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DI Erica Swift #5
The Body Dealer
Desperation can drive someone to do the unthinkable…
When a burning body is discovered on an East London canal path, DI Erica Swift and her Violent Crimes Taskforce are called to investigate. With the extreme level of incineration, it’s impossible to identify the victim, and Erica has to follow the evidence to track down the killer.
The bodies start to pile up, and questions remain unanswered.
Why is a high-profile politician mixed up with people she shouldn’t be? What risks will a desperate mother take to better her family’s life, only to end up in her worse nightmare?
Together with an unexpected promotion landing in her lap, Erica finds herself on the most challenging case of her career.
When a burning body is discovered on an East London canal path, DI Erica Swift and her Violent Crimes Taskforce are called to investigate. With the extreme level of incineration, it’s impossible to identify the victim, and Erica has to follow the evidence to track down the killer.
The bodies start to pile up, and questions remain unanswered.
Why is a high-profile politician mixed up with people she shouldn’t be? What risks will a desperate mother take to better her family’s life, only to end up in her worse nightmare?
Together with an unexpected promotion landing in her lap, Erica finds herself on the most challenging case of her career.
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2021
253 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
M.K. Farrar
40 books145 followersM K Farrar had penned more than ten novels of psychological noir and crime fiction. A British author, she lives in the countryside with her three children and a menagerie of rescue pets. When she’s not writing—which isn’t often—she balances out all the murder with baking and binge-watching shows on Netflix.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 12, 2021
A tragic but touching story that will pull you in many different directions...Illegal immigrants...Entering London with their meager belongings in hand...Wanting a better life for themselves and their children...Brought to a house where many people sleep on mattresses on the floor...Then a person takes blood from each new immigrant...
A Mom, her daughter very ill...Needs a kidney transplant...Almost had it, but she was too ill to do the surgery...What now...DI Erica Swift, called to the walkway on the canal...Where a burning body attracted an early dog walker...It is what is left of a woman...The sickening smell fills the air...The burning destroys any clues or way to identify...Soon another burned body is found...What do all these things have in common?!...Body parts...
DI Swift is quickly made Acting DCI after her boss has a stroke...New job, new case, tough way to start the week...And it only gets worse when the Captain stops her from investigating a woman she found on a list in a site that may be related to the murder...Ready to read yet?!!
A fabulous story with each characters feelings and life shown deeply...You can understand all view points on every level...What would You do?...Hope you never have to know...
I received an ARC of this fifth book in a remarkable series from the author, and I offer you my honest thoughts and feelings in this review. YOU Need To Read This!!!
A Mom, her daughter very ill...Needs a kidney transplant...Almost had it, but she was too ill to do the surgery...What now...DI Erica Swift, called to the walkway on the canal...Where a burning body attracted an early dog walker...It is what is left of a woman...The sickening smell fills the air...The burning destroys any clues or way to identify...Soon another burned body is found...What do all these things have in common?!...Body parts...
DI Swift is quickly made Acting DCI after her boss has a stroke...New job, new case, tough way to start the week...And it only gets worse when the Captain stops her from investigating a woman she found on a list in a site that may be related to the murder...Ready to read yet?!!
A fabulous story with each characters feelings and life shown deeply...You can understand all view points on every level...What would You do?...Hope you never have to know...
I received an ARC of this fifth book in a remarkable series from the author, and I offer you my honest thoughts and feelings in this review. YOU Need To Read This!!!
January 19, 2021
DI Erica Swift and her Violent Crimes team are called to investigate when a dog walker comes across a body that is burning. It's impossible to identify the victim, the Medical Examiner can state it was a woman and that's about it.
And then there's another body ... another fire... but this time the killer must have been interrupted. Some of the body ...and the evidence ... has not been totally consumed.
A powerful politician is a desperate mother. She's mixing with people she shouldn't be .... but her daughter is the most important thing in her life.
Add to that, a group of illegal immigrants make it to their destination. But the jobs and the money are not what they had been promised. One of the travelers is a teenage girl who has seen horrors most of us never will.
How do these three stories connect? That's what Swift and her team need to find out before any more bodies are found.
As always with this author's books, it is well written with a complex plot. Suspense starts on the very first page and maintains the pace until the very satisfactory conclusion. The characters are deftly defined and I really enjoy the blend of personal and professional lives. Although 5th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone.
Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
October 27, 2021
Another complex plot that draws together 3 storylines. Illegal immigrants, a politician and her very ill daughter plus bodies being burnt beyond recognition.
