When a small-time drug dealer is found with his throat cut, a trail of blood leading to the weapon and killer, DCI Warren Jones looks forward to a fast resolution. But what seemed like an open-and-shut case quickly becomes a twisted trap: an innocent man set up to take the fall.
Everybody knew the victim, but witnesses are sparse – no one wants to get involved in a turf war. The one detail Warren has to go on is a mystery accomplice seen with the victim before his death: a man called Madman. A man who doesn’t seem to exist…
The first book I ever wrote was a novelization of ET. I was five years old, had a yellow pencil, an exercise book with ET on the front and boundless enthusiasm.
After being told the devastating news that I couldn't write ET because it had already been done, I resolved to write my own stories. They were still somewhat derivative - a time-travelling detective who drives a sports car that can A) talk to him and B) needs to hit 120 mph to time-travel... I was a kid of the eighties, feel free to look for influences.
I dabbled with writing through school and university, but it wasn't until a spell of "under-employment" (the politically correct term for sitting on my arse as a receptionist whilst looking for a position more suited to my PhD) that I entered NaNoWriMo. I never hit that vaunted 50,000 words but I DID put down 30K of speculative fiction and started to take things a bit more seriously.
As always, life intervenes and that story slowly bloomed to a disorganised mess of about 70k over the next few years. It's still there, tucked away on the hard drive and I've promised myself that one day I will come back to it.
By now though, somebody else was starting to whisper in my ear. I'd always wanted to write a detective novel, but had struggled to come up with a protagonist that I really connected with - or one that didn't seem a rehash or bad pastiche of my favourite existing characters. And that was when DCI Warren Jones started to nag me. Loudly. And Insistently. I wrote that first draft in less than six months.
The series now numbers six full-length novels and four novellas. Book 7 is due out in summer 2021, with more in the pipeline.
And as for the future? Well Warren has lots more stories to tell and then there's that first, aborted attempt at speculative fiction. I reread it the other day and you know what? It isn't that bad...
At First Glance, by Paul Gitsham, is a novella set in his DCI Warren Jones series.
I find it always interesting when authors try themselves at the art of the novella, between installments of their respective series. Lee Child does it with Jack Reacher. Jonathan Maberry also does it with Joe Ledger.
In the afterword to Different Seasons, published in 1982, Stephen King described the difficulty in getting publishers to accept novellas. They were atypical and uncommon. Not short stories, and not novels either. He likened the world of novellas to an anarchy-ridden literary banana republic, and was grateful for having been able to publish a book of them. He has another such book coming out soon, If It Bleeds.
This situation obviously changed with the advent of e-books, and Stephen King himself wrote the excellent Ur, a Dark Tower linked novella, to celebrate Amazon’s Kindle launch.
HQ digital, a division of Harper & Collins, is one of those publishers cultivating the art of the novella. And, Paul Gitsham excels at it. At First Glance is the fourth one in his DCI Warren Jones series. It takes place between the fifth and sixth full length novels featuring the character.
It begins with the rather routine murder of a drug dealer in his car, stationed at his usual corner. The perp is quickly found at his house, not far from the crime scene, almost overdosed on pills and alcohol. But, of course, this not being a short story, the case is more complex than it appears.
The shorter length of the story is not detrimental to the characters. Warren Jones is depicted as a no-nonsense DCI, keeping a watchful eye on his team, having recently welcomed new detectives, keeping them at high standards, and adamant in doing everything by the book.
As such, and however surprising it might be, this novella can serve as a good jumping on point for new readers, allowing us to get acquainted with DCI Jones and his team, while delivering a fast paced and solid police procedural.
Each chapter narrates a day in the investigation, and Paul Gitsham even manages to cram a few unexpected twists in the ninth and final one.
At First Glance is a quick and satisfying read, and certainly made me want to delve further in the DCI Warren Jones series. An excerpt of the next novel is provided in the backpages.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review.
DCI Warren Jones is investigating the death of a minor drug dealer. His throat was but and following blood splatter, he was led to the door of another man .. .found on the verge of death. They also found the murder weapon and bloody clothes.
Because of the dead man's chosen profession, there are plenty of suspects. But who wanted him dead the most? Most people being questioned won't admit to knowing the victim, although this was his area and he was visible on a regular basis.
There are a few twists and turns along the way that ends in a very surprising way. This is about the 5th in this series featuring DCI Jones. Although 6th in the series, this one is easily read as a stand alone. As always, I recommend starting at the beginning in order to treasure those little nuggets that make up a really good series.
Many thanks to the author / HQ Digital / Netgalley for this crime fiction novella. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Despite there being six full instalments and three previous novellas in the DCI Warren Jones series it isn't necessary to have read any of them to enjoy At First Glance. The story centres around drug dealer Kyle Hicks who has his eyes very much on being a local crime kingpin but his ambitions have been curbed as he has been found in his vehicle having had his throat slashed from ear to ear. Warren and his team are called in to investigate and for all intents and purposes it seems to be an open and shut case. But is the criminal fraternity of Middlesbury, Hertfordshire, responsible as it initially appears or is this a more convoluted case than anyone could ever have imagined?
This is an exciting, twisty and rapid-fire novella and showcases Mr Gitsham’s aptitude for creating a captivating yarn. As always, this is well-plotted and enthralling from start to finish and miraculously some of the characters are more engaging and better developed than those in some full-length novels. The number of suspects becomes larger the more Warren and his colleagues probe the murder and they discover Kyle had many enemies of both criminal and the non-criminal kind. This leads to a riveting, logically progressing case that ends with quite the surprise. Highly recommended. Many thanks to HQ Digital for an ARC.
Here is an author I’ve been meaning to read for sometime; no excuses I own a number of his books. This is number 9 in this series. 5 novels and 4 novellas. My problem is I like to read books in the chronological order they are published; these in between shorter books do however allow a way in for a new reader like me. These in between books provide a fix for fans before the next novel is out. Act as a trailer for the next instalment while keeping the profile up and going. It is the reason ebooks became popular for me as this format allows this flexibility. So this a shot to nothing. A free hit; a punt if you like. It introduces an author and his successful crime series. If like me you like what you read we can go down the snake; go straight to the start and pick up book 1 in the certain knowledge we’ll like that book too. (8 books lie in wait for me!) At First Glance is also a transitional piece as it allows Gitsham to introduce new members of the detective team. Devoid of a lot of packing and packaging it is a pure story told in the space of a few days. No padding the only writing responds to the case at hand. This is a strong police procedural with little description, background story or recapping. It is a perfect vehicle to test out this writer and these characters. A young drug dealer; newly crowned prince of his manor wants to be a key player. When he is murdered it appears other people have designs on his territory and stash. A methodical investigation follows. This demonstrates the author’s ease and writing skill and makes you fully engrossed into the fictional town created in Middlesbury. It may be a made up location but it is a gritty story with some good set piece action and a tight and twisting plot. Read it because your already a fan or try it and then like me you’ll want to read more.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ Digital for an advance copy of At First Glance, a novella featuring DCI Warren Jones of the Middlebury, Herts Police.
When local drug dealer, Kyle Hicks, is found in his car with his throat slashed DCI Jones and the team follow the blood trail to what they think will be a quick solution. Things, however, are never as easy as they seem.
I thoroughly enjoyed At First Glance, which is a quick but detailed police procedural with a twist. It is told entirely, apart from the prologue, from Jones’s point of view so the reader can get stuck in and concentrate on solving the crime along with him. I like a good procedural with its constraints and protocols as it always gives a novel a solid framework. In this case suspects are arrested and released and the solution comes from the hard slog of routine procedure.
I think the solution is supposed to be a twist but it was fairly obvious from about half way through where it was going, although the author does manage a surprise just before the reveal. This did not spoil my enjoyment of the read as I like the slow inevitability of the genre, where the investigation starts with a wide net and inexorably draws closer to a solution as more facts and evidence come to light.
At First Glance is a short, easy read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
I have read all of Paul Gitsham's novels and have enjoyed every one of them. This novella is no exception.
Because is is a short novel, time is of the essence in the telling. Mr. Gitsham manages to hit all of the high points in the investigation into the murder of a drug dealer and the story moves along quite quickly. The reader is introduced to two possible new members of DCI Warren's team.
This is a tightly run police procedural and sufficient information is given to keep the reader apprised of the progress of the investigation. It is written in Mr. Gitsham's usual straightforward style – informative and very well plotted. A huge surprise at the ending of the book makes the reader go “ah, ha, I wouldn't have guessed it!”
I want to thank NetGalley and HQ Digital for forwarding to me a copy of this most excellent book for me to read, enjoy and review.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for HQ Digital Publishing
This is the first book that I have read by this author and even though I wouldn't actively go looking for others by him I would read more if I happened upon them.
This novella is the 7th book in the DCI Warren series but I read it as a standalone with no problem. There were no references to previous cases.
THE plot was OK and there were quite a few twists and turns which kept me guessing who the perp was. I never did guess who it was and it was quite a surprise which is always good in a crime novel. There is nothing worse than guessing the killer before you're even half way through a book.
THE characters were OK and realistic and the descriptions and writing were very well done. However at no point I felt I was 'in' the storyline.
Overall I think it was quite a basic crime novel and if I was to recommend it then it would be to fans of crime, murder, mystery and short stories.
Rated 3/5 ( It was OK) on Goodreads and Amazon (UK and. Com) and over 30 Facebook pages
“At First Glance” by Paul Gitsham the 7th instalment in the DCI Warren series. I really enjoyed this novella, and will probably go back and read book one in the series. This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I would probably read another. I found myself engrossed in the story and reading it in one sitting.
The mystery is interesting and well plotted, full of twists and turns as well as a few surprises. I never did guess who it was and it was quite a surprise who the killer was.
I recommend this series to all my british crime mystery loving friends.
I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from HQ Digital and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.
I am not the biggest fan of short stories as they very rarely completely satisfy me. That said, I am a fan of inbetweenie shorts of series that I enjoy, such as this one featuring DCI Warren Jones. Local drug dealer Kyle Hicks is found dead in his car. The police follow a trail back to a nearby house and find what they think to be evidence that both solves and closes the case. But are things as they appear...? Jones definitely doesn't think so and is not about to sign it off just yet. He just needs more to go on... I do love these inbetweenies and feel that they are better read by people who enjoy the main series rather than just diving straight in cold. That said, they can also be a way to judge whether you as a reader will get on with the author's style, albeit probably leave the book wanting to know more about the characters as the assumption is made that you are already familiar with some of them. The author is also quite clever as he also introduces some fresh blood to the team in this book. The plot herein is interesting and, although I guessed some of the main things there was still something that surprised even me towards the end. Apart from the prologue, the story is told by Jones himself which means that the reader only really knows what he does which I find to be a very effective way of telling a short. We get to see his methodical approach and see what makes him tick. All in all a good addition to an already great series. This will keep me going until the next full length novel is out which I believe will not be too long in coming. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read Paul Gitsham's novella "At First Glance" in return for a fair review.
I have been reading the series, so jumped at the chance to read this novella. And it did not disappoint.
The story centers around one case - the murder of a lowly drug dealer who had designs to becoming a player - and how the various threads of the means, motive and opportunity are pulled together by DCI Warren Jones and his team. And the suspects are many!
There's really no way to get into the story without giving something away, but suffice it to say that they question, arrest, and release multiple suspects (with one being out of commission for the entire case) until they finally hit upon the least-suspected suspect! I did not see that one coming.
I have read most of Paul’s books apart from the last couple, and unfortunately I can’t remember all the characters that well. I need to go back and re-read them, time permitting.
This was a good story, with a few red herrings and an excellent ending, but I have to say I had the miscreant in mind! It kept me well entertained and I flew through it as it was a novella.
I shall go back now and re-read the earlier ones and carry on with the series.
My thanks to the author, the publishers and net galley for the ARC.
I'd not read any of the books in this series until this novella (thanks Netgalley) so this was a nice introduction to a character who clearly has a following. It's a fast paced (must be given the length) procedural where DCI Warren Jones and his team solve the murder of a drug dealer. There aren't many surprises or there isn't much time to sink into the characters but it's a good read- perfect for an afternoon- and rewarding in its way.
I discovered this series last year, read all the instalment and became addicted. This is an excellent novella with a fast pace plot full of read herrings and twists. I was happy to meet again the cast of characters and appreciated the solid mystery that kept guessing. The solution came as a surprise and it was interesting. I can't wait to read the next instalment. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I really enjoyed this short story. It was gritty, filled with excellent characters and had plenty action and suspense. perfect for reading whilst travelling. Another good read by Paul Gitsham. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.
Again, I found this next novella a great read, always interested and no idea who committed the crime. All characters in the enquiry team seem to bounce of each other. Can not wait till the next release and see what is in store for DCI Warren.