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Willis/Carter #5
Cold Killers
Will an East End feud lead to murder? Eddie Butcher, one of four brothers from a notorious East End family, is tortured and brutally murdered while visiting London from his home in Marbella. DI Dan Carter and DS Ebony Willis monitor his extravagant funeral in case Eddie’s violent brother Terry, under house arrest in Spain, tries to make an appearance. Terry is wanted for robbery, drug trafficking and murder - and the police strongly suspect he is even prepared to kill his own family to maintain his power. What Carter hasn’t told all of his colleagues is that this family’s history is personal to him. When Carter is offered the chance to finally catch Terry, he knows he cannot refuse. But it comes at a heavy personal, and professional, cost - and Willis must protect them all as the Butcher family’s enemies close in, wanting revenge. Product Information: ISBN: 9781471179211 Format: Paperback Author: Lee Weeks Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pages: 472 Dimensions: 19.7 x 13 x 2.8cm
Paperback
First published August 1, 2016
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About the author
Lee Weeks
15 books90 followersI was born in Devon of Welsh parents. My father was a detective, my mother a nurse. I left school with just one O level in Art and by seventeen I was living in Sweden.
I loved reading Henry Miller whilst listening to Neil Young. I travelled in France and settled in Germany at twenty-one, where I worked in a bar. I came back to the UK to study for a year or two and then went to live in Hong Kong. There I fell into the hands of triads.
A detective once told me to go home and I really should have listened him, I would have saved myself a near-death experience, but then I would never have had the material for my books.
Years later, one marriage down and two children fledged, I am writing my stories. Some are based on my life, all carry a part of me and my experiences.
Taken from Author's Amazon page
I loved reading Henry Miller whilst listening to Neil Young. I travelled in France and settled in Germany at twenty-one, where I worked in a bar. I came back to the UK to study for a year or two and then went to live in Hong Kong. There I fell into the hands of triads.
A detective once told me to go home and I really should have listened him, I would have saved myself a near-death experience, but then I would never have had the material for my books.
Years later, one marriage down and two children fledged, I am writing my stories. Some are based on my life, all carry a part of me and my experiences.
Taken from Author's Amazon page
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 4, 2016
Cold Killers – A Good Old Fashioned Thriller
Lee Weeks has really developed the Detective Sergeant Ebony Willis along with her boss Detective Inspector Dan Carter in to a crime series that is getting better with every outing. Lee Weeks has an excellent eye for what makes a crime thriller and even more so for the kind that will stand out, and this will stand out from the rest.
Eddie Butcher is one of the four brothers who have ruled the East End with an iron fist for as long as people can remember, when Eddie is discovered murdered, the outlook does not look good for that part of London. Nobody murders one of the ‘faces’ and gets away with it, and it is known that his brother Tony will not settle until the score has been settled.
Willis and Carter are investigating the murder and not making much headway as nobody wants to be seen or known as a grass in case it gets back to the wrong people. As Willis and Carter look further in to the murder, and its links to drugs and an ongoing feud when help comes from an unexpected source and maybe the thing that will blow the case wide open.
Will this be the case that will define the careers of both Willis and Carter or be a big setback, this could blow up in both their faces considering some of the players in the case. One thing they have learnt is not to underestimates any of the Butcher clan and any of their associates and they are fully aware that the Butchers have too many on the payroll to take any chances.
Will Willis and Carter be able to solve Eddie Butcher’s murder while at the same time being able to stop a consignment of cocaine and draw Tony Butcher from Spain. From the outset, it is not clear who is going to be the winner, but there must be one somewhere in this case.
An exciting and entertaining crime thriller that all readers will enjoy and continue to recommend.
Lee Weeks has really developed the Detective Sergeant Ebony Willis along with her boss Detective Inspector Dan Carter in to a crime series that is getting better with every outing. Lee Weeks has an excellent eye for what makes a crime thriller and even more so for the kind that will stand out, and this will stand out from the rest.
Eddie Butcher is one of the four brothers who have ruled the East End with an iron fist for as long as people can remember, when Eddie is discovered murdered, the outlook does not look good for that part of London. Nobody murders one of the ‘faces’ and gets away with it, and it is known that his brother Tony will not settle until the score has been settled.