Hooked from page 1 until the very end, well written, as always with a complex plot. Well defined characters including the non police standard ones. Love the mix of professional and personal lives.
Although this book 5, it can be fairly easily read as a standalone. But I definitely recommend reading all of the series.
Hooked from page 1 until the very end, well written, as always with a complex plot. Well defined characters including the non police standard ones. Love the mix of professional and personal lives.
Although this book 5, it can be fairly easily read as a standalone. But I definitely recommend reading all of the series.
May 24, 2021
Though this is the fifth in a series, I thought I would try it out to get the feel for this police procedural series based in London. The book starts with the discovery of a burning body of a woman, so one can surmise the topic will be grim. It features hostage taking of immigrants for organ theft and Erica has to take the lead as her boss is in hospital after stroke.
The police work is mixed with home life. Don't plan to follow up with any other books in this series.
Kindle Unlimited
The police work is mixed with home life. Don't plan to follow up with any other books in this series.
Kindle Unlimited
January 15, 2021
The body dealer by M.K. Farrar.
DI Erica Swift book 5.
Omg another brilliant read in this awesome series. I loved the story. A burnt body is found but can they identify who it is? Another burnt up body is found but it isn't as bad as the first one. Can Erica and her team find out who is doing this before another body is found?
I love Erica and her team and I was rooting for them to find who it was and save the girl. I do hope there is more to come. 5*.
DI Erica Swift book 5.
Omg another brilliant read in this awesome series. I loved the story. A burnt body is found but can they identify who it is? Another burnt up body is found but it isn't as bad as the first one. Can Erica and her team find out who is doing this before another body is found?
I love Erica and her team and I was rooting for them to find who it was and save the girl. I do hope there is more to come. 5*.
April 25, 2021
This is book five of the DI Erica Swift Thriller series and sees her and DS Turner attend the crime scene of a burnt out body on a London canal towpath, found by an early morning dog walker. With the difficulty of accessing the burning body and the damage done by the fire brigade, there is little left for them to identify the body, nor even know how they might have been killed. The only clue comes from CCTV and shows a typical white van, of which there are thousands in the city! When another woman is found in a similar condition, although not as completely burnt as the first, on wasteland, their coroner makes a startling discovery, which may be the real reason these victims’ bodies have been burnt beyond recognition. With the second case for DI Swift and her Violent Crimes Taskforce, another spanner is thrown at her, when her superior falls ill and she is given a temporary promotion, now with her own job as well as his to do, plus all the extra paperwork it involves!
The bodies still remain unidentified and even Missing Persons can’t find any matches through DNA, on their books. Swift finds a link between a high profile female politician and part of their investigation, but gets a hands off warning from her boss’ boss. How she is connected with some dodgy people is unclear and not something Swift will get an okay to investigate further. Any hint of a scandal would hit the press, whether it was true or not and she can’t afford any wrong steps. The story also tells the terrible journey of a mother and her daughter, seeking out a new and safer life in the UK, hoping to help out back home from the job she is promised. Risking everything for a better life leaves her daughter in mortal danger from the sick criminals responsible for the other two dead bodies! The conditions this illegal immigrant and her daughter find themselves in, is nothing like they thought it would be and it shows a very realistic view of how illegal immigrants are used and abused with promises of a better life and have no say in how they are treated.
Only the mother reporting her daughter missing, allows the Taskforce to make more connections between one of the former victims and where the mother and daughter were working illegally. When the politician turns up on the CCTV there as well, Swift then takes her own actions to investigate, following her gut instincts that she is somehow involved. The title of the book gives you a good clue on what is involved in the crimes and the sad part is that the victims were chosen for their completely hidden status as illegal immigrants, with no papers and nobody even knowing where they had ended up! Another fantastic read in this series and I loved the little touch of Erica’s daughter asking about having Shawn to dinner, I just hoped they might have gotten a little further on with their relationship, as there is obvious attraction between the two. I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next, as each story can be read as a standalone read, but are so much better to read in order to see what DI Swift has had to contend with in her career and family life, and how she carries on. Always hard hitting cases that pull at your heartstrings or leave you wondering what could happen next! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
The bodies still remain unidentified and even Missing Persons can’t find any matches through DNA, on their books. Swift finds a link between a high profile female politician and part of their investigation, but gets a hands off warning from her boss’ boss. How she is connected with some dodgy people is unclear and not something Swift will get an okay to investigate further. Any hint of a scandal would hit the press, whether it was true or not and she can’t afford any wrong steps. The story also tells the terrible journey of a mother and her daughter, seeking out a new and safer life in the UK, hoping to help out back home from the job she is promised. Risking everything for a better life leaves her daughter in mortal danger from the sick criminals responsible for the other two dead bodies! The conditions this illegal immigrant and her daughter find themselves in, is nothing like they thought it would be and it shows a very realistic view of how illegal immigrants are used and abused with promises of a better life and have no say in how they are treated.
