Gus Freeman is back doing the job he loves – solving crimes. His Crime Review Team motto is – Another day, another collar.There’s never a dull moment – at work or play.CASE FILE #4 – January 2004DEADLY FORMULADr Ian McGuire, a research scientist, was shot dead in his kitchen.The original investigation found no motive, no leads, and no suspects.Gus Freeman and his Crime Review Team have a tough cold case to solve.In this fourth book in the series, the case becomes the least of their worries.CASE FILE #5 – August 2010FINAL DEALDennis Gates, a forty-nine-year-old car dealer was murdered in Marlborough, in what the police believed was a contract killing. A young man drove onto the forecourt, pulled up by the office door, and calmly walked around the front of the car.Gates came to the door expecting to greet a potential customer, and the killer swung the gun up and fired twice from point-blank range hitting Gates in the throat.Will the frantic search for DI Suzie Ferris and her kidnapper have a successful outcome? Can Gus end the careers of the corrupt senior officers behind her disappearance?Final Deal has two stories woven together to produce a gripping climax not to be missed.CASE FILE #6 – May 2015BARKING MADWhy did pet shop owner Mark Malone die in a hail of bullets?Gus and the Crime Review Team face many questions but have few answers.Killer Ricky Gardiner is on the run from the police. Who will catch up with him first?Tragedy and triumph intertwine in another gripping instalment.Barking Mad has a variety of characters and story threads that keep you turning pages.This perfect blend of detective mystery and everyday life will delight fans of Sally Rigby, Faith Martin, Joy Ellis, Simon McCleave, and Pauline Rowson. A gripping series that will have you hooked. PRAISE FOR TED “Ted Tayler brilliantly weaves the details of the mysterious murder dropping breadcrumbs for readers to follow. We follow Freeman and his team as they interview witnesses, suspects, and friends of the victim. Along with his liberal use of British colloquialisms, he enriches the flavour of the tale. His prose brings the investigation to life. I think Gus Freeman will be as appealing as The Phoenix. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a solid mystery.” Elizabeth. "Carefully crafted procedural with quirky characters, that not only entertains, but also lays the foundation for a series of cases to follow." Nana."A fabulous find! Ted Tayler is gifted in making sure the reader becomes an integral part of what he has written, become one with the book." Dora.“Gus Freeman is a great character. He's a recent widower, and retired detective. Gus is a multi-dimensional character who is not only called on to help solve a crime, but also deal with his personal issues. It is always a joy to read this author's stories. He is not just a writer but a great storyteller.” Amy Shannon.
Ted Tayler is the international best-selling indie author of the Freeman Files and Phoenix series. Ted lives in the English West country, where his stories are based. He was born in 1945 and has been married to Lynne since 1971. They have three children and four grandchildren.
His thought-provoking mysteries appeal to readers of Sally Rigby, Joy Ellis, Pauline Rowson, and Faith Martin. His action-packed thrillers are a must for fans of Mark Dawson and J C Ryan.
Gus Freeman’s cold case investigations are carried out with reasoned deduction rather than bursts of frantic action. In each of the 24 books, unsolved murders are accompanied by romance, humour, and country life. The core message in the 12 Phoenix novels is that criminals should pay for their crimes. Unfortunately, the current system fails to deliver the correct punishment, so Phoenix helps redress the balance.
This series is like a combination of well known British crime/police drama tv shows. Think "Inspector Frost" meets "New Tricks". The main character, retired Police Detective Gus Freeman lives in one of those cute villages you see in "Midsomer Murders". Gus Freeman is asked to come out of retirement, to head up a small task force as a consultant to review cold cases with the aim to uncover clues within the evidence that was collected at the time that will lead to solving the crime and enable the detectives to arrest the guilty party. Each book deals with a new cold case and along the way we, the reader gets to know the various members of the task force and the people they interact with. A very enjoyable read. The books need to be read in order. I was engaged with the characters and purchased the next 3 book box set when I finished reading this one.
Box set Book 1-3 came to my attention as a FREE download from amazon.com This is a new to me author. I like his storytelling ability but would like to suggest a proof reader as there are numerous missing words, incorrect words used etc. that a good proof reader/editor would pick up before it is published.
I had met Gus Freeman some time ago and was pleased to come across him and his team again recently. I enjoy his investigations. He’s a thinker. The plots are out of the criminal novel norm. Cold cases are solved because the original detectives may have had tunnel vision, because information hadn’t been turned up, or something got misplaced. There are a myriad of reasons. Whatever they are, the camaraderie between Gus and his mates as they find the solution is pleasant. The other reason I especially enjoy this series is that there is no language and nothing more than innuendo in the romantic interests. That’s a plus to me.