Willis and Carter are investigating the murder and not making much headway as nobody wants to be seen or known as a grass in case it gets back to the wrong people. As Willis and Carter look further in to the murder, and its links to drugs and an ongoing feud when help comes from an unexpected source and maybe the thing that will blow the case wide open.
Will this be the case that will define the careers of both Willis and Carter or be a big setback, this could blow up in both their faces considering some of the players in the case. One thing they have learnt is not to underestimates any of the Butcher clan and any of their associates and they are fully aware that the Butchers have too many on the payroll to take any chances.
Will Willis and Carter be able to solve Eddie Butcher’s murder while at the same time being able to stop a consignment of cocaine and draw Tony Butcher from Spain. From the outset, it is not clear who is going to be the winner, but there must be one somewhere in this case.
An exciting and entertaining crime thriller that all readers will enjoy and continue to recommend.
February 20, 2017
I felt the writing let this book down completely. The story was quite a good idea, but the writing was clunky with dialogue being mixed up, for example there would be breaks in the speech (which is used to hint that someone else is speaking without having to say “so and so said” every time) and the number of breaks/stages of dialogue didn’t match up who was speaking at the end. So a conversation between 2 people with 4 separate passages of speech would end with the person who started speaking last, which doesn’t add up.
There was also one occasion where a character’s name change in a paragraph to their nickname, but we had never heard they were known as this before and it seemed like a whole new person from nowhere. It was then a page later that their brother called out to them using the nickname and it became clear what that was all about.
The only 2 characters that we 3 dimensional were Tony and Della and this also let the plot down. It was a good story, but very much let down by the poor style and writing itself. A chore to read in most places, but there was some glimmer of goodness at what might have been so have given it 2 stars.
There was also one occasion where a character’s name change in a paragraph to their nickname, but we had never heard they were known as this before and it seemed like a whole new person from nowhere. It was then a page later that their brother called out to them using the nickname and it became clear what that was all about.
The only 2 characters that we 3 dimensional were Tony and Della and this also let the plot down. It was a good story, but very much let down by the poor style and writing itself. A chore to read in most places, but there was some glimmer of goodness at what might have been so have given it 2 stars.
December 31, 2016
The latest instalment of the Ebony Willis / Dan Carter series of books is a fantastic addition. Twists, turns, tension, torture, and terminations! Lee Weeks takes the reader into the brutal world of drug cartels and mob families.
Some passages will make you flinch but you won't want to stop reading this page turner!
Looking forward to the next book in the series!!
Some passages will make you flinch but you won't want to stop reading this page turner!
Looking forward to the next book in the series!!
February 20, 2018
absolutely fantastic. Darkest one yet for DS Willis. Definately has the original Lee Weeks feel from the Johnny Mann days.
Good take on how the east end hasnt changed in its landscape of what it is famous for. Thinking of picking uo where I left off on the JM books.
Good take on how the east end hasnt changed in its landscape of what it is famous for. Thinking of picking uo where I left off on the JM books.
October 28, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s the first book of this series that I have read so will definitely be on the lookout for more.
Full of suspense, twists and double crosses to keep the reader engrossed
Full of suspense, twists and double crosses to keep the reader engrossed
January 25, 2018
Excellent
Great book from beginning to end I thoroughly enjoyed it. The relationship between Carter and Willis is great in all The books.
Great book from beginning to end I thoroughly enjoyed it. The relationship between Carter and Willis is great in all The books.
March 23, 2018
Still can't make it to 5* but getting very close. A good read.
February 28, 2019
Gruesome and convoluted procedural. Good characters and held my interest.
April 12, 2021
Didn't enjoy this book it dragged on a bit gave up on it.
December 1, 2023
3.5 *
April 18, 2025
Made it 110 pages in. Not my cup of tea.
February 23, 2025
This was not my scene. The writing was not good, there were inconsistencies in the story (on the same page, Tony is rubbish with technology and has the latest gadgets available), confusing character and what felt like torture porn which was unnecessarily brutal
April 19, 2017
Very good read
January 18, 2017
A pretty good modern thriller centred around the activities of an old style London crime family. The Butchers' attempts to move into the drug trade bring them into conflict with a South American cartel which they try to swindle out of millions. Not a wise move, as one of the brothers finds out - his is tortured and killed.
His widow is a key player in the novel as she attempts to bring the family down from the inside while they try to make a deal with a second cartel. A former police officer, she works with DI Carter, an old lover. This places him in a difficult emotional position, making others around him question his priorities. DS Willis battles to solve the case while wondering if she can fully trust her boss.
The narrative works on several levels and is skilfully handled for the main. There is a little too much exposition for my taste, each new character and situation introduced in a little too much detail. Multiple points of view are also used, often switching within a scene, and sometimes making it a little difficult to follow. But ultimately the pacing of the novel is good, the action is fast and the ending is explosive.
His widow is a key player in the novel as she attempts to bring the family down from the inside while they try to make a deal with a second cartel. A former police officer, she works with DI Carter, an old lover. This places him in a difficult emotional position, making others around him question his priorities. DS Willis battles to solve the case while wondering if she can fully trust her boss.
The narrative works on several levels and is skilfully handled for the main. There is a little too much exposition for my taste, each new character and situation introduced in a little too much detail. Multiple points of view are also used, often switching within a scene, and sometimes making it a little difficult to follow. But ultimately the pacing of the novel is good, the action is fast and the ending is explosive.
January 29, 2017
“A gripping good read about an East End feud”
From the very first chapter I was gripped and Lee Weeks captures the feel of the East End and gangster life superbly.
Eddie Butcher, one of four brothers from a notorious East End family, is tortured and brutally murdered while over in London from his home in Marbella.
The principal police officers attend his extravagant funeral in case Eddie’s violent brother Tony, wanted for robbery, drug trafficking and murder and currently under house arrest in Spain, decides to make an appearance.
The DI leading the investigation into Eddie’s death has personal issues with the family going back over many years so, when he is given the opportunity to finally catch Tony,
this is something he knows he cannot refuse. However, it comes at a price, and his colleague has to protect them all as the Butcher family close ranks seeking revenge.
The action slips between London in the run-up to Christmas and sunny Marbella where not everything appears to be as it seems.
Mr Theatre
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.
l
From the very first chapter I was gripped and Lee Weeks captures the feel of the East End and gangster life superbly.
Eddie Butcher, one of four brothers from a notorious East End family, is tortured and brutally murdered while over in London from his home in Marbella.
The principal police officers attend his extravagant funeral in case Eddie’s violent brother Tony, wanted for robbery, drug trafficking and murder and currently under house arrest in Spain, decides to make an appearance.
The DI leading the investigation into Eddie’s death has personal issues with the family going back over many years so, when he is given the opportunity to finally catch Tony,
this is something he knows he cannot refuse. However, it comes at a price, and his colleague has to protect them all as the Butcher family close ranks seeking revenge.
The action slips between London in the run-up to Christmas and sunny Marbella where not everything appears to be as it seems.
Mr Theatre
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.
l
February 11, 2017
A lot different to the other 2 books. Reminded me of a Martina Cole book.
Good characters and storyline.
Good characters and storyline.
January 11, 2017
Cold Killers is the fifth in the author's series featuring Ebony Willis and Dan Carter. This volume is set in the East End of London and revolves around one family, the Butchers. It is a no holds barred tale of drug running, corruption and brutal violence and stands up well with the first four books in the series.
One irritation for me is the author's inability to know the difference between the words 'sliver' and 'slither' and this is a fault that I have found with several authors. 'Slither' is the movement that snakes make when moving. It does not mean something that is sliced. That is 'sliver'.
One irritation for me is the author's inability to know the difference between the words 'sliver' and 'slither' and this is a fault that I have found with several authors. 'Slither' is the movement that snakes make when moving. It does not mean something that is sliced. That is 'sliver'.
September 10, 2016
Fantastic thriller
Unputdownable !! Love it that Johnny Mann was mentioned. Hurry up with the next one please. Brilliant piece of work.
Unputdownable !! Love it that Johnny Mann was mentioned. Hurry up with the next one please. Brilliant piece of work.
January 24, 2017
Took a while for me to get into this book, however I enjoyed the storyline in the end!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews