DS Jason Smith is dragged away from paternity leave when a woman is killed with her baby in the next room. When more women with children are brutally murdered, Smith discovers that they all have something in common - they all share a secret. When he finds out that the mother of his own child is on this list of 'Unworthy' women, he finds himself in a race against time to stop the killer before his whole world comes crashing down around him. An action packed thriller filled with the twists, turns and red herrings we expect from Stewart Giles. This is an edge of your seat page-turner that will appeal to all readers of crime fiction.
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live. After Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later. 3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series - the DC Harriet Taylor Cornwall series. The Beekeeper hit the shelves and hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well. The third in the series, The Backpacker I have self-published and is now available.
DS Jason Smith is on a well-deserved time off after his partner has a baby. Unfortunately, he is called back in to investigate a particularly gruesome murder.
A woman is found with her face bashed in .. and her crying infant is in another room. etched into the wall is a message .... UNWORTHY. Unworthy of what? is the question of the day.
As his investigate continues, 2 more women are slain. Both women had infants or young children in the house. Again, each of the crime scenes has the word UNWORTHY.
So what is the commonality between these victims? And is it the same killer who is targeting Smith's partner, the mother of his child?
This is the 8th in the series that features DS Jason Smith and his team. UNWORTHY is an excellent addition. I strongly recommend starting at the beginning of this most intriguing series. The author has given the characters believable features and traits, adding credibility to his story telling. I love how Jason and his girlfriend interact with each other .. with love and humor.
There are some twists and turns that had me scratching my head. Coming from a law enforcement family, I really enjoy watching the characters rooting out clues and leads one by one... leading to a surprising ending.
Many thanks to the author and Jill Burkinshaw - Books n All Promotions for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Review from 11/11/2018 This book gripped me from the very first page and I can confirm that it works perfectly as stand alone.
Somebody is murdering mothers of small children and leaving the word UNWORTHY at the crime scene. Why are these women unworthy and who is playing judge, jury and executioner? Jason Smith is dragged from leave to find out. As the murderer gets too close for comfort all bets are off as Smith becomes determined to stop this person before it is too late.
This is a real roller coaster of a book that had me turning page after page to find out what happens next. The adrenaline keeps pumping right to the very end where we are treated to a real shocker of an ending.
Jason Smith has grown and developed throughout the series into a complex, realistic character. He has a baby with Erica, who is another member of the team and is currently on maternity leave. His superior is Bryony Brownhill and I am sure there is a lot yet to be discovered about this character.
Stewart is a brilliant author and his books are dark but also have a little humour woven in to the story to offset the darkness which makes them a real unputdownable read.
Definitely worth the 5 stars. I am really looking forward to the next book which is book 1 in a new series featuring Jason Smith and also Harriet Taylor from Stewart's other series.
--------------------------- Review from March 2018 To my shame I have to admit that this is the first in the Smith series by Stewart Giles that I have read (although I am a big fan of his other series). I was unsure what to expect but having loved his other books I wasn’t expecting to be disappointed and I wasn’t. This book gripped me from the very first page and I can confirm that it works perfectly as stand alone.
Somebody is murdering mothers of small children and leaving the word UNWORTHY at the crime scene. Why are these women unworthy and who is playing judge, jury and executioner? Jason Smith is dragged from leave to find out. As the murderer gets too close for comfort all bets are off as Smith becomes determined to stop this person before it is too late.
This is a real roller coaster of a book that had me turning page after page to find out what happens next. The adrenaline keeps pumping right to the very end where we are treated to a real shocker of an ending.
Jason Smith is a complex character and I am determined to read the previous books in this series to find out more about him. He has a baby with Erica, who is another member of the team and is currently on maternity leave. His superior is Bryony Brownhill and I thought there was something yet to be discovered about this woman and there are other characters I really want to learn more about.
Stewart is a brilliant author and his books are dark but also have a little humour woven in to the story to offset the darkness which makes them a real unputdownable read.
Definitely worth the 5 stars. I will definitely be reading the back list to this series while I wait for the next book.
Smith is happily enjoying paternity leave with his new daughter Laura and girlfriend DC Erica Whitton when he’s called back in. A young woman is found brutally beaten to death in front of her baby with the word Unworthy drawn in her own blood on the window.
Less than twenty four hours later, a little boy is found wandering the streets covered in blood his mother killed in a similar way. Can Smith figure out who the killer is before they strike again?
So this is the last book before the new release The Enigma comes out combining Stewart Giles two detectives Jason Smith and Harriet Taylor which I’ve very, very excited for but I’m also a little sad as my Smith series binge has come to an end!
Wow, I have to say I think this is one of my favourites of the entire series! It is a tiny bit shorter than some of the other Smith books but wow is there a lot packed into it. Honestly there’s so many twists and turns it made my head spin!
