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Detective Jason Smith #10
Severed
A student, who hasn't been seen in a while is found dead in her room. Her throat has been cut but it soon becomes clear that is not the cause of death. The post mortem reveals she has been drained of blood. The killer has left behind no evidence and there are no clues. Is there a vampire on the loose in York? When another body is found detective Smith and his team struggle to find a link or motive. Will this be the case that finally defeats the brilliant DS Smith? How much more heartache can Jason Smith bear? Severed will take him to hell and back.
228 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 25, 2019
82 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Stewart Giles
83 books85 followersAfter 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.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 24, 2019
Book 10
I am loving all the books Stewart Giles is writing this year so I was thrilled to be reading this one. Book 10 and I have read them all but I did start with book 8 and then went back to read his back list so I can confirm they do work perfectly as stand alone.
A student's housemates report a noxious smell coming from her room and as the team investigate they find her with her throat cut. How could nobody miss her for 2 weeks? The mystery deepens when a post mortem reveals she has been drained of blood. Is there a vampire on the loose in York. There are no clues and Smith is unsure where to look.
This is a very intriguing story and as I expect from Stewart a very unusual one. It is fast paced and the reader gets drawn in to the story in the early pages and then is hooked into a fast paced journey full of dead ends and shocking curve balls all the way to the totally unexpected ending.
Smith is pulled apart by this case at a time when he is still reeling from events in a previous case. Will this be one case too far and push Smith over the edge? It certainly puts his emotions under extreme duress but whether he survives physically and mentally - well you will have to read the book to find out.
Another brilliant addition to the series. 10 books in you would imagine the characters are fully developed but there is still much to learn and I am hoping that this series will continue giving for many more books to come.
5 golden stars from me
I am loving all the books Stewart Giles is writing this year so I was thrilled to be reading this one. Book 10 and I have read them all but I did start with book 8 and then went back to read his back list so I can confirm they do work perfectly as stand alone.
A student's housemates report a noxious smell coming from her room and as the team investigate they find her with her throat cut. How could nobody miss her for 2 weeks? The mystery deepens when a post mortem reveals she has been drained of blood. Is there a vampire on the loose in York. There are no clues and Smith is unsure where to look.
This is a very intriguing story and as I expect from Stewart a very unusual one. It is fast paced and the reader gets drawn in to the story in the early pages and then is hooked into a fast paced journey full of dead ends and shocking curve balls all the way to the totally unexpected ending.
Smith is pulled apart by this case at a time when he is still reeling from events in a previous case. Will this be one case too far and push Smith over the edge? It certainly puts his emotions under extreme duress but whether he survives physically and mentally - well you will have to read the book to find out.
Another brilliant addition to the series. 10 books in you would imagine the characters are fully developed but there is still much to learn and I am hoping that this series will continue giving for many more books to come.
5 golden stars from me
September 26, 2019
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I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting!!
I thought that the plot was great and the author has a fab writing style. I love the characters in this series and I found this one to be a totally addictive read and I flew through the pages.
I did guess the ending in part but there were plenty of twists and turns on the way to get there and for me this is definitely up there with my favourite books of the series so far and I am already eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in the series!
I have no hesitation in giving this story 5 stars – very highly recommended!!
I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting!!
I thought that the plot was great and the author has a fab writing style. I love the characters in this series and I found this one to be a totally addictive read and I flew through the pages.
I did guess the ending in part but there were plenty of twists and turns on the way to get there and for me this is definitely up there with my favourite books of the series so far and I am already eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in the series!
I have no hesitation in giving this story 5 stars – very highly recommended!!
September 24, 2019
Triple WOW!!! This story is phenomenal! I can honestly say that not once have I got bored of reading any of the books in this addictive series. I do get bored easily but I just crave more and more of these books - I have enjoyed them so much! 'Severed' is the latest addition in the Detective Jason Smith thriller series and what an absolute gem it is! The latest case for Smith and his team concerns some unfortunate students who meet their demise in the most bizarre way. Why target students? There is method in the madness of these immoral acts inflicted by the killer, but who could do such a thing? Up until the last, the victims didn't suffer greatly, as murder victims usually do, which makes it even more strange - why are these murders taking place? This story flowed at a fast pace and made my heart race at times, it has plenty of twists and had me gripped the whole way through. I tried and failed to guess the perpetrator/s and was really knocked for six by the conclusion - writing at its best! I enjoyed the humour, particularly where Smythe is concerned and I think that I'd have nodded off, too! I have really enjoyed reading this series and seeing Smith and his team working together and the strengthening bond between them is really heartwarming. I can't wait to read more of this authors work in the future and until the next one I'm going to miss Smith and his team and adorable Fred and Theakston. Thank you
October 4, 2019
Wow, I can’t believe this is Jason Smith’s tenth outing and his most shocking case yet!
