Dead Pretty

Dr. Callie Hughes #1

by Candy Denman

When a local woman is killed, police indifference leads a doctor to begin her own investigation

It is not unusual for Callie Hughes to see a dead body. As a part-time police doctor, she has seen more than most. And it was hardly unusual for her to be called in to a reported drugs overdose. Her work as a forensic physician in Hastings has led her to see a fair few of those.

But the corpse of the young woman that she is now examining isn’t surrounded by the typical drug paraphernalia; the room lacks the squalor she might expect to see. What the corpse does have, is a faint mark around the neck. It might easily have gone unnoticed, but once she’s seen it, Dr Callie Hughes can’t get the idea out of her head that she is looking at the victim of a strangling.

Hughes returns to her other job as a local GP, but after she discovers on the grapevine that the victim was in fact murdered, her curiosity gets the better of her. Unfortunately, the local police do not take kindly to her interest. And she can’t help but think that the victim being a prostitute has something to do with their lack of concern.

Soon Hughes will be called to another victim killed in similar circumstances. Her medical knowledge will give her unique insight into the killer, but convincing the police of her input’s value will be a challenge. And her naturally inquisitive character may well lead her into danger.

Can Hughes hunt down a killer terrorising local women, or will her curiosity make her a victim?

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Mystery Thriller

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2013

Reviews

[Kasia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Podkreślam, nie podobała mi się. Główna bohaterka irytująca, rozwiązania fabularne, nie wiadomo po co, zakończenia domyśliłam się praktycznie na początku. Ech.

[Felicity Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well! What a great start to what promises to be a fascinating and, I'm guessing, long running, series.

Having now read both of the first books, I can safely say that, as with most books of this genre, both Dead Pretty and, its sequel, Body Heat, CAN be read as stand-alone novels as each deals with its own separate case. However, to get the best out of them, I'd strongly suggest you begin at the beginning as both stories are much more than a crime novel.

As with many crime stories that feature amateur sleuths a certain amount of suspending your disbelief is needed as Jocasta (AKA Jo) not only carries out her own investigations but is paramount in actually solving the cases in Hastings, a small fishing village, that, not unlike Cabot Cove (home of Jessica Fletcher; Murder, She Wrote), seemingly has one of the highest murder ratios of anywhere in America. That said ...

Jo's life; Forensic Medical Practitioner, General Practitioner, daughter and friend is perfectly depicted ...

Jo's relationship with her family (her mother and father make for great secondary characters; outside of the murders it is her rapport with them that most interested me) and the author's social commentary (much of it about the state of the health service) making for great sub-plots. It's the will-they-won't-they relationship between Jo and DI Miller that I could well do without but then that's me.

Full of chills (dramatically added to by the author giving the murderer their own voice from time to time, {sigh} if only there had been a tad more of these insights) and thrills as the author piles red herring upon red herring in novels that, though (on more than one occasion as it turns out) you are absolutely/ positively/without a shadow of a doubt convinced you know whodunit, actually keep you doubting right up until the end. ...

As for the characters? Hmm! A fan of good, feisty female characters. Whilst without a doubt Jo is not without courage (some if it ill-advised but nevertheless courageous), its just I'm afraid I once again found myself disappointed that so much more was made of her and her fellow female characters physical (or lack of them) attributes than there were the male characters.

A small gripe in what were otherwise hugely compelling reads that kept me gripped from beginning to end.

Copyright ... Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper
Disclaimer ... Read and reviewed on behalf of the author, no financial compensation was asked for nor given

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Jocasta Hughes! She’s a hard working GP as well as the go-to doctor for the Hastings police station and the people of Hastings need a lot of medical care both in and out of the surgery. Jo does have a wide variety of patients which has got to keep life interesting. The terminally ill and the hypochondriacs to the prostitutes. Life is never boring in Jo’s world.

Jo is a brilliant protagonist. She’s the unassuming doctor but she’s got a side to her that would make her a good detective. She gets a niggle and she picks at it, she won’t let it go until she’s satisfied. And I love that even though she’s connected to the police, it’s refreshing to have a lead character investigating crimes from what is a different perspective.

Ms Denman has written a twisty turny kind of police procedural book that really kept me guessing. She made suspect everyone from the obvious to the down right stupid suspect. She managed to throw in some shocks for me too which made me gasp as I read. If you fancy a police procedural with a difference, I recommend giving Candy Denman’s books a try!

[Diane Dickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was much of this that was bit too chic lit for my taste I have to say. It was sort of cross genre and that is the only reason it's dropped a star. It was well written and well constructed. The characters were very visible and the scene setting well done and obviously well researched. I did guess the perpetrator a while before the end but the final denouement did hold a nasty surprise which I hadn't seen coming. A decent read and I'm sure anyone who is not quite and grim and gruesome in taste as myself would enjoy it even more than I did.

[Erik Empson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting concept for a murder mystery, written from the angle of a police doctor who is motivated to solve the crime. A woman with a good head on her shoulders and an insight into the underbelly of British society, in particular the town of Hastings, Dr Callie Hughes is often at odds with how the police handle the case. Very much looking forward to subsequent books in the series.

[Dave Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read!

Once I had started this book I was reluctant to put it down, but obviously had to!
The story is incredibly well written, the plot has so many twists that I identified the wrong killer several times.
Onwards to book 2!

[Laraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a book I really enjoyed. I finished it but found it unsatisfying, not because of the plot but more the central characters of the novel. Dr Calliope Hughes struck me as fairly infantile, with her over-reactions to her colleagues and her need to prove herself. She just annoyed me.

[Jenny Coyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just never really got into this book. The pace never picked up and frankly I didn't like any of the characters. I'm definitely not in a hurry to read the next in this series.

[Michael Rumney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dr Callie Hughes works for the police, attending to arrested suspects and establishing if there are suspicious circumstances around a death.
Of course she decides to go rogue and investigate on her own the murders of young women on the south coast of England.
Some of the scenes are very graphic and the tone was at odds with the rest of the book.
At times I wondered if this was a crime book as there were great chunks of romance and a side story line of a child with a dodgy liver which didn't add to the main plot.
It was if the author didn't have enough to sustain a murder mystery.
At times Hughes did some strange things for a doctor who is supposed to be intelligent and have her wits about her.
She would leave herself vulnerable in certain situations and at other times visit patients late at night without an appointment or telephoning to say she was coming, what doctors do that?
Not the greatest but since I only paid 99p for the first three books in the series on kindle, I shall carry on and hope the writing improves.

[Nikki Ayling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant read and great strategy ro the trilogy of books.

[Jacob Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Pretty by Candy Denman opens up with a really grisly and shocking opening. It will really make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. We are introduced to a callous killer who is standing over his victim and you just know that this killer isn’t finished yet and that there will be more murders to come. This is a thoroughly engaging introduction to a new crime series that I am certainly keen to follow.

We meet Dr Jocasta Hughes, a pathologist and part time GP. Jo is called a crime scene when the body of a young prostitute is found and it becomes clear that the young woman has been murdered. Candy Denman keeps the tension building as Jo and the police attempt to identify the killer whose crimes are quickly making national news. And we know that the killer has his eyes on Jo; can they find out who he is, before it’s too late?

Dr Hughes is a really likable protagonist. She’s single and in her thirties and her mum is heavily pushing her to have a relationship and get married. Jo was a character who I really engaged with and you can see that she really cares for her patients, even though at times it is a job that can be incredibly tough. I also liked her relationship with her friend Kate who was a really bubbly character and it will also be interesting to see her friendship with DI Miller develop.

The crimes that take place in this book are chilling as well as the criminal behind them. There was such a shocking truth once it was finally revealed. The second book in the series is already out, and I will definitely be picking it up. Candy Denman is an exciting new name in crime fiction and I can’t wait to read more books by her.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a new author to me and I'd score this at 3.5 down to 3*. I think mainly because there's a lot of annoying repetition about how often Callie has a headache....that began to get on my nerves. I had to look up how to say her name properly and it's Kal-eye-oh-pee whereas I'd have said Cal-ee-oh-pee which makes more sense considering she is shortened to Callie !! I did spot some earlier editions gave her another peculiar name altogether. I've heard of authors changing covers but not the principal character's name !!! So that annoyed this reader, too !
Callie does do some daft things for an intelligent woman, though......gets herself into some pretty idiotic circumstances. I did find the ending a little too far-fetched as well, as it appeared to come out of nowhere, with no real lead-up to THAT particular resolution !! I also found her a little petty and whiny in places. I did like Miller a great deal, though, and hope he features in the next book.
It has a few too many mistakes for my liking as well. One whole explanation about The Priory Estate was repeated on an ensuing page, she kept on getting apostrophes wrong, while also getting them in the right place at another mention of the same word, as in ladies' or singles'-sometimes she included it, then would carelessly drop it !! She left off a comma when it was required here, "she wouldn't give him another chance she decided" and I wouldn't have used pretty twice, either, in this sentence, "She was young and pretty and pretty drunk." There were too many missed-off hyphens as well, as with "body fluid stained scrubs" or sort out or one handed....
I have the second in this series downloaded as it was free but I will see how I get on with that one before I consider getting the remaining instalments.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a gritty air about this book which is at odds with our Dr. Jocasta Hughes who is very well-kept, always dressed well and cursing hurts her ears. It doesn’t stop her from getting down in the dirt with the rest of them though, as the local Forensic Medical Practitioner she has to attend crime scenes and see to those detained at the police station, if anything she seems to thrive on it! One might think Jocasta would be better suited to her part-time job as a GP but she revels in the police work and if the circumstances were right she would rather go full-time with it. Jocasta can’t help but feel frustrated though as she gets herself involved in an investigation and the DI doesn’t appear to take her very seriously, but Jocasta might be more involved than even she realises!

This is the first book in the new Jocasta Hughes series and its off to a good start. It’s a good crime drama told from the perspective of the Medical Practitioner rather than the detectives. I don’t think Jocasta gave Detective Millar much credit, it was interesting to see how little information is shared between them and shows how close Detectives hold their cards to their chest. She was constantly at logger heads with him but I think that was less to do with his work and more down to the fact that she very obviously if unwillingly found him attractive. I honestly would really like to see what direction this series will take, like I said it’s off to a good start but after the events that have taken place I wonder will it put Jocasta off being involved with the Police or will it make her more determined?

[Diana L. Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a British novel and it appears they have different rules about Medical examiners and physicians on call to tend to the recently arrested. The opening is pretty graphic, we learn how the first victim, Jade, dies. This is our introduction to the main protagonist, Dr. Calliope Hughes, call me Callie please. Her day time job is in medical clinic where she tends to a wide age range of patients. There is a young child that presents with liver failure and she is very concerned for his health, no spoilers here. When she isn't "in surgery" she is moonlighting as an ME and Police doctor. She becomes very interested in the multiple deaths of young woman, all killed in the same way. Enter Detective Miller and his partner, his name escapes me, but this character is for comic relief, his interactions are kept to snide remarks and sophomoric humor. Then we have Jonathon, a physician Callie meets and then becomes involved with, no spoilers. It was off putting, her antagonistic relationship with the detective and her constantly putting herself in harms was. Not sure I will read any of the other books she is in. Callie was never fully fleshed and it was hard to really like her. I finished the book and must admit that I was surprised by the character revealed as the killer.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo running two jobs as a GP and Police Doctor. Or as her mother says lack of making a commitment, to one job, or to one man. A case where the killer was using some of the same messages, but using different burner phones.
She was putting two and two together and soon she would know it was him.
The date Kate had was actually with the killer, but she found someone else in the bar before he came, so he took Jo. Good flowing plot, good story line.

[Sharon Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disappointing ending.

She has the off and on attraction with the detective through the book then when he says he's married it doesn't create a blip in the conversation. I spent most of my read being irritated at her reaction to the detective and her constant putting herself in danger. The best part was I didn't figure out who the killer actually was. On to the next book.

[PWA Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I previously read book #3 before this one, but it didn't matter, still enjoyed the mystery. Callie, a GP and helping police, is so likable because she's human- makes mistakes but doesn't give up. Her willingness to take challenges is what gets her in trouble. A quick easy good story. Now I need to read book #2. They are really worth the read.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

I have never read any novels by Candy Denman.It was an easy read for me, I couldn't put it down. I really love reading different novels. My only disappointment was that their wasn't any background on Dr. Call ie. I hope in the next book it has more background about her. Overall I would recommend this novel.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kept me interested all the way till the end. Iiked the main character and felt that she was ready to identify with. The mystery was interesting and once getting to the end,I should have figured it out. I guess that I was into the main character so much that it went right past me. Great ending!!!

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A doctor who works part time with the police becomes the target of a serial killer.

The actually mystery is fairly good. But Callie the main character is a dolt. Her own useless investigation is laughable. She falls for a surgical lothario. Her reactions and actions are more like a spoiled teenager than a grown woman with a medical degree. Slow start but decent conclusion. 2.5 stars

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

its a novel with everything in it, romance, mystery and thrills. I especially enjoyed it as I lived near Hastings for nearly 46 years and regularly visited it as a teenager. highly recommend but could not classify it as one genre!

[bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 star

Decent, although I could've done without the bad guy POV scenes. Who dunnit had been clear to me for ages. The MC was familiar, so I must have read one of the later books in series. Would read more, I think.

[David Stimpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Start

This got better as the story went along. I thought it was gonna be a about Dr. Callie sticking her nose in all the time. I knew who the killer was. And got that wrong.. Yes I will look for Book 2

[KH Khaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Hughes is markedly different from book 2 (where I started in the series). Here she is stronger and more independent. And doesn't flush so often. And DS Jeffries is not nasty here. And Kate is not as vivacious as in book 2. Nevertheless a good read

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I thought this was "pretty" good. I look forward the next book which is apparently not available to me as yet.

[Beth Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book although I had an inkling of who the culprit was early on. There were quite a few editing errors in the Kindle edition.

[Kerry Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable book with good characters and I look forward to reading more of this series.

[Rhonda Sappington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Police and doctor - what a combination!

Riveting plot making it a page turner, the characters are enjoyable. I missed the clue that pointed to the possible "who done it."

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr Hughes was sort of an immature for a doctor / coroner. She acts about 10 years younger than she is. Of course, she falls for the worst men.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was okay.