Fatherhood seems to have made Smith mature a bit more and I’m happy to see him and Whitton still going strong but don’t worry there’s still a bit of drama between the pair to keep it interesting. There’s a little bit of rivalry between the DC’s Bridge and Yang Chu on who will get the open detective sergeant spot which was a bit of light relief in quite an intense story.
It was also nice to see PC Baldwin getting more of a role within the book, and being drafted into Smith’s team after spending so many years manning the front desk.
Unworthy is an intense and gripping mystery with a nail biting ending which is a fantastic edition to the series. I cannot wait to read The Enigma!
I have read others in the Jason Smith series and been bowled over by them, so I was looking forward to reading this latest release and I wasn't disappointed. As in the earlier books, Jason goes about his detective work with vigour and boundless energy. I get the feeling he will always 'get his man' because he would never give up on a case until he solves it. This can make him occasionally a bit too eager and he can walk over any witnesses or expert help in his ardour to solve the crime. But the reader has to love him for it. In 'Unworthy', the women being murdered are all mothers and their children are in the house when they are murdered. As Jason and his partner Erica (also part of Jason's team) have just had a baby of their own, this killer is too close to home for Jason and the killer gets closer when Erica appears on a list of those to be killed. I won't give away the storyline but I have to recommend 'Unworthy' as a book not to be missed. Stewart Giles' writing draws the reader into the story and keeps hold until the reader reaches the last page - and then twists the ending so the reader is left gasping for more. So, more please Mr Giles, I can't wait for the next one!
unworthy is a mind blowing book, thats full of secrets waiting to surface. brutal killings of women with chikdren D.S.Jason Smith is pulled in to solve the case. i was gripped reading its a good story told in the book. The author keeps a fast pace on not letting you get bored as you read. certainly going to recommend this book to my reading friends. its what i call a TOP NOTCH BOOK
Today is the day I have come full circle in my relationship with DS Jason Smith, I first read this book as part of the blog tour back in March and it was the first in the series I had read. Now, thanks to Stewart and Jill re-releasing them all, I have read the first seven, plus Phobia, which was Book 0.5, and reviewed them all over the last couple of months.
As this is book 8 in the series you do really need to have read some of the previous ones to find out what Stewart has put our poor DS through in his short life, plus you find out the relationship dynamics between Smith and the ever faithful Witton, who now has a baby girl with him.
At the end of the last book we find out that Witton is pregnant with Smith's child, and this book is set 1 year later when little baby Laura is 6 months old and Witton is on maternity leave. Jason is also on leave but is called back into action when a woman's body is found with her baby boy in the house.
As the story progresses more women are killed with their children nearby and Smith and the team have to try and find some connection between them all. When the connection is finally made they end up with a list of 6 women, one of which is Witton herself.
Due to the fact that Witton is on the list Jason now takes the case very seriously and the team go into overdrive to solve the case before Witton is killed.
The thing I love about this book, along with Stewart's other books, is that you also follow the killer in different parts of the book and learn what they are doing and why before Smith and the team, but also don;t know who they are until the big reveal at the end.
Even though this is the second time I have read the book, or more accurately I listened to it this time, I still could not work out how any reader could have solved the case before Smith did as there were loads of clues as to why and who was going to be killed, but nothing linking these people to the murderer until it was all explained near the end.
Once Smith works out who the murderer is it is just a simple case of getting all the way across York before it is too late and they get to Witton. As I know that Stewart Giles has a mean streak with regards to DS Smith and likes to kill off key people who have any interaction with him, the doubt is always there as to whether or not Smith will get to Witton in time and if so whether to killer is still there.
As i briefly mentioned I listened to the audible version this time so it would be remiss of me not to review the narration. This book as with all but Harlequin and Phobia, was narrated by the brilliant J.T McDaniel, and as it is the sixth book he has narrated I have got used to his narration and his nuances with regards to different people's voices.
Overall this is a brilliant book and series, and I can't wait for book 9 to come out, which is an extra special book as combines both of Stewart's great Police detectives Harriet Taylor and DS Jason Smith in a book which spans a vast area of England in a great police mystery book.
The story follows Jason as he tries to uncover the serial killer going round murdering women who he deems are unworthy when things get very personal as his partner ends up on the list..
It was a very easy read, which I finished in two sittings as I didn’t really want to put it down. The story had enough intrigue and twists in it to keep me guessing all the way through as to whether he would catch the killer and save his partner from being the killer’s latest victim.
Despite the fact that I have several of Stewart’s books on my ever increasing ‘To Be Read’ mountain, ‘Unworthy’ is actually only the second of his that I have read. Boy oh boy am I glad that I read ‘Unworthy’!! It’s a fantastic read that I absolutely loved but more about that in a bit. I must admit that I took a little while to warm to DS Jason Smith. He’s an ok sort of guy but at times I could have shaken him by the shoulders for the way that he behaved. The start of the book finds him on paternity leave, after his partner Erica has given birth to a little girl. He is enjoying having time at home to bond with his daughter and settle down into parenthood. He is not happy when one of his team rings with details of a particularly brutal murder as he still has a week of paternity leave to go but the order for him to return has come from on high. Not only that but Smith is a dedicated police officer, who can’t resist investigating a case when something catches their eye or sparks their interest. This case affects Smith in particular because the dead women are all mothers, whose children have witnessed their mothers’ murders. Smith gets on well with most of the team but two of his colleagues, who are vying for promotion are getting on his nerves slightly because they are bickering so much. That said, Smith and his colleagues work well as a team and for the most part they have each others’ backs. Smith is a terrible flirt and definitely has an eye for the ladies. He takes a particular shine to one of the female police officers that is seconded to the team and there is definitely a spark between them. The murders continue and then the case becomes personal. Will DS Jason Smith and his team manage to identify and apprehend the killer/ killers? What happens to make the case personal? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you. This book had me gripped from the moment I started reading and I found that I just couldn’t put it down. The author’s writing style is such that you can’t fail to be drawn in to the story. The book hits the ground running and maintains the pace throughout. I really got a sense of the desperation that the police team felt when they were chasing the killer/ killers and the despair that they felt when it emerges that the murder victims were mothers. I guess you could say that I felt as though I was a silent member of the investigating team. ‘Unworthy’ is one of those books that gets the adrenaline flowing and gets the heart rate pumping. There were times when I felt as though I was on a rather scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride, with no idea as to where the story would take me next or when the killer/ killers would strike again. There were definitely lots of twists and turns. The story is told from the point of the view of the current investigation but we also have chapters that are flashbacks and we find out more about the history of the killer/ killers. This way of telling the tale works really well and the story flows seamlessly. In short, I absolutely loved reading ‘Unworthy’ and I would definitely recommend it to others. ‘Unworthy’ works well as a standalone but because I am a bit OCD, I fully intend to read the series from the beginning and in order. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.
Another gripping read that is worth way more than only the 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ that I can give it. Smith and his team are involved in a case where women with young children within the area are being murdered. It is obviously someone with mega issues to even contemplate a killing in the first place let alone to do it near to very young children. I always enjoy looking for clues as to 'Who dunnit?' and I thought I knew at one point but I was so wrong! I enjoyed every minute of this brilliant story with its twists and turns and I was on edge at times and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next and how it would end. Smith has to race against time to catch the killer/s before someone else close to him becomes another victim! As always with Mr Giles' books, I love the banter and the humour within Smith's team - they are such believable and likeable characters! I have no negatives and can't wait to read more books from this series. I can't recommend this series highly enough, I LOVE it! Thank you
I’m not very good at those wonderful reviews people seem to be able to give. However, this series so far has been excellent and I just feel I should put that out there for people to see. I am currently starting book 9 in the series and am already upset at the thought of finishing all the books about DS Jason Smith. The books are a decent length as well a being highly entertaining. So, do yourself and read this series by Stewart Giles, he’s added a lot of great reading to my days.
Well I was intrigued with this one as we don't really get much of a blurb for the book but what we do get sounds very interesting!
I thought that this book was great, I have read a few of Stewart's books now and this one for me is definitely my favourite so far - the plot is great, I loved the pace and the action that takes place. It is a complex story that is well woven throughout to give a really great ending!!
Four stars - a really good story, well paced and well planned out - very enjoyable!!
This is a new author for me and I enjoyed this book very much. There is a serial killer killing mothers of young children. The detectives are having problems trying to find connections tying the women to each other. One of their own may be a target. I thought for awhile the killer was very close to their investigation. I will definitely be reading more of this series.
I have read all the books in this series and loved every single one of them. Started and finished Unworthy in just a few hours as I couldn't put it down. Plenty of twists and turns in this plot and love following DS Jason Smith's work and home life. Really hope there is another book in this series
Good twist on serial killer genre. Kept me guessing to the end. Mind you the end seemed a bit abrupt but made me want to read the next Jason Smith installment
Very interesting plot. Keep writing these stories. I like the British detectives. Smith got his own way and gets results. Any reader will enjoy this series.
Great story line and ideas. Some good red herrings. A bit repetitive in parts and wish all the characters were not only used with their surnames, but that's just my thinking.
I love this & I can't wait for more. I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon. And letting everyone know about it. So i gave it a 5 Stars.