Jason Smith is back to his old tricks of taking all the worries of the world on his shoulders and not letting people in, especially after the end of his last case came a little too close to his family for comfort. Another intriguing case comes up and he just can’t help getting involved. Young female students are being found drained of blood. Is there a vampire running around York or something even more sinister?
Severed is a fast paced police procedural that sucked me in from the very beginning with, I have to say, one of the most gobsmacking endings in this series.
I really enjoyed the killer's POV that ran throughout the book which really added the creep factor to the story.
I did have an inkling who the killer was early on but there were plenty of twists and turns along the way that kept me guessing and a bombshell or two I didn’t see coming.
Severed is riveting read that has me eager to see what happens next.
Jason Smith is back to his old tricks of taking all the worries of the world on his shoulders and not letting people in, especially after the end of his last case came a little too close to his family for comfort. Another intriguing case comes up and he just can’t help getting involved. Young female students are being found drained of blood. Is there a vampire running around York or something even more sinister?
Severed is a fast paced police procedural that sucked me in from the very beginning with, I have to say, one of the most gobsmacking endings in this series.
I really enjoyed the killer's POV that ran throughout the book which really added the creep factor to the story.
I did have an inkling who the killer was early on but there were plenty of twists and turns along the way that kept me guessing and a bombshell or two I didn’t see coming.
Severed is riveting read that has me eager to see what happens next.
October 6, 2019
Wow! Stewart Giles is on fire! That's for sure! Ten books into the Smith series with no sign of letting up, I loved it! There is no boring when you have a Stewart Giles book in your hand! A student is found with their neck cut, but not enough blood for it to be cause of death, this begins a new case for Smith and the team. As always it's not just about murder. The 3 dimensional characters that stewart has developed throughout the series makes for a fantastically deep series for anyone to start. There is humour running throughout too, the banter and chemistry you sense they are that well wrote. A crime thriller that leads you up many a garden path before it shows you the right way! Patiently waiting for the next book now!
September 24, 2019
D.S Jason smith the tenth book in this series. A student been missing for over a week is found with a stab in her neck Smith and Webber are on the case .Kirsty King is dead but there is little blood from the wound. The marks on the arm shows pints of blood have been removed before this killing but why?. Another two students are found in exactly the same way. This is a hard gripping read that is definitely not for the faint hearted. Will leave you reading to the end till you find out the answer. It's worth picking up I really enjoyed it like I do with all these authors books. He delivered something different in his stories everytime
July 24, 2023
No! No! No! I figured out who the killer was early on in this series but I kept saying, "after all the character has been through surely not..." and that ending. I was just warming up to that character and then they're gone. I was on the end of my seat because I know this author isn't afraid to kill off a character and I know it's going to happen with one of the main characters that make these stories addictive...and I'm never going to be ready for that. 🤣🤣 These books are getting stronger as the series goes on and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
September 29, 2019
This is the tenth book in the excellent series featuring detective sergeant Jason Smith and in my humble opinion the best to date! Smith is an Australian who now works in York, with a great established team including his own wife, DC Erica Whitten, DC Yang Chu and DS Bridge. He has had to deal with some pretty nasty cases over the years so it is a wonder he is still sane, let alone has a lovely family and a good relationship with the rest of the team. He definitely likes to do things his own way which sometimes irritates his boss DI Brownhill who is slowly warming to him, but Smith is very intuitive and usually gets his man, and deserves the great faith that DCI Chalmers puts in him. Even his dogs Theakston the Lazy Bull Terrier and Fred the Repugnant Pug adore him!! The story starts with the discovery of the body of a female student who had not been seen a few days. Initially it looks like the wound to her throat killed her but later on the post mortem revealed that almost every drop of blood had been drained from her body before her throat was cut. The killer is a clever one and has left no clues or forensic traces. The team of detectives are baffled as to the motive. She wasn't particularly liked or disliked but it looks like her death was merely a means to an end and it is the blood that the killer was after. Pints of it! Another body quickly surfaces in the same state and Smith wonders whether someone could be selling the blood or even drinking it in some bizarre satanic ritual. As the reader we are getting snippets from the killer as the story progresses, so the big question is whether Smith will discover the strange truth in time to prevent more blood letting. He is a great detective and the reason for that is that he cares so much about everyone and everything that he comes into contact with. So much so that sometimes his loyalty clouds his judgement and occasionally he doubts his ability to do the job. This is when his team and senior officers demonstrate their great faith in him and get right behind him. And that is something he will undoubtedly need to solve this case. I thought he had it tough in previous books but that is nothing to the wringer that the author puts him through in Severed. As the story reaches its dramatic conclusion there are a couple of heart-stopping moments from which no one will emerge unscathed. Without doubt this book will be another huge hit! Highly recommended!
October 2, 2019
What should a thriller be like? It should keep me on my toes, trying to outrace the mind of the author, fast paced writing with delicious bursts of excitement, prose be zingy infusing me with an unholy glee. Something which should give me an adrenaline high and leave me exhausted with a book hangover. Well this book ticked all those boxes.
Do I really need to write more in my review?
Oh, you want details....
A murder with victims killed in a bizarre manner, a police team with Smith at the helm investigating it. Forensics at its best helping the whole process.
Do I need to say more?
Really? Now you want to know more...
My first book by author Stewart Giles, though tenth in the series, I had no problem following the way the team worked. The author's writing kept it all smooth, the scenes moved fast as a murder. investigation should. Loved the interaction between Smith and hs team including the friction with his wife. Added to the spiciness.
What more can I say?
You are too demanding now...
The tension was slowly built adding its pitch with the turn of a page. I wanted to enjoy the feelings the book evoked, the adrenaline rush. Hence I switched off my analytical brain and just enjoyed the ride. The story took me to the highest zenith and threw me down, a complete free fall... What a rush!!
Do I really really need to say more?
Nothing, you say...
Hahahaha... OK one more line.
I loved the book, the book loved me back.
Do I really need to write more in my review?
Oh, you want details....
A murder with victims killed in a bizarre manner, a police team with Smith at the helm investigating it. Forensics at its best helping the whole process.
Do I need to say more?
Really? Now you want to know more...
My first book by author Stewart Giles, though tenth in the series, I had no problem following the way the team worked. The author's writing kept it all smooth, the scenes moved fast as a murder. investigation should. Loved the interaction between Smith and hs team including the friction with his wife. Added to the spiciness.
What more can I say?
You are too demanding now...
The tension was slowly built adding its pitch with the turn of a page. I wanted to enjoy the feelings the book evoked, the adrenaline rush. Hence I switched off my analytical brain and just enjoyed the ride. The story took me to the highest zenith and threw me down, a complete free fall... What a rush!!
Do I really really need to say more?
Nothing, you say...
Hahahaha... OK one more line.
I loved the book, the book loved me back.
October 11, 2019
The tenth in the Jason Smith detective series and the books just keep on getting better and better. Stewart Giles not only writes incredible books but he writes about killers who do their killing in so many strange ways. This time, a young student is found dead in her room, after another lodger notices a terrible smell. The body has had all of the blood drained out of it, making Jason wonder if they have a vampire loose on the streets of York. Then, another student is murdered in the same way and Jason begins to think that the murders are being committed for the blood, but what would a murderer want with pints and pints of blood?
As usual, the reader is also let into Smith's private life and we learn how worried he is that this killer may move on to his family. Not even the dogs seem safe! I was stressed, worrying about Whitton and their baby and also how much strain the investigation was putting on Jason himself. In order to relieve that stress, I had to carry on reading (forgetting the ironing and the fact that I needed to eat!) so that I could get to the end of the book and make sure that all these cherished characters were still safe. And, as is usual with Mr Giles' books, there are so many twists and turns before I reached that safe harbour.
This is a book not to be missed and, if you haven't read any of these books before, I envy the wonderful time that you are going to have in reading all ten of them.
As usual, the reader is also let into Smith's private life and we learn how worried he is that this killer may move on to his family. Not even the dogs seem safe! I was stressed, worrying about Whitton and their baby and also how much strain the investigation was putting on Jason himself. In order to relieve that stress, I had to carry on reading (forgetting the ironing and the fact that I needed to eat!) so that I could get to the end of the book and make sure that all these cherished characters were still safe. And, as is usual with Mr Giles' books, there are so many twists and turns before I reached that safe harbour.
This is a book not to be missed and, if you haven't read any of these books before, I envy the wonderful time that you are going to have in reading all ten of them.
October 27, 2019
Fabulous read
This is the first book I’ve read by this talented author. Okay, silly me, I should have read the previous books in the series first as I’ve felt I’ve missed out on getting to know an incredible team.
This is a fast paced, intriguing thriller worthy of five stars. A story surrounding several murders of students who meet their demise in bizarre circumstances at the hands of a twisted killer.
Plenty of twists and turns that had me flipping the pages swiftly.
Great writing with characters you can’t help rooting for.
Highly recommended.
This is the first book I’ve read by this talented author. Okay, silly me, I should have read the previous books in the series first as I’ve felt I’ve missed out on getting to know an incredible team.
This is a fast paced, intriguing thriller worthy of five stars. A story surrounding several murders of students who meet their demise in bizarre circumstances at the hands of a twisted killer.
Plenty of twists and turns that had me flipping the pages swiftly.
Great writing with characters you can’t help rooting for.
Highly recommended.
October 17, 2019
I read a light romance right before this, so this was great for total immersion into evil. Love this author, and once again he has nailed both characters and plot.
Read
January 7, 2020I love this series. Characters are flawed and very human. As soon as I've read one I'm preordering the next one. Plots are sometimes a bit muddled to begin with but all becomes clear in the end.
May 1, 2020
3.5 stars
September 10, 2020
A five rating!
Kept me guessing the whole time. An unusual theme for a storyline. Our author is brilliant. Thanks! I wait the next one.
Kept me guessing the whole time. An unusual theme for a storyline. Our author is brilliant. Thanks! I wait the next one.
June 10, 2022
Great read as always with a twist I did not see coming.
November 8, 2019
Page turning thriller
Another great read, with an amazing storyline. Clever plot, which keeps you guessing till the end. Look forward to the next one to see what D.S. Smith has to deal with.
Another great read, with an amazing storyline. Clever plot, which keeps you guessing till the end. Look forward to the next one to see what D.S. Smith has to deal with.
September 24, 2019
A body is found of a young female student in her flat behind a locked door. Rather a loner, no one has missed her until there was rather a noxious smell emanating from her room. It appears that she died of exsanguination. When a second body is found in the street a short while later, DS Smith has rather an odd case on his hands. Why are they being killed and what on earth is going on with the blood? I like this series, there is not only a brilliant plot but substories about the characters which really brings them to life. Smith and his partner Whitton. Partners in crime fighting and at home too. A little humour here and there and a plot to keep the grey matter active. This is a fairly quick read at around 200 pages (which meant I devoured it rather quickly). I had to smile at the line “this investigation is rather draining”. A clever plot and a very unusual premise- something I wasn’t previously aware of. I won’t give anything away other than to say ugh!
A highly entertaining, most enjoyable interesting read.
A highly entertaining, most enjoyable interesting read.
September 25, 2019
As with all of Stewart’s books, Severed can be read as a standalone novel, or as the 10th book in the DS Jason Smith series. I would highly recommend reading the books in order though. You will be able to appreciate the exquisitely crafted characters and developing relationships that the author carefully brings to the fore during the various books.
Somehow, this author is able to come up with the most audacious, and creative plots, and always keeps you guessing right until the very end. Severed does not disappoint. I thought I had figured out who the killer was. I was wrong. I thought I had figured out if any of my favourite characters were going to be killed off, something I suspected would happen as Stewart has no qualms about putting them at risk of life and limb (think George R.R. Martin). I was wrong.
Severed kept me hooked right from the first page, to the last. The tension mounted right until the very end, and then exploded in my face. It was a brilliant read.
Somehow, this author is able to come up with the most audacious, and creative plots, and always keeps you guessing right until the very end. Severed does not disappoint. I thought I had figured out who the killer was. I was wrong. I thought I had figured out if any of my favourite characters were going to be killed off, something I suspected would happen as Stewart has no qualms about putting them at risk of life and limb (think George R.R. Martin). I was wrong.
Severed kept me hooked right from the first page, to the last. The tension mounted right until the very end, and then exploded in my face. It was a brilliant read.
October 31, 2019
Still cannot get enough of Jason Smith even when I just finished book # 10.So I am moving on to Enigma and Dropzone both books by S. Giles which feature Jason Smith and Harriet Taylor.
I am sure these two books will be just as good as all the previous others.
I highly recommend this addictive series with Jason Smith and crew. Well written, good story line for each book I cannot even describe how much I enjoyed all 10 books.
Don't just take my words , read them all you will not be sorry.
Michele Zito
I am sure these two books will be just as good as all the previous others.
I highly recommend this addictive series with Jason Smith and crew. Well written, good story line for each book I cannot even describe how much I enjoyed all 10 books.
Don't just take my words , read them all you will not be sorry.
Michele Zito
September 25, 2019
As an artist, I found this quite shocking and horrifying, but nevertheless I was hooked in, and stayed engrossed to the end. I read it in one sitting. The outcome is completely unpredictable, and is especially poignantwhen the reader has got to know and love the characters.
The Smith/Whitton/Jessica psychological drama runs throughout the book and makes for a good contrast with the unpleasantness of the murders,
Well worth the read.
The Smith/Whitton/Jessica psychological drama runs throughout the book and makes for a good contrast with the unpleasantness of the murders,
Well worth the read.
September 25, 2019
Love this series, this latest one is every bit as good as all the rest. Fast paced crime thriller with lots of twists and turns. Interesting and well developed characters and plots and I always enjoy the banter between the main characters.
Recommend if you enjoy detective thrillers
Recommend if you enjoy detective thrillers
October 31, 2023
The marks of a good suspense crime novel, for me, are: keeps me turning pages, I can’t guess who did it, and it has me scared of what is going to happen.
Severed has all three.
Severed has all three.
October 16, 2019
Wonderful characters, great story, couldn't put ut down
October 24, 2019
Superb highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews