plain-speaking but loyal. She is balancing her professional life with looking after a small child.
THE SETTING
The fictional village of Leesdon on the outskirts of an industrial northern English city. There is little work and a lot of crime. The bane of Calladine’s life is the Hobfield housing estate, breeding ground to all that is wrong with the area that he calls home.
THE DCI GRECO BOOKS
Book 1: DARK MURDER
Book 2: DARK HOUSES
Book 3: DARK TRADE
THE CALLADINE & BAYLISS MYSTERY SERIES
Book 1: DEAD WRONG
Book 2: DEAD SILENT
Book 3: DEAD LIST
Book 4: DEAD LOST
Book 5: DEAD & BURIED
Book 6: DEAD NASTY
Book 7: DEAD JEALOUS
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 16, 2017
1944 people are currently reading
480 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
July 18, 2017
Detectives Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss have their hands full with cold case from years ago, a teenager found dead today, and the murder of a well hated moneylender.
Seventeen years ago, Calladine investagated the disappearance of Jessica WIlkins. Her mom had taken her to the park where she went missing. She's been living in hop ever since. And now... maybe they have some evidence of what happened to her ... and the mother's story is now questionable.
A young teen's body is found in the trunk of an abandoned care. She's been dead a week .. but no one has reported her missing. What are her friends hiding from the police?
The local housing estate is full of people who owe a moneylender. He's a tyrant and punishes those who cannot make their payments. When he is found murdered in the same housing estate, there are plenty of suspects ... but no confessions.
On the personal side, Calladine's most recent girlfriend has sent him a text ... their relationship is now over. Bayliss is with her lover and their young son.. but all is not good. Ruth is seriously thinking of moving out.
This is full of twists and turns and lies and secrets. As with the previous six books in this series, it is well-written and full of credible characters. Although a part of a series, this one can be read as stand alone. And as usual, I highly recommend starting from the first book. It's amazing how the characters have stayed the same, yet grown and matured.
Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Seventeen years ago, Calladine investagated the disappearance of Jessica WIlkins. Her mom had taken her to the park where she went missing. She's been living in hop ever since. And now... maybe they have some evidence of what happened to her ... and the mother's story is now questionable.
A young teen's body is found in the trunk of an abandoned care. She's been dead a week .. but no one has reported her missing. What are her friends hiding from the police?
The local housing estate is full of people who owe a moneylender. He's a tyrant and punishes those who cannot make their payments. When he is found murdered in the same housing estate, there are plenty of suspects ... but no confessions.
On the personal side, Calladine's most recent girlfriend has sent him a text ... their relationship is now over. Bayliss is with her lover and their young son.. but all is not good. Ruth is seriously thinking of moving out.
This is full of twists and turns and lies and secrets. As with the previous six books in this series, it is well-written and full of credible characters. Although a part of a series, this one can be read as stand alone. And as usual, I highly recommend starting from the first book. It's amazing how the characters have stayed the same, yet grown and matured.
Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
July 10, 2020
This is the 7th book in the Calladine and Bayliss series by author Helen Durrant.
Another gruesome case for DI Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss when a teenage girl’s body is found in the back of a car on the notorious Hobfield housing estate. The girl has been dead for a week and no one has reported her missing.
Around the same time an old jar containing ashes and bone fragments along with a child's hair-clip, carefully wrapped in a blanket is handed in at the police station.
Seventeen years ago Detective Tom Calladine was on the case investigating the disappearance of Jessica Wilkins. Along with her mother they visited a nearby park one afternoon and while the mother purchased an ice cream Jessica went missing. Jessica was never found and no witnesses or sightings were ever reported.
Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss need to untangle the lies and find the truth. Why was the girl found in the car killed and what are her friends hiding from the police. Can Calladine and Bayliss give the families closure.
These books can be read as stand alones but in my opinion so much better to read in order. The characters are the strength in this series and to get the best out of these novels you do need to read them in order. There are plenty of back stories and re occurring characters so I recommend you start from the beginning.
Another gruesome case for DI Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss when a teenage girl’s body is found in the back of a car on the notorious Hobfield housing estate. The girl has been dead for a week and no one has reported her missing.
Around the same time an old jar containing ashes and bone fragments along with a child's hair-clip, carefully wrapped in a blanket is handed in at the police station.
Seventeen years ago Detective Tom Calladine was on the case investigating the disappearance of Jessica Wilkins. Along with her mother they visited a nearby park one afternoon and while the mother purchased an ice cream Jessica went missing. Jessica was never found and no witnesses or sightings were ever reported.
Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss need to untangle the lies and find the truth. Why was the girl found in the car killed and what are her friends hiding from the police. Can Calladine and Bayliss give the families closure.
These books can be read as stand alones but in my opinion so much better to read in order. The characters are the strength in this series and to get the best out of these novels you do need to read them in order. There are plenty of back stories and re occurring characters so I recommend you start from the beginning.
August 1, 2017
I like Helen Durrant's stories because they are usually the several stories in one. In this story the team is still getting over the death of one of their own and yet still trying to work as a team. Then they are trying to solve a current murder of a teen found in the trunk of a car and a cold case from many years ago of a missing child. Det Tom Caladine worked the missing child case many years ago and his partner Ruth brings a fresh outlook to the crime. Great read, I would like to thank the Publisher ad Net Galley for the chance to read is ARC.
July 23, 2017
Detectives Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss a cold case from years ago, a teenager who has just been found dead and the murder of a much hated money lender.
This is a gripping, twist filled mystery. The characters and storyline are believable and the author had a fine style in writing. As this is the 7th book in the series we do get events from earlier books being mentioned but this can certainly be read as a standalone.
I would like to thank Joffe Books and the author Helen H. Durante for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a gripping, twist filled mystery. The characters and storyline are believable and the author had a fine style in writing. As this is the 7th book in the series we do get events from earlier books being mentioned but this can certainly be read as a standalone.
I would like to thank Joffe Books and the author Helen H. Durante for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 13, 2017
I read this book crazy fast and after reading a few 'meh' books recently it was good to finally read something that gripped me from the start and that I could read in one day.
Two interesting plots. A teenage girl is found murdered and hidden in teh boot of a car and the remains of a toddler that went missing 17 years ago re-appear i a bricked up part of a house being renovated. Can they be linked? Like I'm gonna tell you. Read and find out.
Sometimes when there's multiple plot lines a book can end up with too many characters causing confusion but keeping the two crimes and suspects all contained within one block of housing estate flats really helped minimise that. I found it easy to follow the lives of these residents and each one was carefully crafted.
Being book seven in the series the detectives are all fully formed entities with good strong personalities. However even with it being book 7, there's enough little bits of backstory that if like me you've joined the party late that you don't feel confused by anything.
The two crimes and subsequent second recent murder are all linked by events on the estate and I liked how it all came together. The other thing I really enjoyed was when we find out whodunnit. Sometimes events happen in desperation and not every crime is committed by a bad guy (or girl). One of the reveals was quite quite heartbreaking. Sometimes bad things just happen and it's how you deal with them afterwards that counts. It made a nice change from the cut and dried good versus evil.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be happily going back through the other books to catch up shortly
Free arc from netgalley
Two interesting plots. A teenage girl is found murdered and hidden in teh boot of a car and the remains of a toddler that went missing 17 years ago re-appear i a bricked up part of a house being renovated. Can they be linked? Like I'm gonna tell you. Read and find out.
Sometimes when there's multiple plot lines a book can end up with too many characters causing confusion but keeping the two crimes and suspects all contained within one block of housing estate flats really helped minimise that. I found it easy to follow the lives of these residents and each one was carefully crafted.
Being book seven in the series the detectives are all fully formed entities with good strong personalities. However even with it being book 7, there's enough little bits of backstory that if like me you've joined the party late that you don't feel confused by anything.
The two crimes and subsequent second recent murder are all linked by events on the estate and I liked how it all came together. The other thing I really enjoyed was when we find out whodunnit. Sometimes events happen in desperation and not every crime is committed by a bad guy (or girl). One of the reveals was quite quite heartbreaking. Sometimes bad things just happen and it's how you deal with them afterwards that counts. It made a nice change from the cut and dried good versus evil.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and will be happily going back through the other books to catch up shortly
Free arc from netgalley
August 3, 2017
I started reading the Calladine & Bayliss series with book #5, Dead & Buried and got hooked. Dead Jealous is #7 in the series and had multiple murder mysteries going on.
I have to admit I like when a cold case is revisited with new information which happens with a missing person case for a toddler. The way this case overlapped with two current murders was interesting and the family dynamics (or lack thereof) added to it.
The murder mysteries were interesting, but I wasn't pulled into them as much as I have been pulled into the cases in prior books by Ms. Durrant.
I wished there had been more page time on Ruth's issues with her spouse. I felt like we got pulled into her home life, but then only got a summary version when she confided to Calladine. I also really don't like the idea of any personal drama with Ruth and Tom which luckily in this book they stayed away from.
Thanks to Net Galley and Joffe books for an ARC. I look forward to the next book in the series...
I have to admit I like when a cold case is revisited with new information which happens with a missing person case for a toddler. The way this case overlapped with two current murders was interesting and the family dynamics (or lack thereof) added to it.
The murder mysteries were interesting, but I wasn't pulled into them as much as I have been pulled into the cases in prior books by Ms. Durrant.
I wished there had been more page time on Ruth's issues with her spouse. I felt like we got pulled into her home life, but then only got a summary version when she confided to Calladine. I also really don't like the idea of any personal drama with Ruth and Tom which luckily in this book they stayed away from.
Thanks to Net Galley and Joffe books for an ARC. I look forward to the next book in the series...
August 4, 2020
Dead Jealous is the seventh book already about Calladine and Bayliss, detectives is Leesdon, a small English town with surprisingly high crime rates. A lot is going on once more, multiple cases and it is a rather short read at that. To that is added the personal lives of the detectives and you end up with a packed story that is a very fast read.
I liked this one a bit more than the last couple of books, the case kept me interested and I was curious to find out how it all fit together. Especially Calladine's personal life, I couldn't care less about. I don't like his character and goes around - a different girlfriend every book like he is James Bond or so.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Find this and other reviews on https://www.urlphantomhive.com
I liked this one a bit more than the last couple of books, the case kept me interested and I was curious to find out how it all fit together. Especially Calladine's personal life, I couldn't care less about. I don't like his character and goes around - a different girlfriend every book like he is James Bond or so.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Find this and other reviews on https://www.urlphantomhive.com
July 16, 2017
A teenage girl is found in the back of a car on the notorious Hobfield estate.She has been dead for a week and yet no one has reported her missing.Why was she killed and why do her friends all seem to have something to hide?.
Meanwhile an old jar containing ashes and bone is brought into the station.It was found carefully wrapped in a pink blanket with a child's pink hairclip.
Seventeen years ago little Jessica Wilkins disappeared from Leesdon Park one summer afternoon.
Her Mother had gone to get the child an ice cream and when she returned the child had gone.Over the years there were no sightings,no witnesses - nothing.
Detective Tom Calladine had been part of the original investigation and the case has haunted him ever since.Will he finally be able to solve and close this unsolved mystery?.
I really enjoyed this gripping,twist packed mystery.It made a refreshing change to read about a police team who were friends as well as colleagues and worked well together as a team.I loved the closeness and banter between Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss,they obviously were very close and cared deeply about each other.It was lovely to read a book in which the police investigations weren't bogged down by interdepartmental back stabbing and point scoring.
Both of the cases were intreguing and kept me guessing from the shocking prologue to the unexpected conclusions of the crimes.The chapters were short and snappy and the story flowed along nicely with no parts of the story being over descriptive and coming across as padding.The characters and settings were well developed and realistic.
Although events from earlier books in the series are mentioned this book can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.This is the first book that I have read by this author and it most definitely will not be the last.
Many thanks to Joffe books for a arc of this book via netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
Meanwhile an old jar containing ashes and bone is brought into the station.It was found carefully wrapped in a pink blanket with a child's pink hairclip.
Seventeen years ago little Jessica Wilkins disappeared from Leesdon Park one summer afternoon.
Her Mother had gone to get the child an ice cream and when she returned the child had gone.Over the years there were no sightings,no witnesses - nothing.
Detective Tom Calladine had been part of the original investigation and the case has haunted him ever since.Will he finally be able to solve and close this unsolved mystery?.
I really enjoyed this gripping,twist packed mystery.It made a refreshing change to read about a police team who were friends as well as colleagues and worked well together as a team.I loved the closeness and banter between Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss,they obviously were very close and cared deeply about each other.It was lovely to read a book in which the police investigations weren't bogged down by interdepartmental back stabbing and point scoring.
Both of the cases were intreguing and kept me guessing from the shocking prologue to the unexpected conclusions of the crimes.The chapters were short and snappy and the story flowed along nicely with no parts of the story being over descriptive and coming across as padding.The characters and settings were well developed and realistic.
Although events from earlier books in the series are mentioned this book can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.This is the first book that I have read by this author and it most definitely will not be the last.
Many thanks to Joffe books for a arc of this book via netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
July 20, 2017
This is the 7th book in this series, but can easily be read as a stand-alone as there is plenty of back story about the previous book to explain certain things in this one.
The plot flowed well, and the cases being investigated by Calladine and Bayliss held my interest, bringing together an excellent cast of characters. A cold case involving the disappearance of a two-year-old girl, the murder of a 16 year old girl, and a housing estate being terrorised by a violent moneylender, kept the police busy and me turning the pages.
Some of the characters feature in more than one of the investigations, but the story is written clearly so you never lose track of what is happening, or the reasons why the police are questioning certain people. About halfway through the book I thought I’d worked out what was going to happen, and who the culprits were, but I was wrong! The way the cases were resolved made for an excellent conclusion to the investigations.
I read this book having only read the first in the series beforehand. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and definitely plan on going back and working my way through the rest of the series. I’m sure readers who have been following the series will be pleased to see Calladine and Bayliss back again. If you enjoy getting involved in complex well-written crime fiction, then I highly recommend this book.
The plot flowed well, and the cases being investigated by Calladine and Bayliss held my interest, bringing together an excellent cast of characters. A cold case involving the disappearance of a two-year-old girl, the murder of a 16 year old girl, and a housing estate being terrorised by a violent moneylender, kept the police busy and me turning the pages.
Some of the characters feature in more than one of the investigations, but the story is written clearly so you never lose track of what is happening, or the reasons why the police are questioning certain people. About halfway through the book I thought I’d worked out what was going to happen, and who the culprits were, but I was wrong! The way the cases were resolved made for an excellent conclusion to the investigations.
I read this book having only read the first in the series beforehand. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and definitely plan on going back and working my way through the rest of the series. I’m sure readers who have been following the series will be pleased to see Calladine and Bayliss back again. If you enjoy getting involved in complex well-written crime fiction, then I highly recommend this book.
August 10, 2022
Love this series
August 22, 2024
Dead Jealous is book seven in Calladine & Bayliss series and, if anything, that series is just getting better and better.
Helen Durrant gives us another twisted and gripping story, linking seamlessly crimes old and new, it's definitely police procedural at its best.
Amazing series and fully recommended.
Helen Durrant gives us another twisted and gripping story, linking seamlessly crimes old and new, it's definitely police procedural at its best.
Amazing series and fully recommended.
September 17, 2023
Calladine and Baylis have three murders to solve in this one. A cold case of a missing baby 15 years ago and a violent moneylender’s murder also a teenager’s dead body stuffed into the boot of an old car.
July 19, 2017
My Review
Lately I’ve been dipping my toes into new waters, sampling new authors which previously I hadn’t heard of or was uncertain if their books were what I would typically read. Helen Durrant is one of these authors I had not previously experienced, I’m so glad Joffe Books offered this opportunity to review Dead Jealous, it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Dead Jealous is the seventh book in the series following Calladine & Bayliss, in this instalment they find themselves investigating three crimes a cold-case of an abducted child seventeen years previous, the brutal death of a sixteen year old teenage girl and the murder of the local loan shark.
Opening scene is the cold-blooded death of Flora found in the boot of an abandoned car, she has lain a week and nobody has noticed or reported her missing, her mother and friends don’t seem to be concerned, what are they hiding. A jar of ashes wrapped in a pink blanket with a hairclip is handed to the police , after being discovered during house renovations, could this be Jessica the missing toddler from Leesdon Park an investigation which never yielded clues or witnesses, a case that still haunts Calladine, will there finally now be closure. Has the local loan shark went too far, pushed a customer over the edge, his volatile nature has been his downfall, paying the ultimate penalty…..his death with no interest accrued.
I couldn’t believe how well Helen intertwined each scenario, it was effortless and gelled well together, thoroughly enjoyed trying to unravel the twists, the lies and connecting the dots with Calladine and Bayliss to try and discover the truth.
Calladine and Bayliss are a well oiled team within the unit, they have all suffered in the past, the way Helen interspersed personal and work life proved effortless and added to the depth of the storyline, allowing the feeling of really knowing the characters. I certainly felt empathy with Bayliss, where she felt her husband showed more interest in his work than family relations, leaving her feeling that her work wasn’t important either, causing rifts in her family life. What Helen portrayed could have been anyone’s life, even my own at times, which proved to show the characters in a more realistic light.
I couldn’t commend Helen highly enough on Dead Jealous, it certainly was a book that I couldn’t put down except for when the inevitable life things get in the way, like having to work. Even though I had to get on with daily life, the urge to get back to Dead Jealous was always there, the short chapters, the fantastic storylines, the characters, I became absorbed in the pages and wanted to know more quicker.
I have had the pleasure of having a taste of what Helen can conjure up at a recent author event, I like to pose a question with three objects and Helen was kind enough to write a short story in response, I thank Helen very much for humouring me on this occasion with my weird questions. Funnily enough I like to try it with all authors I come across at all author events I attend and its much appreciated.
A definite 5 star read and I would highly recommend reading, Helen Durrant is an author with a wicked flair in her thought process in producing a storyline which is rational and clear-sighted.
Thank you to Joffe Books, Helen Durrant and Booksnall Jill Burkinshaw for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
Lately I’ve been dipping my toes into new waters, sampling new authors which previously I hadn’t heard of or was uncertain if their books were what I would typically read. Helen Durrant is one of these authors I had not previously experienced, I’m so glad Joffe Books offered this opportunity to review Dead Jealous, it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Dead Jealous is the seventh book in the series following Calladine & Bayliss, in this instalment they find themselves investigating three crimes a cold-case of an abducted child seventeen years previous, the brutal death of a sixteen year old teenage girl and the murder of the local loan shark.
Opening scene is the cold-blooded death of Flora found in the boot of an abandoned car, she has lain a week and nobody has noticed or reported her missing, her mother and friends don’t seem to be concerned, what are they hiding. A jar of ashes wrapped in a pink blanket with a hairclip is handed to the police , after being discovered during house renovations, could this be Jessica the missing toddler from Leesdon Park an investigation which never yielded clues or witnesses, a case that still haunts Calladine, will there finally now be closure. Has the local loan shark went too far, pushed a customer over the edge, his volatile nature has been his downfall, paying the ultimate penalty…..his death with no interest accrued.
I couldn’t believe how well Helen intertwined each scenario, it was effortless and gelled well together, thoroughly enjoyed trying to unravel the twists, the lies and connecting the dots with Calladine and Bayliss to try and discover the truth.
Calladine and Bayliss are a well oiled team within the unit, they have all suffered in the past, the way Helen interspersed personal and work life proved effortless and added to the depth of the storyline, allowing the feeling of really knowing the characters. I certainly felt empathy with Bayliss, where she felt her husband showed more interest in his work than family relations, leaving her feeling that her work wasn’t important either, causing rifts in her family life. What Helen portrayed could have been anyone’s life, even my own at times, which proved to show the characters in a more realistic light.
I couldn’t commend Helen highly enough on Dead Jealous, it certainly was a book that I couldn’t put down except for when the inevitable life things get in the way, like having to work. Even though I had to get on with daily life, the urge to get back to Dead Jealous was always there, the short chapters, the fantastic storylines, the characters, I became absorbed in the pages and wanted to know more quicker.
I have had the pleasure of having a taste of what Helen can conjure up at a recent author event, I like to pose a question with three objects and Helen was kind enough to write a short story in response, I thank Helen very much for humouring me on this occasion with my weird questions. Funnily enough I like to try it with all authors I come across at all author events I attend and its much appreciated.
A definite 5 star read and I would highly recommend reading, Helen Durrant is an author with a wicked flair in her thought process in producing a storyline which is rational and clear-sighted.
Thank you to Joffe Books, Helen Durrant and Booksnall Jill Burkinshaw for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 20, 2017
As is obvious this book is book 7 in a series. Not to worry, they are perfect as standalones.
If you love British thriller mysteries, you will love this book. There are three cases being investigated, but somehow they are all related, even a decades old cold case.
I loved this book, the gritty setting, believable characters and gripping story line makes this a book that cannot be put down.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
If you love British thriller mysteries, you will love this book. There are three cases being investigated, but somehow they are all related, even a decades old cold case.
I loved this book, the gritty setting, believable characters and gripping story line makes this a book that cannot be put down.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.
July 27, 2017
My rating 5 out of 5 stars
Helen Durrant is a fabulous author and I loved this book from the very first page. Forensic pathology is a particular interest of mine so this was an extra bonus. While it is part of a series it does work very well as stand alone. The book does refer to events from the previous book but Helen has, excellently, managed to bring a new reader up to date while at the same time ensuring readers of the previous books are not bored with recaps from previous books.
There are several cases that the team has to juggle. A teenage girl is murdered, a 17 year old cold case is reopened and a viscous moneylender has residents living in fear. Totally different cases and the team is struggling to move forward with any of them.
Team dynamics play a big part in this book as personal feelings and resentments come to the fore. The characters are very realistic and complex. We learn a little about their personal lives within the book as they develop.
A fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective added to advances in forensics brings to light evidence and possibilities that were overlooked 17 years ago with shocking results. There are many twists and turns along the way as the team untangles a web of lies going back many years. The conclusion is a real shocker that the reader cant see coming,
I absolutely loved this book I was hooked from the beginning and just kept reading ‘a little bit more’. I intend to read Helen’s backlist as soon as time allows.
A fantastic read. Thank you to Joffe Books for the advance copy,
Merged review:
My rating 5 out of 5 stars
Helen Durrant is a fabulous author and I loved this book from the very first page. Forensic pathology is a particular interest of mine so this was an extra bonus. While it is part of a series it does work very well as stand alone. The book does refer to events from the previous book but Helen has, excellently, managed to bring a new reader up to date while at the same time ensuring readers of the previous books are not bored with recaps from previous books.
There are several cases that the team has to juggle. A teenage girl is murdered, a 17 year old cold case is reopened and a viscous moneylender has residents living in fear. Totally different cases and the team is struggling to move forward with any of them.
Team dynamics play a big part in this book as personal feelings and resentments come to the fore. The characters are very realistic and complex. We learn a little about their personal lives within the book as they develop.
A fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective added to advances in forensics brings to light evidence and possibilities that were overlooked 17 years ago with shocking results. There are many twists and turns along the way as the team untangles a web of lies going back many years. The conclusion is a real shocker that the reader cant see coming,
I absolutely loved this book I was hooked from the beginning and just kept reading ‘a little bit more’. I intend to read Helen’s backlist as soon as time allows.
A fantastic read. Thank you to Joffe Books for the advance copy,
Helen Durrant is a fabulous author and I loved this book from the very first page. Forensic pathology is a particular interest of mine so this was an extra bonus. While it is part of a series it does work very well as stand alone. The book does refer to events from the previous book but Helen has, excellently, managed to bring a new reader up to date while at the same time ensuring readers of the previous books are not bored with recaps from previous books.
There are several cases that the team has to juggle. A teenage girl is murdered, a 17 year old cold case is reopened and a viscous moneylender has residents living in fear. Totally different cases and the team is struggling to move forward with any of them.
Team dynamics play a big part in this book as personal feelings and resentments come to the fore. The characters are very realistic and complex. We learn a little about their personal lives within the book as they develop.
A fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective added to advances in forensics brings to light evidence and possibilities that were overlooked 17 years ago with shocking results. There are many twists and turns along the way as the team untangles a web of lies going back many years. The conclusion is a real shocker that the reader cant see coming,
I absolutely loved this book I was hooked from the beginning and just kept reading ‘a little bit more’. I intend to read Helen’s backlist as soon as time allows.
A fantastic read. Thank you to Joffe Books for the advance copy,
Merged review:
My rating 5 out of 5 stars
Helen Durrant is a fabulous author and I loved this book from the very first page. Forensic pathology is a particular interest of mine so this was an extra bonus. While it is part of a series it does work very well as stand alone. The book does refer to events from the previous book but Helen has, excellently, managed to bring a new reader up to date while at the same time ensuring readers of the previous books are not bored with recaps from previous books.
There are several cases that the team has to juggle. A teenage girl is murdered, a 17 year old cold case is reopened and a viscous moneylender has residents living in fear. Totally different cases and the team is struggling to move forward with any of them.
Team dynamics play a big part in this book as personal feelings and resentments come to the fore. The characters are very realistic and complex. We learn a little about their personal lives within the book as they develop.
A fresh pair of eyes and a different perspective added to advances in forensics brings to light evidence and possibilities that were overlooked 17 years ago with shocking results. There are many twists and turns along the way as the team untangles a web of lies going back many years. The conclusion is a real shocker that the reader cant see coming,
I absolutely loved this book I was hooked from the beginning and just kept reading ‘a little bit more’. I intend to read Helen’s backlist as soon as time allows.
A fantastic read. Thank you to Joffe Books for the advance copy,
July 14, 2017
5 stars
A young girl, just in her mid-teens has been murdered. Her body was found in the trunk of a car – a week later by three teenage boys. DI Tom Calladine and DS Ruth Bayliss are on the case. Her name is established quickly, she is Flora Appleton.
At the same time, a woman shows up at the station carrying a pot and a pink blanket. She found it behind a chimney while remodeling her house. She shows it to Tom and lo and behold, it rings a loud bell. It looks to be the remains of Jessica Wilkins a two-year old child who disappeared without a trace some seventeen years earlier. Her mother never gave up hope that her child was still alive. This is going to be devastating. They send the ashes in the pot, the blanket and a pink hairclip to the lab. But Tom knows that the distinctive hairclip and the blanket belonged to Jessica Wilkins.
The local n’er-do wells, the Hopwood brothers are terrorizing Hobfield Estate, where both Jessica and Flora’s mothers live. The brothers call themselves moneylenders, but they really are thugs. Sean is the one who is quick with his fists and beats one of the residents badly and then sets fire to Dolly Appleton’s apartment. Ricky is good-looking and slightly easier to deal with. Sean even beats him, however, and the stakes are rising. The terrorized people of Hobfield gather in secret and decide they must do something about Sean Hopwood.
Ruth’s review of the Jessica Wilkins case and shows several inconsistencies. It sets Tom to thinking why they didn’t notice these things all those years ago. They are going to have to talk to Josie Wilkins again.
This book rolls along at a breakneck speed until the denouement when Calladine and Bayliss and their team solve all of their cases. This book is very well written and plotted. I liked it quite a lot. I like the characters. The team got along well for the most part and worked well together. There was enough information given about the backgrounds of the major players, but not so much that it interfered with the story. There were no wasted words in this book; no padding. I’ve read Helen Durrant’s other Calladine and Bayliss books and I like this one the best. Well done!
I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read.
A young girl, just in her mid-teens has been murdered. Her body was found in the trunk of a car – a week later by three teenage boys. DI Tom Calladine and DS Ruth Bayliss are on the case. Her name is established quickly, she is Flora Appleton.
At the same time, a woman shows up at the station carrying a pot and a pink blanket. She found it behind a chimney while remodeling her house. She shows it to Tom and lo and behold, it rings a loud bell. It looks to be the remains of Jessica Wilkins a two-year old child who disappeared without a trace some seventeen years earlier. Her mother never gave up hope that her child was still alive. This is going to be devastating. They send the ashes in the pot, the blanket and a pink hairclip to the lab. But Tom knows that the distinctive hairclip and the blanket belonged to Jessica Wilkins.
The local n’er-do wells, the Hopwood brothers are terrorizing Hobfield Estate, where both Jessica and Flora’s mothers live. The brothers call themselves moneylenders, but they really are thugs. Sean is the one who is quick with his fists and beats one of the residents badly and then sets fire to Dolly Appleton’s apartment. Ricky is good-looking and slightly easier to deal with. Sean even beats him, however, and the stakes are rising. The terrorized people of Hobfield gather in secret and decide they must do something about Sean Hopwood.
Ruth’s review of the Jessica Wilkins case and shows several inconsistencies. It sets Tom to thinking why they didn’t notice these things all those years ago. They are going to have to talk to Josie Wilkins again.
This book rolls along at a breakneck speed until the denouement when Calladine and Bayliss and their team solve all of their cases. This book is very well written and plotted. I liked it quite a lot. I like the characters. The team got along well for the most part and worked well together. There was enough information given about the backgrounds of the major players, but not so much that it interfered with the story. There were no wasted words in this book; no padding. I’ve read Helen Durrant’s other Calladine and Bayliss books and I like this one the best. Well done!
I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read.
August 24, 2025
Edit after re-reading this title in 2025.
I think I liked it a little better than when I read it the first time. Maybe because in the mean time I've read more titles by Helen Durrant? Anyway, re-reading this was just what I needed during a difficult time in my life.
Although this is the seventh book in the series, and I haven’t read any of the previous ones, it was not difficult to get acquainted with the main characters. The story itself is good, because it has just the right amount of tragic and hope at the same time. The various other characters were interesting and on the whole, I enjoyed the book.
I rated it three stars because of two things. First, the writing is not as fluent and easy as I would like. It sometimes looks as the writing of an author with less experience. Maybe it is just Durrant’s style, but I kept reading because of the story itself, not the way it was written. Second, I felt too many similarities with other series, e.g. the DCI Banks series. An older policeman and a younger female colleague… nothing new there. And Calladines reaction to Ruths’ plans for the future are overdone, in my view.
Nevertheless, I will try and read other books by Helen Durrant because she tells a solid story.
Thanks to Netgalley for this review title.
I think I liked it a little better than when I read it the first time. Maybe because in the mean time I've read more titles by Helen Durrant? Anyway, re-reading this was just what I needed during a difficult time in my life.
Although this is the seventh book in the series, and I haven’t read any of the previous ones, it was not difficult to get acquainted with the main characters. The story itself is good, because it has just the right amount of tragic and hope at the same time. The various other characters were interesting and on the whole, I enjoyed the book.
I rated it three stars because of two things. First, the writing is not as fluent and easy as I would like. It sometimes looks as the writing of an author with less experience. Maybe it is just Durrant’s style, but I kept reading because of the story itself, not the way it was written. Second, I felt too many similarities with other series, e.g. the DCI Banks series. An older policeman and a younger female colleague… nothing new there. And Calladines reaction to Ruths’ plans for the future are overdone, in my view.
Nevertheless, I will try and read other books by Helen Durrant because she tells a solid story.
Thanks to Netgalley for this review title.
July 17, 2017
I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
DI Tom Calladine has been called to the discovery of a body in the boot of a car - she's been there for about a week and was murdered. What motive could there be for the killing of a teenage girl? A woman comes to the police station and hands Tom some items she has discovered while renovating her new houses and they are linked to the case of a missing child from at least 15 years earlier - a case that was never solved and that Tom never forgot. While trying to solve both these cases the team are called to another murder on the estate where the young girl's body was found - the local moneylender has been stabbed and pushed or fell from one of the housing decks. No-one seems very upset by his death but is there a link between his death and the other two? A great read which kept me gripped from the beginning. Love the characters in this series.
DI Tom Calladine has been called to the discovery of a body in the boot of a car - she's been there for about a week and was murdered. What motive could there be for the killing of a teenage girl? A woman comes to the police station and hands Tom some items she has discovered while renovating her new houses and they are linked to the case of a missing child from at least 15 years earlier - a case that was never solved and that Tom never forgot. While trying to solve both these cases the team are called to another murder on the estate where the young girl's body was found - the local moneylender has been stabbed and pushed or fell from one of the housing decks. No-one seems very upset by his death but is there a link between his death and the other two? A great read which kept me gripped from the beginning. Love the characters in this series.
July 16, 2017
Dead Jealous is the 7th book in the D.I. Calladine & D. S. Bayliss series.
It opens with the discovery of a teenage girls body in the boot of a car. Alongside this investigation is a old case which is brought back following the discovery of an urn and baby blanket bricked up in the chimney of a house undergoing renovation. This is 17 year old child abduction case Tom Calladine had been unable to solve.
The more leads the team discover the more it appears the two cases have something or someone connecting them.
This is a crime thriller which holds your interest right up until the truth is finally revealed. Put that together with the insight into the investigation teams personal lives and you have another winning instalment in an excellent series.
I received this as an arc and voluntarily rate it 5 star.
It opens with the discovery of a teenage girls body in the boot of a car. Alongside this investigation is a old case which is brought back following the discovery of an urn and baby blanket bricked up in the chimney of a house undergoing renovation. This is 17 year old child abduction case Tom Calladine had been unable to solve.
The more leads the team discover the more it appears the two cases have something or someone connecting them.
This is a crime thriller which holds your interest right up until the truth is finally revealed. Put that together with the insight into the investigation teams personal lives and you have another winning instalment in an excellent series.
I received this as an arc and voluntarily rate it 5 star.
July 23, 2017
https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...
I have to admit that I was very keen to be able to get my hands on a copy of Helen's latest book having becoming an avid fan of her work. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and definitely would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who loves a great crime book, and a really good read in general. For me they can be read as stand alone books but you really will get the benefit of reading them from the first book if you are new to the series so you can follow the characters personal woes as they go about their roles in the Police force. I loved the plot, pace and characters as normal - most definitely another 5 stars read for me from Helen!!
I have to admit that I was very keen to be able to get my hands on a copy of Helen's latest book having becoming an avid fan of her work. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and definitely would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who loves a great crime book, and a really good read in general. For me they can be read as stand alone books but you really will get the benefit of reading them from the first book if you are new to the series so you can follow the characters personal woes as they go about their roles in the Police force. I loved the plot, pace and characters as normal - most definitely another 5 stars read for me from Helen!!
July 11, 2017
A girl’s body is found in the boot of car. No one in the local area appears to know anything, or at least are being cagey about their answers to the police questions. A loan shark runs the local neighbourhood. Years beforehand a young girl went missing and was never found. When articles relating to her are discovered by accident the case re surfaces. A well written book with enough punch to keep the reader interested. Some background to characters and a little of their life story always makes them more real. An enjoyable read.
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased
I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased
February 7, 2022
*Fast Moving Case*
This instalment sees DI Tom Calladine & DS Ruth Bayliss unpicking a case of murders of 2 daughters 17 years apart why?
One a mouthy teenager found in the back of a car the other a young child and a cold case that was never solved and it always bugged Calladine at time.
The Team are still reeling after the death of one of their own and how will the team react the replacement?
As usual Tom’s private life is a bit chaotic and Ruth has troubles of her own managing a baby, her relationship and her job.
While they are putting the pieces together of the crimes another body is found and the victim’s killer could be anyone he had dealings with…..
This instalment sees DI Tom Calladine & DS Ruth Bayliss unpicking a case of murders of 2 daughters 17 years apart why?
One a mouthy teenager found in the back of a car the other a young child and a cold case that was never solved and it always bugged Calladine at time.
The Team are still reeling after the death of one of their own and how will the team react the replacement?
As usual Tom’s private life is a bit chaotic and Ruth has troubles of her own managing a baby, her relationship and her job.
While they are putting the pieces together of the crimes another body is found and the victim’s killer could be anyone he had dealings with…..
July 24, 2017
I’m pretty sure I have read books by Helen before I started blogging but as far as Dead Jealous is concerned I treated it as the first book I have read in this series. I immediately liked Tom Calladine and Ruth Bayliss, they make such a brilliant detective duo. Totally down to earth and human! I don’t feel I have missed anything (other than a darn good read) by starting on book seven of the series.
I have to admit it was the cover that suckered me in .. such a simple everyday picture but incredibly haunting when used in conjunction with the book blurb.
This is a great police procedural, a teenage girl is found dead in the boot of a car, a mysterious cold case involving missing toddler Jessica is suddenly resurrected after new evidence comes to light some seventeen years later.
The characters are all believable, set in an area with rundown blocks of flats, money lenders, dodgy pubs it soon becomes apparent that the teenagers are all bored and likely to be up to no good dabbling in things they shouldn’t be. The tenants all owe money so there is violence connected to that, tempers fray .. another murder occurs and the police team are kept busy.
Dead Jealous is a fabulous story of fitting the jigsaw pieces together .. plenty of twists and turns, lots of secrets, false alibi’s are incredibly likely, people are loyal sometimes for the wrong reasons.
It’s gruesome in places but the balance of murder investigation and the personal life of Tom and Ruth along with other colleagues keeps the pages turning.
I really wanted to know how/why the toddler went missing and where is she? That was the strongest story line for me. Thankfully by the end the answers to those cases become clear but now I have even more questions … I hope there is a follow up soon!
Thanks to Helen Durrant and Joffe Books for my copy and the place on the blog tour.
I have to admit it was the cover that suckered me in .. such a simple everyday picture but incredibly haunting when used in conjunction with the book blurb.
This is a great police procedural, a teenage girl is found dead in the boot of a car, a mysterious cold case involving missing toddler Jessica is suddenly resurrected after new evidence comes to light some seventeen years later.
The characters are all believable, set in an area with rundown blocks of flats, money lenders, dodgy pubs it soon becomes apparent that the teenagers are all bored and likely to be up to no good dabbling in things they shouldn’t be. The tenants all owe money so there is violence connected to that, tempers fray .. another murder occurs and the police team are kept busy.
Dead Jealous is a fabulous story of fitting the jigsaw pieces together .. plenty of twists and turns, lots of secrets, false alibi’s are incredibly likely, people are loyal sometimes for the wrong reasons.
It’s gruesome in places but the balance of murder investigation and the personal life of Tom and Ruth along with other colleagues keeps the pages turning.
I really wanted to know how/why the toddler went missing and where is she? That was the strongest story line for me. Thankfully by the end the answers to those cases become clear but now I have even more questions … I hope there is a follow up soon!
Thanks to Helen Durrant and Joffe Books for my copy and the place on the blog tour.
July 15, 2017
I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Dead Jealous, the seventh novel to feature DI Tom Calladine and DS Ruth Bayliss of the Leesdon CID.
The plot has 3 main strands, the murder of a sixteen year old girl, Flora, in a frenzied attack, the ashes of a toddler, Jessica, who disappeared 17 years ago have been found and the toll moneylending takes on the poor.
I loved this book and think it's probably the best so far. It held my attention throughout and I read it in one sitting. It's not particularly profound but it is very readable. As always the deprived Hobfield Estate takes centre stage with Flora's body being found in an abandoned car's boot, Jessica's mother, Josie, living there and obviously it is fertile ground for moneylending and much of the interest I had in the novel was how all the characters touch each other's lives and the difficulty Calladine and Bayliss have unravelling these connections and establishing the truth.
I also like the fact that the criminal investigation is interspersed with with the detectives' personal life. This time the focus is on Bayliss and her relationship problems. She feels her partner Jake is not pulling his weight and has no respect for her job - something I, personally, can relate to and many other people too I'm sure. there is a surprise in store which I loved.
I think Ms Durrant has the balance absolutely right in this novel. No plot strand is more important or given more time than the others, although the discovery of Jessica's ashes is heartrending and Bayliss's domestic tribulations inform both Calladine's and her characters but are not overly stressed.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Jealous as an absorbing, easy read and have no hesitation in recommending it.
The plot has 3 main strands, the murder of a sixteen year old girl, Flora, in a frenzied attack, the ashes of a toddler, Jessica, who disappeared 17 years ago have been found and the toll moneylending takes on the poor.
I loved this book and think it's probably the best so far. It held my attention throughout and I read it in one sitting. It's not particularly profound but it is very readable. As always the deprived Hobfield Estate takes centre stage with Flora's body being found in an abandoned car's boot, Jessica's mother, Josie, living there and obviously it is fertile ground for moneylending and much of the interest I had in the novel was how all the characters touch each other's lives and the difficulty Calladine and Bayliss have unravelling these connections and establishing the truth.
I also like the fact that the criminal investigation is interspersed with with the detectives' personal life. This time the focus is on Bayliss and her relationship problems. She feels her partner Jake is not pulling his weight and has no respect for her job - something I, personally, can relate to and many other people too I'm sure. there is a surprise in store which I loved.
I think Ms Durrant has the balance absolutely right in this novel. No plot strand is more important or given more time than the others, although the discovery of Jessica's ashes is heartrending and Bayliss's domestic tribulations inform both Calladine's and her characters but are not overly stressed.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Jealous as an absorbing, easy read and have no hesitation in recommending it.
August 7, 2017
So this it the first Calladine and Bayliss novel I’ve read which being the seventh one, which was probably not the ideal place to start!
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the characters of Tom Calladine who’s only stable relationship is the one with his partner Ruth Bayliss, a headstrong northern woman who is trying to grapple with motherhood, a distant partner and policing but I felt like the author assumed every reader had read the last six books before this one and missed a lot of details out. I could have really done with a brief recap of what had happened in the previous books.
I also felt like the plot relied a lot on coincidences. For instance, Flora Appleton, the teenager who is murdered at the very beginning of the book), happened to live, with her mother, in the same block of flat as the mother of the missing two year old Jessica Wilkins. How small a town is Leesdon? (There are more examples than that but I don’t want to spoil the plot for anyone reading this.)
Anyway the thing that saved it for me was the author’s writing style. It was utterly addictive. I finished it in around two days (that is fast for me I can tell you!) because I desperately wanted to know who the killers were.
I may have to go back to the beginning and read the first book Dead Wrong.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the characters of Tom Calladine who’s only stable relationship is the one with his partner Ruth Bayliss, a headstrong northern woman who is trying to grapple with motherhood, a distant partner and policing but I felt like the author assumed every reader had read the last six books before this one and missed a lot of details out. I could have really done with a brief recap of what had happened in the previous books.
I also felt like the plot relied a lot on coincidences. For instance, Flora Appleton, the teenager who is murdered at the very beginning of the book), happened to live, with her mother, in the same block of flat as the mother of the missing two year old Jessica Wilkins. How small a town is Leesdon? (There are more examples than that but I don’t want to spoil the plot for anyone reading this.)
Anyway the thing that saved it for me was the author’s writing style. It was utterly addictive. I finished it in around two days (that is fast for me I can tell you!) because I desperately wanted to know who the killers were.
I may have to go back to the beginning and read the first book Dead Wrong.
July 20, 2017
Extremely enjoyable
Having read previous books in the Calladine and Bayliss series it was nice to return to familiar characters and have them solve another collection of crimes – some new some old.
Helen H Durrant is a very accomplished author and writes a very good story. Her characters are human and interesting and the storylines are intriguing.
In this episode of the series we are presented with the murder of a young girl who, at first glance, is an innocent. However, the introduction does present us with a different picture, one that the detectives aren’t aware of and it is up to them to work out why Flora was murdered which in turn then leads them to the actual murderer – one that was totally unexpected by the reader.
At the same time, the team are presented with new evidence in a cold case of some 15 years previously which Calladine has struggled with over the years coming up a total blank. The disappearance of a young child has haunted him continually and, with this new evidence he is still at a loss as to who the killer may be. Fortunately, new faces on the team who were not involved in the original case, manage to see things differently and come up with new suggestions.
On top of all this another body turns up on the Hobwood Estate, this time with plenty of suspects since the man was hated by many – although it is clear that many people have a motive to kill the many, it is not so clear who did the actual deed.
As expected, Calladine, Bayliss and their team manage to get through this huge case load and solve the murders one by one, with the evidence neatly slotting into place. This is another enjoyable read by Helen H. Durrant and I look forward to reading more of her stories.
Having read previous books in the Calladine and Bayliss series it was nice to return to familiar characters and have them solve another collection of crimes – some new some old.
Helen H Durrant is a very accomplished author and writes a very good story. Her characters are human and interesting and the storylines are intriguing.
In this episode of the series we are presented with the murder of a young girl who, at first glance, is an innocent. However, the introduction does present us with a different picture, one that the detectives aren’t aware of and it is up to them to work out why Flora was murdered which in turn then leads them to the actual murderer – one that was totally unexpected by the reader.
At the same time, the team are presented with new evidence in a cold case of some 15 years previously which Calladine has struggled with over the years coming up a total blank. The disappearance of a young child has haunted him continually and, with this new evidence he is still at a loss as to who the killer may be. Fortunately, new faces on the team who were not involved in the original case, manage to see things differently and come up with new suggestions.
On top of all this another body turns up on the Hobwood Estate, this time with plenty of suspects since the man was hated by many – although it is clear that many people have a motive to kill the many, it is not so clear who did the actual deed.
As expected, Calladine, Bayliss and their team manage to get through this huge case load and solve the murders one by one, with the evidence neatly slotting into place. This is another enjoyable read by Helen H. Durrant and I look forward to reading more of her stories.
September 28, 2020
The seventh book in the series is just as good as the first six! This time the team are faced with the cold case of a missing child from 17 years ago, who's body has just been discovered, and the murder of a teenager found in the boot of a car on the notorious Hobfield estate.
As always, the storyline is excellent and held my attention throughout the book. The characters are believable, and I like hearing about the personal lives of the two lead detectives, Calladine and Bayliss. I love the setting of a small, fictional Northern town, though I'm glad I don't live there as the crime rate is alarmingly high!
Excellent narration by one of my favourite narrators, Jonathan Keeble, makes this an excellent listen.
As always, the storyline is excellent and held my attention throughout the book. The characters are believable, and I like hearing about the personal lives of the two lead detectives, Calladine and Bayliss. I love the setting of a small, fictional Northern town, though I'm glad I don't live there as the crime rate is alarmingly high!
Excellent narration by one of my favourite narrators, Jonathan Keeble, makes this an excellent listen.
January 6, 2018
Three murder cases, one a cold case, stretch the resources of Calladine's team. This book seemed a lot weaker than the more recent books in the series, and the use of long pieces of dialogue to propel the plot all seems unnatural. Not her best>
December 18, 2017
Dead Jealous is the third book I’ve read by Helen Durrant, so you can tell I enjoy her work. Even though it’s number seven in the Calladine and Bayliss series, this fact didn’t spoil my enjoyment. Her books are becoming more satisfying with each one I read in the series, as the main characters are now more familiar to me. Dead Jealous is an engaging British police procedural, with three interwoven serious crime cases under investigation. Yet again, the author shows she is a safe pair of hands, and the reader is kept guessing who the criminals are from beginning to end. There are many suspects, all living on the rundown Hobfield housing estate in a fictitious town, Leesdon, in the north of England. Helen Durrant’s writing style flows as smoothly as ever, and her words are easily digested. I’m certain I’ll be reading more of this author’s praiseworthy work. If you enjoy reading interesting, skilfully written British police procedurals that keep you guessing, then you should read this book.
May 28, 2018
Brilliant!
Oh so disappointed there isn't another one in this series to download.
Just like the previous Calladine and Bayliss books this grabs your imagination from the start. I found it impossible to put down, there's so much going on, but not to much that it clouds your concentration on each crime.
This author packs so much into her storylines and plots, it's impossible not to feel involved in the characters lives, working and personal.
Several threads running through, makes you eager to sort the chaff from the seed, making for an ingenious, well crafted storylines.
I really didn't want this story to end, but I was absolutely desperate to know how it would work out, as Calladine and his team seem to be hitting one brick wall after another.
The only downside with this author's books is the compulsion to read from start to finish, without a break, to which I desperately try to abide by...........unfortunately it hasn't worked very well so far!
Clever storylines by a fantastic writer. Hope there will be another in this series, in the not to distant future.
Oh so disappointed there isn't another one in this series to download.
Just like the previous Calladine and Bayliss books this grabs your imagination from the start. I found it impossible to put down, there's so much going on, but not to much that it clouds your concentration on each crime.
This author packs so much into her storylines and plots, it's impossible not to feel involved in the characters lives, working and personal.
Several threads running through, makes you eager to sort the chaff from the seed, making for an ingenious, well crafted storylines.
I really didn't want this story to end, but I was absolutely desperate to know how it would work out, as Calladine and his team seem to be hitting one brick wall after another.
The only downside with this author's books is the compulsion to read from start to finish, without a break, to which I desperately try to abide by...........unfortunately it hasn't worked very well so far!
Clever storylines by a fantastic writer. Hope there will be another in this series, in the not to distant future.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews