A Degree of Death

by Bryan Lawson

A DEGREE OF DEATH is the first in Bryan Lawson' series of Drake and Hepple mysteries.A member of the Singapore Parliament is found murdered on a footbridge in Chester. A DEGREE OF DEATH is a crime novel about the past sneaking up on the present and making a real mess of things. It is September 2005. Murky oriental history is entangled with events at Deva University in Chester, a brand new institution doing its best to invent tradition. But do these new ivory towers hide more worldly pursuits, and what really goes on behind the genteel façades in the historic city of Chester?DCI Carlton Drake is widely recognised for being as clever as he is tall and clumsy. He resumes duties after a sabbatical, taken for personal reasons, to investigate this diplomatically sensitive case. By contrast his high-flying young assistant Grace Hepple is stylish but inexperienced. Together they uncover an intriguing mystery.The investigation takes Drake to Singapore where he discovers that the past is never far from the surface in this modern metropolis. Chinese societies, illegal ivory trading, academic jealousy and raw ambition jostle together to create a confusing and dangerous cocktail.

274 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2017

Reviews

[Charlotte Baddeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because it is set in Chester, the city where I was brought up. I also love a good murder, mystery. Bryan Lawson does a wonderful job of describing not only the beauty of historic Chester but also modern Singapore to the point where it is now a destination on my wish list.

Detective Inspector Martin Henshaw is in charge of his first solo murder investigation, following his promotion from Sergeant at the Met, and he is feeling somewhat nervous. He is conflicted when he finds out that his old boss, Chief Inspector Carl Drake (always referred to as Drake) is to oversee this diplomatically sensitive case. Whilst he welcomes the back up, he wonders if he is being judged as not up to the job. Drake is battling his own demons following the death of his wife Cynthia. He misses her dreadfully and he is full of remorse and guilt for the way he neglected her for his job while she was still alive. Drake brings with him his high flying but inexperienced assistant, Sergeant Grace Hepple. Originally Henshaw is alarmed by the idea of not only being mentored by Drake but having someone young and ambitious watching his every move. However, when he meets and later gets to know Hepple his feeling change and I think (and hope) we are seeing the beginnings of a budding romance. The characters in this novel work beautifully together. They have their quirks and flaws and this works really well, drawing the reader in and getting to know them like friends you want to get to know better.

This is the first book in the Drake and Hepple series, most of which are set in Chester and I will certainly be reading the rest of the series.

[David Gilchrist · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4.5* review of 'A Degree of Death' by Bryan Lawson. This is a compelling read, spanning different cultures, intriguing with good plot lines. This is really well written and a change from my normal crime reads. This book is the authors first crime book, it is excellent and I will be reading the follow up books.

[Will Templeton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting plot, with some nice twists and turns and red herrings. I was a little distracted by the occasional typos and the unusual layout (first page on the left?) but I'm a bit of a pedant. Nothing a decent proofreader couldn't fix.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this it was a little different from other crime novels with the link to singaporean culture. I did feel at times that somethings were slightly overexplained but the plot was great and id be interested to see how the author and character developed over the series of books