Gus Freeman list his wife of 30 years three years ago, just one year after they'd both retired. He has his allotment, but he's mostly at loose ends
When he's asked to come back to CID as a Civilian Consultant, he's intrigued enough to take them up on it. His bailiwick? Cold cases.
Working out of a long empty old police station, his team of investigators has little hands on experience, leaving it up to Gus to get them into shape. To do this, he brings back some of the old tried and true methods while taking advantage of state of the art technology.
Their first case is one for the books, and they solve it in record time.
The characters are honest, human, and compelling engaging. Their stories - and the cases they pursue - compelling.
I'm thoroughly enjoying them and am about to download the next three installments!
I've enjoyed all the Freeman files cases so far. It's particularly interesting to have 3 books in a volume because, although each Cold Case Gus and the team solve is stand alone, there is so much more going on - in the team's private lives, especially for 62 year old Gus' love life! Although the the sixth story seems to solve a lot of on going questions, there are still loose ends to follow in book 7. I really like Ted Taylor's storytelling. I read his entire Phoenix series - one of the best I've read - and was very sorry it ended. The Freeman files is different but still well written, interesting and entertaining enough to make me want to continue reading about the characters and the police work, co-operation between forces - and especially the goings on at the London road police station!
Usually I read to the end of a book I've started, and I did make it to the end of the first of the three books in this collection. But I was so pleased to have reached the end that I've deleted the collection from my Kindle. The plot and characters were not too bad, but the writing style is dull and turgid. The characters are given sentences to speak that no ordinary person would ever come out with. And I'd have thought any decent author and publisher would have got rid of all the "greengrocer's' apo'strophe's'". No more of the Freeman Files for me, thank you.
I cannot say enough about the rich characters in these books. I've read 6 back to back. Not only is the protagonist Gus a rich character, he is also rich in character. Delightful, well crafted, well plotted, well written. All the "wells" you could ever want are provided by Mr. Taylor. Wish I knew him and his family. Bet they are rich characters rich in character too. 🤗👌✌👍👊😁💖
Gus Freeman is a retired detective who has been asked to look into cold cases. I love the way the author gives so many details that the detectives have to check in each case. Since Gus is no longer a detective he does not have the authority to arrest anyone or be a hero in a kidnapping. To me that is excellent writing.
What does one do after retiring? Gus Freeman goes back to solving cold cases. Tayler has created a group of imperfect people who are quite delightful to work on the cold murder cases. I thoroughly enjoyed how the crimes were solved and will look for more of his books.
I just finished book number 6 and I'm ready for book 7. I really enjoyed all 6 of the books.They were interesting all the way to the last page. If you are looking for a great mystery series these books are them.
I found this book series very difficult to put down. It makes a change to read a detective novel set in a small town which is not ficticious, and easy to visualize the counties involved. Looking forward to read the complete series.
Fast moving, wonderful characters. A mixture of police work, detective work, friendship and murder. Completely original. A wonderful read, you have to keep reading til the end!
Great book combination to read. Uncover theme is like background music growing and stronger through each book .Individual books have interesting stand alone cold cases that somehow through passage of time can be solved.
Nice balance of procedural work with investigative action. One feels like they were a part of the cold crime team. Excellent pacing and clear descriptions used throughout.
So far the 6 books have kept me riveted and totally involved with the cold cases. I like the interspersed modern cases with the cold cases—adds another dimension and keeps me coming back for more CRT tales
I love this series. There are three main characters who I love spending time with and the series is set in the 1950s. If you like historical "mystery/thrillers", you'll love this series. I'll be sorry when it ends but I hope it doesn't end here (but, I see there is at least one more).
Mr. Tayler has the ability to make crime interesting by making the crime solvers interesting characters. The victims often prove to be more sympathetic than originally thought. And the criminals deserve their comeuppance.
A real fan of Gus and his team. You never know what will happen next, or what path it will lead you down. Great stories, keep you guessing and interested. Always interesting.
I am an avid reader. I read about 150 books a year. This was the worst book I've ever read. Way too many characters and I couldn't figure out the story line. I gave up 100 pages in.
Another wonderful book in the Freeman files. The story always wondering how Gus and his team will solve the case. Good reading good story line. Well written.