One Half Truth

DI Zigic and DS Ferreira #6

by Eva Dolan

'EVERYONE should read Eva Dolan' Mark Billingham

When the police are called to the report of a late-night shooting, they expect it to be drugs or gang-related. They don't expect to find a young student executed on his way home.

Jordan Radley was an aspiring hard working, well-liked, dedicated. His first major story – looking at the fallout following the closure of a major local factory – had run recently and looked to be the first step in his longed-for career. Even after the story ran, Jordan continued to stay in contact with those he he was on his way back from their social club the night he was murdered.

But as the detectives quickly discover, not only was Jordan killed, but those responsible also broke into his house, taking his laptop and notes. What was he researching that might have led to his death? And can this really be linked to another case – long ruled an accident – in the same area?

Or are the police being forced to prioritise those with the best connections rather than the ones that most need their help?

From the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award nominated author, Eva Dolan, this novel is perfect for fans of Susie Steiner, Sarah Hilary and Jane Casey.

****

Praise for Eva

'Dolan is expert at the orchestration of tension' Guardian

'Elegantly crafted, humane and thought-provoking. She's top drawer' Ian Rankin on This is How it Ends

'A master of pace... [Dolan writes] richly imagined, cleverly plotted and socially aware stories' Independent

'Dolan infuses old-fashioned police work with contemporary issues to paint a disturbing picture of our times' Daily Mail

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Procedural, Audiobook

432 pages, Hardcover

Published July 6, 2021

About the author

Eva Dolan was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger for unpublished authors when only a teenager. The four novels in her Zigic and Ferreira series have been published to widespread critical acclaim: Tell No Tales and After You Die were shortlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year Award and After You Die was also longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger. She lives in Cambridge.

@eva_dolan

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eva Dolan returns with the latest in her DI Dushan Zigic and DS Mel Ferreira series set in Peterborough, with her trademark thoughtful political and social commentary on contemporary Britain. It all begins with the discovery by the roadside of 21 year old Jordan Radley, shot in the back and in the head in true execution style, initially suggesting this might be a drug related incident. However, Jordan turns out to be an ambitious and dedicated journalism student focusing on issues that matter, with a big published feature behind him focusing on the closure of Greenaway Engineering 4 years previously and its impact on the men made redundant in an area that had no use for their skills and experience. His interviews documented the poverty, family breakdowns, suicide attempts, and other mental health issues that proliferated in the aftermath, the fury, shock, and resentment, having to work as supermarket shelf stackers, and other precarious gig economy jobs, losing homes, facing homelessness and struggling to feed themselves.

As the police find out, shortly after his killing, the murderer broke into Jordan's home and took his laptop and other electronic devices. It soon becomes apparent that Jordan had been working on another big story, but unfortunately had informed no-one about what he was working on. Zigic and Ferreira, along with the police team that includes DC Zac Parr, DC Keri Bloom and DC Rob Weller, follow a number of potential leads, all of them, with the exception of a Far right group, emanating from Greenaway Engineering, looking once again at a fatal helicopter crash that had been deemed an accident and into the present with Docherty Construction who acquired the former industrial site to build homes on it. They find themselves facing difficulties when faced with NDA's and people being unable to talk to the police, over critical life and death issues, and peering beneath the surface of the respectability, power and wealth of the Greenaway family.

Dolan is a remarkable crime writer, managing to depict declining towns, communities and services reeling from austerity, the police are hardly immune from severe budget and staff cuts with even some police officers having to survive on food banks, people divided by Brexit, the toxic normalisation and acceptance of the far right, its values and ideas, the proliferation of zero hours and gig economy jobs that fail to provide the means to survive. Then there is the growth in outsourcing, driven by profiteering and the need to cut costs to the bare bones, to the rise in mental health issues and where the loss of a job can all too easily lead to homelessness. All of this is encapsulated in a riveting, dark, detailed and suspenseful narrative with a wide range of characters, a police team trying to do its best to deliver justice in the form of Zigic and Ferreira, who face obstacles from every direction, including the top echelons of the police service. A brilliant addition to a wonderful crime series. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm disappointed with this book if only because Dolan set the bar so high with her earlier entries in this series. This still has a politicised edge - this time about the 'left behind' when an engineering factory closes, and dirty deals amongst the privileged.

I'm glad this doesn't just repeat earlier storylines but it is slower to get going, can feel plodding, with too many crimes taking place in a very small circle of characters, and the police jumping from guess to guess, and becoming illogical in places.

I also felt that the characters don't feel particularly defined in this outing - given where we've been with Zigic and, especially, Mel Ferreira, this didn't really feel like it's taking account of their history and the personal storylines more or less stall. It's still a decent procedural and the writing is, as always, smooth and unobtrusive - but it doesn't have that special something that made Dolan a must-read for me.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Half Truth was a decent police procedural, but nothing that great. It’s well written but I didn’t find the characters all that convincing or engaging, it is needlessly slow in places and has a couple of very well-worn tropes.

A young man is shot dead by a roadside in Peterborough, where this is not common by any means. The investigation leads to stories of corporate greed and malfeasance as it focuses around a group of men who have lost their jobs and most of their sense of self-worth through rapacious asset-stripping which makes those responsible very rich. The trail is obscure, has blind alleys and can be confusing and frustrating, much like a real investigation. However it is possible to convey those things without making the story itself slow, confusing and frustrating, which I found this to be some of the time.

The book has its merits, its heart is certainly in the right place and it’s by no means bad, but as a gripping crime story it lacked something for me. People whose opinions I respect have praised Eva Dolan’s books, but on this evidence I won’t be rushing to read any more, I’m afraid.

(My thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC via NetGalley.)

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took a while to get going, and was a bit messy in the middle, but pulled it all together by the end. I was pleased with the epilogue.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off as a promising police procedural, but then proceeded to plod along, rehashing the same points ad nauseam. At least 100 pages longer than it needed to be, as there was little color outside of the central case. Fleshed out the lives of the detectives by describing them cleaning out their closets and ordering wallpaper 🥱. Finally limped over the finish line, but by that point I was completely uninterested.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sixth book in the DI Zigic and DS Ferreira series, my favourite police procedural series. As always it was great to catch up with my two favourite detectives again, I get very excited when I know there a new book coming out!.
This story is set around Jordan Radley, a young student who was gunned down on his way home. He was a well liked guy and the police are stumped as to who wanted him dead and why. However as they look deeper into Jordan’s life and the people he hung around with they discover some very unsavoury people and secrets.
As I’ve mentioned before one of things I love about this series is that the police are portrayed well for a change, not corrupted and nasty. They have there moments of course, they’re human and want to get the villains behind bars, but Zigic wants to do it properly, always having to rein Ferreira in when she gets the bit between her teeth and won’t let go. Especially so in this book as Ferreira gets really angry about another aspect of this investigation and I could totally understand why.
As with all books by Eva Dolan there’s always a social commentary going on and this time it it really hit the mark, but I’m not saying any more about that plot strand as it will ruin the story but it’s a good one.
As to the investigation and finding the killer? Well, I got some of it right at about the same time as the detectives, but to be honest with you this series is about the characters rather than the crime, and I can’t wait to see what happens to Zigic and Ferreira next!
This is still my favourite police procedural series and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone to likes this genre.
Thanks so much to NetGalley, Bloomsbury and Raven Books for my digital ARC.

[Susan Aldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a well-known theme in detective fiction - the male (usually) Detective Inspector and female (usually) Detective Sergeant working as a team. Here I think Zigic and Ferreira come over very well as a duo and I see I've jumped into a series, having read an interview with the author in Writers News. So this is good plot about the murder of a young journalist looking into a contaminated land issue against the backdrop of the closure of an engineering works and the impact of the subsequent redundancies in Peterborough. The setting and characters are well described, but I did get a bit lost in the intricacies of the plot (my fault, I think, not the authors). I also found it hard to engage with the characters, but on the whole enjoyed this as a well constructed, and brilliantly read, police procedural.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading the Zigic and Ferreira series of books and the two central characters are Detectives who stay in the mind long after the final page is turned. Whilst the focus of their investigations may no longer be hate crimes, their old unit having been disbanded as many specialist teams in the Police have been over the years, these are still stories full of heart, with a real socio-economic focus and a strong sense of justice which emanates from the lead characters.

This time around our Detective duo are investigating the murder of a young journalism student. There is no logic to the attack, the murder being committed with a replica gun and the perpetrator leaving all of his possessions at the scene. Or at least most of them. The Detectives are quickly able to identify the victim but motive is the one thing that eludes them, at least at first. The more they dig into his past, the more potential motives present themselves and the twistier the story seems to become.

At the centre of the story we are faced with a cast of characters who have all been a victim of circumstance over the years. Focusing on the decline of industry within Peterborough and the very polar fates of the top brass compared to the guys from the workshop floor, it brings us front and centre to a story that is sadly all too believable and all to readily present in modern life. We've never been far from one or another headline of businesses closing or relocating which adds a kind of authenticity to the story we are reading. There is plenty of mystery and plenty of misdirection, some of the suspects with seemingly far more to lose than others, but whether any of this is the reason for Jordan's death remains to be seen.

I really liked the way in which Eva Dolan has explored the differing attitudes of Zigic and Ferreira this time around. Zigic seems almost resigned to what is happening whilst we get a growing anger in Ferreira over almost everything, from Brexit, to the right to stay documentation she and her family have been forced to complete, even the lack of progress in decorating her her home. Zigic remains a calming influence, but you do get the impression of Ferreira being constantly on edge and there may be no limits as to how far she is willing to go to see justice done, sometimes blind to the truth by her determination to nail the person or people she feels is responsible. 

This is another fab book and a great addition to the series. Whilst it is not a fast paced read, it did hold my focus, made me question everything as I read and I almost felt myself channelling Ferreira's anger at times due to the way in which those with money and power seemed to constantly try to dictate the course of the investigation. That determination of Ferreira, to never forget the ultimate victim in all of this investigation, really did make this story for me and the ending, whilst not procedurally sound, really did make me smile. A fitting way to end it, although I'm sure the repercussions may be long felt.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best part is the troubled social and economic state of modern country towns in England. Forms the background in showing how peoples lives have changed. The actual police procedural was over the top, I reckon give me a case and I’ll solve it for you, many many words later.

[Mary Picken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eva Dolan is one of my must read authors and One Half Truth, the latest in her Dushan Zigic and Mel Ferreira series, is a great read. What marks Dolan out is the way that she focuses on the social and economic consequences of societal change and Government decision making, including in this case Brexit, and uses this to underline some of the causes of crime as well as the repercussions from it.

That may not sound thrilling, but is is absolutely engrossing as she highlights the impact of a town driven to food banks where industry is almost non-existent, housing is unaffordable and the only jobs available are stacking shelves or zero hours contracts that offer no hope of savings or stability.

Even the police are not immune, with stations closing and staff cuts biting hard.

The Greenaway Factory Club is a forgotten remnant of the factory that used to employ skilled craftsmen. Now those men are on the scrapheap, gathering together in the dingy club like wraiths after the feast, trying to scrape enough money together for a pint. Not the kind of place you’d expect to find a young student. But 21 year old Jordan Radley had been spending time there. So is that why he was shot in the back on his way home one dark evening?

Jordan was determined to become a journalist and had recently had his first article published in the Big Issue – on men’s mental health, which talked about the pressures some of the men at the club had experienced after the factory closed. Jordan was also working one day a week at the local paper. Whoever killed him also took his computer, phone and notebook.

Zigic and Ferreira start to track down the stories that Jordan was working on and find that there are several leads. One thing that is common to all three is the fact that cutting corners is never far away. Jordan had been speaking to a social care worker who is not only fearful of losing her job, but lays out clearly how much the private sector expects from these workers and how little they receive in return.

Jordan had also been scoping out the scene of a helicopter crash which had already been ruled accidental. It killed the boss of the factory that was Greenaways Engineering. Then there’s the site of Greenaway’s old factory itself. It’s now being developed into executive apartments by the Docherty construction company – Mel Ferreira had almost bought one, but couldn’t afford the mortgage. Is there something dodgy going on there that got Jordan killed?

Zigic and his team follow all the leads they have and find that there are links to all of them with Greenaway engineering. What they uncover is a web of deceit, corruption, veniality and the power of business to wield influence even on those who should be incorruptible.

It’s not a new story, but Dolan shows us how the tentacles of corruption spread across a city until they are so intertwined it’s nigh on impossible to cut them off at the roots without taking the town with them.

Against this backdrop the team have their work cut out for them if they are to achieve justice for Jordan and more than once Ferreira has to stop herself from taking action that would get her into trouble. Her sense of injustice is running high, slightly fuelled by the pressures on her partner Rob Weller, who has been consigned to desk duty as a punishment for past actions and it is really getting to him. Chief Superintendent Riggott, ever keen to please his political superiors, helps fuel her anger.

Neither is she happy that she has had to go through myriad hoops to gain her ‘settled status’ after 20 years in this country and a working life serving the community in the police force. Zigic remains unflappable, but Mel is very clearly unsettled and unhappy with being stymied and that makes her want to take everyone down in their search for Jordan’s killer.

Verdict: One Half Truth is a slow burn of a book but the better for it as we gain a clear and detailed picture of how all the pieces of this puzzle fit together and see the overall picture of the impact that the closure of one factory can have on a community. Dolan has written a gritty, complex case with plenty of nice misdirection and false trails, but what this book has at its heart is compassion and a determination to shine a light on the way things are done in our country – and it’s not pretty.

[Anwai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series!
One of the best things about a Kindle is that it recommends books you might like (although sometimes that's not a good thing when it gets it spectacularly wrong). I'd just finished my latest book and was wondering what to read next when up popped One Half Truth as a recommendation - and I hadn't even known there was a new book in the offing! Well chuffed.
This easily met expectations - a highly convoluted plot and beautifully written characters. The only disappointment was that there wasn't enough about the personal lives of Zigic and Ferreira for my taste (and also that I'd forgotten the really bad thing that Ferreira was involved with in the last book that was thinly referred to in this - but that's not the author's fault!) I might have to get back and read the whole lot again - shame!

[sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked this up, I didn't realise that it was a part of a series, so this did impact my reading experience. However, I think that to understand the majority of the story, I didn't need to have read the other books. It was only the brief interactions between the police officers that made me think to check if this was a sequel, but to be honest I didn't pay those parts much attention since they didn't add much at all and it was hard to keep track of which officer was which.

Overall, I think the plot was interesting and complex, though it did get confusing as to the motives and overlapping of crimes at first, I do think this made it more realistic.

I'm giving this 4/5, and usually I find it annoying when people don't give 5 stars but don't say why, but to be honest I couldn't tell you beyond that nothing in the story stuck out or had enough oomph for it to be five stars...

[KathVBtn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gritty thriller from Eva Dolan with her usual investigative team of Zigic and Ferreria. A young journalist student is shot dead walking home one night, and there are no clues why. The police are left baffled, trying to look at the different angles of his life and it becomes clear early on that the man is an old-style journalist trying to uncover wrongdoings and misuse of power. The book doesnt pull any punches, detailing how people are struggling for jobs, money and any sense of security. I loved reading it and would definitely recommend, especially for fans of Susie Steiner who covers similar themes in an equally compelling way.

[Chris Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eva Dolan's Zigic and Ferreira series is always well written, intriguing and satisfying. The two principals are well-rounded and interesting characters and the plot is always engrossing. However, I feel that something has been lost now that the detectives are no longer solely investigating hate crimes, a premise that gave the series its unique USP. Nevertheless the murder of a student and aspiring journalist makes for a fascinating if somewhat overlong case.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I read by this author and I think it won't be the last as she's an excellent storyteller and the mix of social commentary/thriller works well.
This story is gripping, complex, highly entertaining and thought provoking.
I loved the mystery and the well thought characters but was also fascinated by the descriptions of the breaks setting
An excellent read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Bonsai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming into the series a few books in gave me the feeling I was missing some background but the story works on its own, too.

It's one of the more realistic feeling police procedurals I've read in a while. This isn't one infallible detective but a team and finding the killer is team work and not a clear case as in so many books. There's also no sense of justice served. Everyone looses in murder.

The plot and large cast requires some concentration to stay on top of the story.

[Mary Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is excellent in laying out the issues that affect people with the down turn in the economy - redundancies, homelessness, poverty, mental health issues and zero hour contracts. The reality for a group of men made redundant from the closure of a factory is written up by a student journalist who is murdered at the start of the book. He was also writing a piece that involved the owners of the closed factory. There were a number of plots and avenues to follow that were slow moving.

[Merrilie Rowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy Eva Dolan's crime books. For me she has mastered the knack of creating a convincing plot with a team of detectives whose work dynamic suggests a realistic partnership ( plus of course their unpleasant senior commanding officer.)Although I don't know Peterborough Dolan makes it a very real backdrop with all the problems that a modern town has to confront these days. An excelkent read.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sixth book which I have read in this police procedural series (six books so far) set around Peterborough. This is the sixth book in the series and it is probably a good idea to read the books in order. A young man studying to become a journalist is found dead and the investigation centres round what stories he may have been working on. The author makes many comments about social justice and I found this a compelling read.

[Greville Waterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always a pleasure to read a Zigic and Ferreira police procedural and I enjoyed this, the sixth in the series.

As always the local descriptions were accurate and the plot was original and topical.

Somehow it didn’t seem to flow as easily as earlier books in the series but I really enjoyed it.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

The execution style murder of a young journalist leads Zigic and Ferreira to investigate what big story he was tracking down: the death of a local businessman in a helicopter crash; the dubious practices of a care agency; the development of luxury flats on an old industrial site? A complex operation which keeps the detectives and the reader guessing right to the end - a first class read.

[Richard Worrall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding novel from Eva Dolan

The sixth book in her Zigic and Ferreira series provides further confirmation that Eva Dolan is firmly established within the first XI of British crime writers …. Believable leading characters, credible dialogue and plot make this book a most enjoyable read ….. More please!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read in the DI Zigic and DS Ferreira series. A young man, Jordan Radley is shot on his way home, he is an aspiring journalist and well liked. His first major story about a group of men who lost their jobs with the closure of the factory they worked in, and the impact it had on them, and he had remained friends with them. An interesting read as a detailed police procedural about the time and legwork involved in trying to solve a murder.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read until I it got to about 3/4 into the book. Then it began to drag as theories were discussed AGAIN, possible culprits questioned AGAIN, and the path towards solving the three murders plodded to its end.

[Candy Denman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent police procedural set in Peterborough about a young journalist looking for the story that will make his name. This series goes from strength to strength and the sense of place is very much there now.

[Colin Swinburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started slowly but built nicely, and enough red herrings to keep the whole thing interesting. Nicely plotted in terms of the way a police investigation unfolds on a day by day basis. Characters are well developed and the internal politics in the police force ring true. A real sense of actuality.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Club Choice: l thought this was a bit of a slow burn, but one that more keenly illustrated the slog of a police investigation. Although everything was resolved in the end, I have to admit I was hoping for a slightly different outcome.

[Sarah Portsmouth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant

Such a great read! The storyline kept me hooked as it went off in many different directions and the familiar characters were as realistic as ever. Highly recommend.

[Shauna Whall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well written and tightly plotted book, with well rounded characters. Loved it!

[PAUL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another well-constructed crime novel with great characters and a subtle plot.