Only the mother reporting her daughter missing, allows the Taskforce to make more connections between one of the former victims and where the mother and daughter were working illegally. When the politician turns up on the CCTV there as well, Swift then takes her own actions to investigate, following her gut instincts that she is somehow involved. The title of the book gives you a good clue on what is involved in the crimes and the sad part is that the victims were chosen for their completely hidden status as illegal immigrants, with no papers and nobody even knowing where they had ended up! Another fantastic read in this series and I loved the little touch of Erica’s daughter asking about having Shawn to dinner, I just hoped they might have gotten a little further on with their relationship, as there is obvious attraction between the two. I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next, as each story can be read as a standalone read, but are so much better to read in order to see what DI Swift has had to contend with in her career and family life, and how she carries on. Always hard hitting cases that pull at your heartstrings or leave you wondering what could happen next! I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
January 14, 2021
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the previous four books in this series, I was keen to read The Body Dealer and it certainly lived up to my expectations.
It is a harrowing read of the traumatic journey of legal immigrants to strive to make better lives for themselves mixed with the treatment of them in the wrong hands.
DI Erica Swift and her team are tasked with investigating the death of a body found burning on a towpath: how can they identify the corpse? A sighting of a vehicle on CCTV is their only clue. Whilst investigating, the name of a local politician: what is her connection.
It is good to read more about DI Swift and her team and how she deals with stepping into her boss’s shoes when he suffers a stroke. Exciting and a great read.
It is a harrowing read of the traumatic journey of legal immigrants to strive to make better lives for themselves mixed with the treatment of them in the wrong hands.
DI Erica Swift and her team are tasked with investigating the death of a body found burning on a towpath: how can they identify the corpse? A sighting of a vehicle on CCTV is their only clue. Whilst investigating, the name of a local politician: what is her connection.
It is good to read more about DI Swift and her team and how she deals with stepping into her boss’s shoes when he suffers a stroke. Exciting and a great read.
January 15, 2021
Book 5 in the Detective Erica Swift series but could easily be read as a stand-alone. I really enjoyed this book and found it a very easy read.
Briefly, swift and her team are investigating a body found burned so badly it couldn’t be identified. Before long there is another burned body but this time not so unidentifiable. And this provides a gruesome clue to the bodies.
Whilst not the most original storyline there are other twists to this story and it is well written and probably my favourite of this authors books I have read. Yes I think it’s worth a 5*
Briefly, swift and her team are investigating a body found burned so badly it couldn’t be identified. Before long there is another burned body but this time not so unidentifiable. And this provides a gruesome clue to the bodies.
Whilst not the most original storyline there are other twists to this story and it is well written and probably my favourite of this authors books I have read. Yes I think it’s worth a 5*
January 25, 2021
People trafficking and organ harvesting are two horrible crimes that are in the main plot of this story. It´s well written, keeps the reader´s attention from the beginning to the end, and really places the spotlights on first world countries where money and medical specialization allows for such situation to come true. It is, most unfortunately, the fiction version of a reality that is the truth in some places in the world. In spite of these comments, it was entertaining reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 15, 2021
The body Dealer
DI Erica Swift
Thriller 5
M k farrar
Love Dl Erica Swift
So couldn’t wait to start.
We start with a lady, walking her dog, before work.
Now I’m thinking, how long will she be?
We meet up with DI
Swift.
She is walking
along by the canal.
Then we hear of the smell of fire.
We find out more as the the Firemen turn up.
But there is still more to the story. I don’t want to give it away.
Although I was shocked!
M k FARRAR at her best.
DI Erica Swift
Thriller 5
M k farrar
Love Dl Erica Swift
So couldn’t wait to start.
We start with a lady, walking her dog, before work.
Now I’m thinking, how long will she be?
We meet up with DI
Swift.
She is walking
along by the canal.
Then we hear of the smell of fire.
We find out more as the the Firemen turn up.
But there is still more to the story. I don’t want to give it away.
Although I was shocked!
M k FARRAR at her best.
January 24, 2021
Leah Fairbank was walking her dog early one morning along the canal path, before work, when she smelled something, similar to a bbq smell. Then she saw smoke ahead so she quickened her pace till she rounded the corner and saw the source of the fire. She immediately called 999. While she was speaking to the call handler explaining what was on fire, she could smell singed hair, then spotted clothes, nails, hands….oh my god, a person! DI Erica Swift and DS Shawn Turner go to the scene to see what has happened and speak to the witness. When Erica returns to the office, Superintendent Woods explains DCI Gibbs has had a stroke so she was being offered the job of temporary DCI to cover for him. She accepted.
DC Rudd alerted Erica and Shawn of another body being found at the Royal Docks in Old Spillers Mill. Luckily, the fire brigade had put the fire out before too much damage had been done. They could at least recognise this body was a female but there was nothing to identify her found there. At the postmortem, it turned out the examiner thought she had been murdered as she was missing her liver. It was possible she was killed for it! The first body was too burnt to help as the organs had burned down to nothing.
The next day, Erica received a call about a missing vietnamese girl that was an illegal immigrant from DS Shariff. The girl had only gone missing that morning from The Royal Comfort Hotel in Canary Wharf. Her mum had called it in, scared as it was unlike her daughter.
Was it possible there was a link between the missing girl and the dead bodies? Were they using illegal immigrants for black market transplant organs?
This was a terrific read. DI Erica Swift and DS Shawn Turner make an excellent team and work really well together. I’m loving how dark the series is getting. The writing is very descriptive and it is like visualising the actual scenes as you are reading them. A great addition to the series.
DC Rudd alerted Erica and Shawn of another body being found at the Royal Docks in Old Spillers Mill. Luckily, the fire brigade had put the fire out before too much damage had been done. They could at least recognise this body was a female but there was nothing to identify her found there. At the postmortem, it turned out the examiner thought she had been murdered as she was missing her liver. It was possible she was killed for it! The first body was too burnt to help as the organs had burned down to nothing.
The next day, Erica received a call about a missing vietnamese girl that was an illegal immigrant from DS Shariff. The girl had only gone missing that morning from The Royal Comfort Hotel in Canary Wharf. Her mum had called it in, scared as it was unlike her daughter.
Was it possible there was a link between the missing girl and the dead bodies? Were they using illegal immigrants for black market transplant organs?
This was a terrific read. DI Erica Swift and DS Shawn Turner make an excellent team and work really well together. I’m loving how dark the series is getting. The writing is very descriptive and it is like visualising the actual scenes as you are reading them. A great addition to the series.
June 22, 2023
This story is part of a box set I have and I found it to be disturbing but not surprising because human behaviour can be disgusting, especially where fear and greed are involved.
I thought the story was predictable though engaging, well-written and fast-paced. I like DI Erica Swift and I also like how she attempts to juggle her job and family...it’s usually more difficult for women in these situations...and this is portrayed very well.
No spoilers but I will just say that I enjoyed this crime thriller, particularly because it's British policing and keeps to the correct way of speaking /words for a British story.
Recommended.
I thought the story was predictable though engaging, well-written and fast-paced. I like DI Erica Swift and I also like how she attempts to juggle her job and family...it’s usually more difficult for women in these situations...and this is portrayed very well.
No spoilers but I will just say that I enjoyed this crime thriller, particularly because it's British policing and keeps to the correct way of speaking /words for a British story.
Recommended.
February 3, 2021
DI Erica Swift and DS Shawn Turner are back in book five of the DI Erica Swift Thriller series. Burning bodies take the DI Swift and DS Turner deep into the case. This is a captivating story with descriptive writing that had me turning the pages to find out what they would discover next and how the story would end. The Body Dealer is a great addition to the series and I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
November 13, 2021
Scary good!
If this storyline didn't mimic real life, and the on going threat of illegal organ harvesting, and people trafficking all in one storyline, well there would have been no plot. The fact that both of these things happen all of the time and are heartbreaking, made this read all that much more enthralling! It was so intense I read it in one sitting. And there went my Saturday lol!
If this storyline didn't mimic real life, and the on going threat of illegal organ harvesting, and people trafficking all in one storyline, well there would have been no plot. The fact that both of these things happen all of the time and are heartbreaking, made this read all that much more enthralling! It was so intense I read it in one sitting. And there went my Saturday lol!
January 10, 2021
Book 5 in the DI Erica Swift series is even better than the previous 4 if that is possible.
A lorryful of Asian immigrants, an English high profile politician, burnt offerings and a major organ trafficking syndicate make for dynamic , couldn’t put it down till I’d finished- my kind of reading.
A fantastic well written book making you realize why your health becomes number one.
A lorryful of Asian immigrants, an English high profile politician, burnt offerings and a major organ trafficking syndicate make for dynamic , couldn’t put it down till I’d finished- my kind of reading.
A fantastic well written book making you realize why your health becomes number one.
January 24, 2021
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
June 4, 2023
Another cracking read
This is another cracking read by M K Farrar featuring DI Erica Swift it's extremely well plotted and written with great characters that are constantly developing throughout the series. In this book I loved the way it began with three separate stories that slowly melded together brilliantly and ended with a tense dramatic climax. Now into book six.
This is another cracking read by M K Farrar featuring DI Erica Swift it's extremely well plotted and written with great characters that are constantly developing throughout the series. In this book I loved the way it began with three separate stories that slowly melded together brilliantly and ended with a tense dramatic climax. Now into book six.
January 17, 2021
Another fantastic book in the Erica Swift series. Loving this series and Erica is a great character. She is a strong woman and clever detective despite a trauma. This is definitely worth the read very fast paced and a gripping tale. MK Farrar is becoming one of my top authors
January 21, 2021
If wanting a good thriller to distract you for a minute this will do. This one will have to follow the clues to solve this murder thanks to method. The characters have their hands full as it keeps happening while they work. Thrilling for sure with anticipation on wanting those answers.
February 1, 2021
The Body Dealer⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 th SO Erica Swift book& everyone of them have been enjoyable,I like how you get to see why some people get into crime.I f you enjoy police dramas/thrillers then you'll enjoy M K Farrar s books.I recommend them⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 th SO Erica Swift book& everyone of them have been enjoyable,I like how you get to see why some people get into crime.I f you enjoy police dramas/thrillers then you'll enjoy M K Farrar s books.I recommend them⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
August 12, 2022
As a mom you would do just about anything for your child. This is a story of two moms trying to do the best for their daughters.
DI Swift has to figure out who is killing women and setting them on fire.
I love that these are shorter books, fast paced and have strong FMC.
DI Swift has to figure out who is killing women and setting them on fire.
I love that these are shorter books, fast paced and have strong FMC.
April 24, 2025
I’ve read this book in 2 days because I just couldn’t put it down. This series is genuinely becoming one of the best I’ve ever read. Excellent detective based plots that keep you guessing and strong character development.
January 15, 2021
Book Review: The Body Dealer (DI Erica Swift #5)
Author: M.K. Farrar
My Rating: 5 Stars
REVIEW
Book 5 in this thrilling story has got to be the BEST ONE YET!
Erica and Shawn have their work cut out for them figuring this one out and Erica is given extra duties on top of that. Can she do it?
Burnt body√
Illegal Immigrants√
Needy Body Parts√
You get the picture...
When those who want to escape hell, end up in hell, well they end up dead... Wow-what a thriller this one is!
M.K. Farrar
Author: M.K. Farrar
My Rating: 5 Stars
REVIEW
Book 5 in this thrilling story has got to be the BEST ONE YET!
Erica and Shawn have their work cut out for them figuring this one out and Erica is given extra duties on top of that. Can she do it?
Burnt body√
Illegal Immigrants√
Needy Body Parts√
You get the picture...
When those who want to escape hell, end up in hell, well they end up dead... Wow-what a thriller this one is!
M.K. Farrar
January 16, 2021
Loving this series
Another fabulous read, gripped from the first chapter. This series just gets better, very sad subject but unfortunately true to life as this evil still exists.
Another fabulous read, gripped from the first chapter. This series just gets better, very sad subject but unfortunately true to life as this evil still exists.
January 17, 2021
5 stars this whole series. DCI Erica Swift is on top form again. I can't believe I have to wait a few months for the next book in this fantastic series.
January 23, 2021
Interesting characters and storyline. The story moved a bit slow at times, but still made a decent read.
July 27, 2021
Lynnie
Another great one. So many twist and turns. So many real life happening that you get to explore with the characters. You, yourself are in the story. Great writing.
Another great one. So many twist and turns. So many real life happening that you get to explore with the characters. You, yourself are in the story. Great writing.
August 14, 2022
Great read; you wonder where the various threads are going and then suddenly it all makes sense.
May 27, 2023
Not as good as the previous books. Everything just fell into place, no detecting needed. Hope the next one is better.
July 11, 2023
A tense read. What lengths will a mother go to for her child and what lengths will someone go to for money. An emotional read in some respects. Look forward to the next book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews