The Kidney Killer

by Miles M. Hudson

A kidnap, a theft, and a murderous moon-worshipping cult: Detective Sergeant Milburn has his work cut out to solve several cases that all appear at once.
Milburn’s job is trickier as both victims are friends with his girlfriend. He desperately needs to solve the cases but has to keep his personal involvement secret. With the clock ticking down on the fate of the second missing woman, the pressure ramps up.
Penfold, the detective’s enigmatic surfer friend, is called on to help investigate. His puzzle-solving genius helps sift real clues from red herrings. The struggle for leads is constant, until it becomes clear that Penfold and Milburn are, in fact, central to all the crimes.

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 5, 2020

About the author

My future novel, 2089, is the beginning of the Audiopt series and was first published by Unbound.
Jack Smith objects to a life with no possibility for secrets. He blows up the surveillance computers at GCHQ, and goes on the run across across post-apocalyptic, climate-changed England. Hmm, dystopian or utopian ...?

Jack's second adventure brings in issues surrounding deepfake videos, in a fast-paced thriller where his relationship with Vicky Truva continues to develop.

The Audiopt series prequel is The Times of Malthus. This tale of two friends, Ellie and Loshie, follows them through the unravelling of society that eventually leads to the all-pervasive surveillance society of 2089.

My first novel, The Cricketer's Corpse, was launched serially, in real time. Each day, a new chapter was made available so readers could follow the murder mystery unfold, on the days each chapter happened, following along with the exploits of DS Tony Milburn, and his off-beat, surfer friend, Penfold.

The second Penfold detective mystery is The Kidney Killer:
A kidnap, a theft, and a murderous moon-worshipping cult: Detective Sergeant Milburn has his work cut out to solve several cases that all appear at once.

I have a 30 year passion for hockey, and for surfing, which you may notice appear in several of my books! Hope you enjoy them.

I've also been writing physics textbooks for about 20 years now, and have a series of kids stories and activities in postcard format: FunPostcardsFrom

You can buy all these books direct from the author through my website.

Miles Hudson also publishes under M.M. Hudson.

Reviews

[Bob Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this DS Millburn and Penfold Novel. As with the first book Milburn seems to stumble across information that then allows Penfold to direct Milburn in the direction of the culprit. Penfold the laid back Aussie surf bum has 5he intelligence to assimilate the clues whilst Milburn does the police work and has access to the resources to assist. DC Meridith hovers in the background seeming to haunt Milburn. The case seems to hinge on an ancient cult and their need to regenerate and then a second crime is committed which pulls the two themes together. Good book and enjoyed reading another Milburn and Penfold adventure.

[Alyson Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. Although this is the second story in the series, following on from The Cricketer’s Corpse, it was my first introduction to the detectives and it worked perfectly well as a stand alone. The story begins with the disappearance of two women on a night out. They were due to meet up with DS Tony Milburn’s girlfriend, Kathy, but never turned up and very anxious, she has begged Tony to look into what has happened without delay. It is for this reason he is in Hartlepool, in a big Victorian house bordering the beach seeking out his friend Penfold. Penfold is a New Zealander, blond and tanned who works miracles, turning the strangest of cases and evidence into perfect sense, whilst living for his passion of surfing. This won’t be the first time his input has helped Milburn solve a baffling case, and since Milburn knows he won’t be allowed to work on a case where he knew the women, Penfold is his best option. Unfortunately the case soon takes a sinister turn when the body of one of the women, Sue, is discovered dead and back at Durham Police station, Milburn is assigned the case. What first looks like a gruesome case of organ harvesting soon becomes a much bigger nightmare for him as links emerge to an outdated cult that worships the moon goddess. Added to Milburn’s caseload is the annoyingly trivial theft of ornaments from outside a local army building. His boss DCI Harry Hardwick insists on Milburn keeping the top brass happy with a thorough investigation. He is not helped by his DI Godolphin Barnes’s absence (usually on frequent courses and sick leave) and with staff in such short supply, the only offers of help he receives are a civilian Investigating Officer from HQ and a uniformed female constable who has a history of sexually harassing Milburn. It is a lucky thing that Milburn can rely on Penfold for help and faster forensics, since the Kidney Killer is a case that needs all hands to the pump. With both a murder to solve and the other woman, Marina, still missing, suspects are few but red herrings are in plentiful supply. Just when Milburn thinks he is running out of time to save a life, a piece of useless evidence in another case becomes a massive stroke of luck in his hunt for the truth. The ending is fast and thrilling as suddenly all the clues come together to make sense of such a bizarre case. Penfold is an intriguing character, his sister Trident even more so. I was left wondering just how he had acquired all his skills to go with his undoubted natural talent for investigation, particularly as Milburn had not been able to get him accepted onto the police’s accredited list of helpers. I can’t help hoping we will learn more about the man as the series progresses. The story is well told and had me completely engrossed throughout, with a clever and original plot that never let up on the twists and turns as the detectives doggedly pursued their prey. The characters are very engaging and likeable, and I am eagerly looking forward to more books in this series. In the meantime I’m off to buy book one and discover more about this very entertaining duo. Highly recommended. 5*

[Michelle Ryles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always on the look out for books based in the North East of England, where I live, so I was delighted to discover M M Hudson's Penfold Detective series which is based in Durham. I haven't read the first book in the series but I can say for definite that book 2, The Kidney Killer, reads perfectly well as a standalone as I absolutely loved it.

DS Tony Milburn is faced with a conflict of interest when two of his girlfriend's friends go missing. When the police launch an enquiry into the abduction, Tony doesn't divulge that this case is personal to him as he wants to lead the hunt for the missing women. It never rains but it pours in Durham constabulary when Tony is told to concentrate on another case, that of some missing ornamental cannons stolen from outside an army building in the city.

Tony has a secret weapon up his sleeve in the form of his surfer friend Penfold, who is rather like Sherlock Holmes with his keen powers of deduction. For whatever reason, the police don't approve of Penfold but he clearly gets results and DS Milburn isn't one for obeying orders anyway. I really like the Milburn and Penfold team, they work so well together even though Penfold leaves Milburn exasperated sometimes. I love that Penfold is quite the man of mystery as Tony Milburn doesn't even know whether Penfold is his surname or forename.

There is some amazing humour written into the story but it's quite subtle so as not to downplay the seriousness of the main storyline. There were many occasions where I laughed out loud but I don't want to refer to particular moments as it would spoil the effect for others. It just surprised me to find so much to laugh about and I feel like I really tapped into M M Hudson's humour.

I always get a kick out of books being set in places I know well and I loved the Durham city setting of The Kidney Killer. Many years ago I had a temporary job in Durham city and used to walk down Old Elvet into the city on a lunchtime, passing the cannons that mysteriously go missing in the story. To be honest, I didn't cast them more than a cursory glance at the time and it was only when reading the book that it jogged my memory. Durham is famous for its magnificent cathedral and I love how M M Hudson pays the cathedral such enormous respect in his novel that it's almost as if the cathedral is a character itself; sitting on a hill over the River Wear, the cathedral really does appear to stand aloof over the city of Durham.

An absolutely outstanding crime thriller with a dash of humour, The Kidney Killer is an exceptional detective novel. It reads like a modern day Sherlock Holmes story, with fast-pacing and red herrings a-plenty to keep the reader turning pages as fast as possible. It has definitely made me want to read book 1, The Cricketer's Corpse, and anything else that M M Hudson will write in the future. Highly recommended.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Sukaina Majeed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another mystery of Penfold and Millburn which involves murders, secrets, investigations.

Two women are missing, Sue and Marina and out of the two Sue is found dead in the river with her kidneys removed.

Marina is still missing and its now upto Tony Milburn & Penfold to find the killer and the other girl. Occupied with this case, Milburn is not able to take out time for the other cases his seniors have handed over to him.

The question remains is the killer found and is Marina alive?

I love a cozy mystery and this would definitely come in that category. This is my first read by Hudson and his investigative writing makes it concentrated more on the facts and figures discovered in the narrative rather than the story being driven by the characters.

The story remains firm throughout the book and though the story starts with a slow burn but once you are 40% in the book you start noticing the graphical description of places and different emotions of the character and friendship with each other.

I enjoyed the vulnerability, the flaws and the fear of Milburn and Penfold but I would have loved it if the female characters were stronger narrative in the book.

Nevertheless, the story is very engaging, a style I haven’t read before and I enjoyed it.

The concept of deceit and lies in the storyline was a lot of fun to read. You are kept guessing who did it till the last page. I like how Penfold is written in the story but I expected more elaborate sketch for Milburn too .

Don’t miss this one if you like investigative mysteries which are by the way tough to write and keep you engaged till the last page.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was great to read a book set in my beloved North East. And the story was unusual and a good one. However, this book needed a look at from a good editor; sentences were too long, the descriptions were over-descriptive to the point of losing momentum, and the ‘baddie’ of the book was clear very early on- too many hints were made. It was disappointing that I worked it out before a detective and a supposed genius.
There were also minor irritations- the use of the American date system, something which I’m surprised the author opts for despite his 30 years in the North East. But more alarmingly, there were also major issues. The way Milburn’s girlfriend, Kathy, is referred to and the way he treats her is worrying; she comes across as an annoyance. One of her friends has died and Milburn talks about her messages like he can’t their frequency or her.
The sexual harassment back story was completely redundant and served no purpose other than to add to a tone of misogyny. The female characters in this book: dead, kidnapped, nagging women at home, sexual prowler. Not great.
This could have been so good- edit out the too-many clues, get rid of the misogyny and tone down Penfold’s stereotype and this could have been one of the most unique crime books written. Oh, and never, ever slag off Durham Cathedral.

[Carolyn Valdez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. There was a lot of action to keep your interest and keep you reading until the end. I will be looking for more from this author.

[Lucy Cartwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I preferred this book to the first one. It did feel a little ridiculous at times, but on the whole I enjoyed the plot