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D.C. Donna Morris #1
A Wake of Crows
Donna Morris has chosen to do her probationary year as detective constable in the small seaside town of Scarborough. But on her first day, a body is found in the woods: the corpse of Henrik Grünttor presents itself as that of a homeless man, dead from his own drug use. However, until recently, Grünttor had been working at the local GCHQ centre on the Russian section and the postmortem reveals the cause of his death to be uncertain.
Now in her early fifties, Donna has her own reasons for wanting to be in Scarborough, ones she would prefer to keep from her colleagues. For she's not been drawn there by the landscape or the light, or even the beach, but to be closer to her wayward daughter - a daughter serving time in the nearby prison for GBH. Yet beyond even this, Donna hides another secret: she grew up in East Berlin, escaping across the wall in the early 1980s.
Due to the circumstances of her past Donna is drawn to the dead man whose background is not dissimilar to hers... and her persistence reveals there are several people who wanted Grünttor dead -- and gathered around him in his final days like a wake of crows...
Now in her early fifties, Donna has her own reasons for wanting to be in Scarborough, ones she would prefer to keep from her colleagues. For she's not been drawn there by the landscape or the light, or even the beach, but to be closer to her wayward daughter - a daughter serving time in the nearby prison for GBH. Yet beyond even this, Donna hides another secret: she grew up in East Berlin, escaping across the wall in the early 1980s.
Due to the circumstances of her past Donna is drawn to the dead man whose background is not dissimilar to hers... and her persistence reveals there are several people who wanted Grünttor dead -- and gathered around him in his final days like a wake of crows...
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 3, 2021
10 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Kate Evans
7 books32 followersNow living by the sea in Scarborough, Kate Evans is a writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
She has an MA in Creative Writing from Sussex University. She was tutor-organiser on the Degree in Creative Writing at the University of Hull, Scarborough campus. She trained as a psychotherapeutic counsellor. She is interested in the connection between creativity and wellbeing and runs workshops supporting people to explore their creative sides.
Her book, Pathways Through Writing Blocks in the Academic Environment, was published by Sense Publishers in 2013. She self-published several crime novels and then got a contract with Constable for a crime series in 2020.
The Donna Morris mysteries are based in Scarborough. DC Donna Morris is a woman in her fifties who has moved to the town to be close to her wayward daughter. But Donna has secrets of her own which mean her own life slowly unravels. 'Awake of Crows' and 'Drowning Not Waving' are published in all formats. 'No Justice' has come out as an ebook and in hardback. It will be released in paperback in 2024.
She has an MA in Creative Writing from Sussex University. She was tutor-organiser on the Degree in Creative Writing at the University of Hull, Scarborough campus. She trained as a psychotherapeutic counsellor. She is interested in the connection between creativity and wellbeing and runs workshops supporting people to explore their creative sides.
Her book, Pathways Through Writing Blocks in the Academic Environment, was published by Sense Publishers in 2013. She self-published several crime novels and then got a contract with Constable for a crime series in 2020.
The Donna Morris mysteries are based in Scarborough. DC Donna Morris is a woman in her fifties who has moved to the town to be close to her wayward daughter. But Donna has secrets of her own which mean her own life slowly unravels. 'Awake of Crows' and 'Drowning Not Waving' are published in all formats. 'No Justice' has come out as an ebook and in hardback. It will be released in paperback in 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 24, 2022
Couldn’t post til today!
DC Donna Morris is a late starter to the service and is on a temporary probationary period in Scarborough whilst her husband stays at home in Kenilworth. When the body of a male in his 60s is found near the GCHQ complex a complicated and multilayered investigation ensues.
The novel starts really slowly and I struggle to connect to it as it’s disjointed with narratives from the past in the GDR in East Berlin which are a puzzle. We are also treated to a great deal of detail on Donna’s perimenopausal symptoms which I think we can all live without. I’m not keen on the short sentence style either as the pace isn’t fast and so snappy sentences don’t match this and there’s a lot going on in the plot and it all seems a bit superficial.
However, at about 50% it starts to connect and this half is good and you get into the story. You realise why we have the GDR pre-Berlin wall collapse narrative and I end up really enjoying this. You also get a better idea of the character of Donna, she has a lot of baggage from the past and in the present and she is very likeable. The pace speeds up, the strands begin to fuse and come together well and with a homeless element that’s very good. The police team are mostly likeable especially DI Theo Akande and DS Harrie Shilling and a couple who are not, especially DS Chesters who you hope will get his comeuppance sooner rather than later. The setting in Scarborough is very good and it gives plenty of atmosphere, there is a lot of description of it which some readers may not like though I do as I know Scarborough well so can picture the scenes.
Overall, when is the novel gets going it’s a promising start to a new series and I definitely want to read more about Donna but without the menopause details please.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown book group/Constable for that much appreciated arc in return for a honest review.
DC Donna Morris is a late starter to the service and is on a temporary probationary period in Scarborough whilst her husband stays at home in Kenilworth. When the body of a male in his 60s is found near the GCHQ complex a complicated and multilayered investigation ensues.
The novel starts really slowly and I struggle to connect to it as it’s disjointed with narratives from the past in the GDR in East Berlin which are a puzzle. We are also treated to a great deal of detail on Donna’s perimenopausal symptoms which I think we can all live without. I’m not keen on the short sentence style either as the pace isn’t fast and so snappy sentences don’t match this and there’s a lot going on in the plot and it all seems a bit superficial.
However, at about 50% it starts to connect and this half is good and you get into the story. You realise why we have the GDR pre-Berlin wall collapse narrative and I end up really enjoying this. You also get a better idea of the character of Donna, she has a lot of baggage from the past and in the present and she is very likeable. The pace speeds up, the strands begin to fuse and come together well and with a homeless element that’s very good. The police team are mostly likeable especially DI Theo Akande and DS Harrie Shilling and a couple who are not, especially DS Chesters who you hope will get his comeuppance sooner rather than later. The setting in Scarborough is very good and it gives plenty of atmosphere, there is a lot of description of it which some readers may not like though I do as I know Scarborough well so can picture the scenes.
Overall, when is the novel gets going it’s a promising start to a new series and I definitely want to read more about Donna but without the menopause details please.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown book group/Constable for that much appreciated arc in return for a honest review.
July 1, 2024
This was a normal police procedure that didn’t come across as being so far fetched that the reader would need to suspend belief.
A new protagonist, an older woman who has decided to train for the police force though she was born and spent her teenage years in East Berlin and has vivid memories of how her parents conformed to the ‘Party Line’.
She manages to leave East Berlin by rather unconventional methods and arrives in England working as an au pair and so the story unfolds.
Easy to read, good characterisation, several murders and how a German Detective Constable puts her knowledge of the Stazi of East Berlin to good use.
A new protagonist, an older woman who has decided to train for the police force though she was born and spent her teenage years in East Berlin and has vivid memories of how her parents conformed to the ‘Party Line’.
She manages to leave East Berlin by rather unconventional methods and arrives in England working as an au pair and so the story unfolds.
Easy to read, good characterisation, several murders and how a German Detective Constable puts her knowledge of the Stazi of East Berlin to good use.
January 8, 2022
I really didn't enjoy the first 80-100 pages. She was going through the menopause. Didn't need to be constantly reminded. As those descriptions lessened and the story took over it was very good. Involved the investigation of the death of an ex GCHQ worker of german origin. If this is to be a series I hope the author lays off the health stuff and writes about what she is very good at. My * is the average of dnf/• to 4*.
July 28, 2021
“Death comes to the bleak North Yorkshire coast”, reads the blurb on the front cover of this book. Ehrm, sorry, but Scarborough, Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay, Flamborough Head and so on are as far from “bleak” as you can imagine. Even on a rainy winter’s day these places are still gorgeous and spectacular.
Anyway, I was hardly twenty pages into this book when I started to heavily suspect it had been written with the hope of it being picked up as a BBC crime drama. Picturesque and colourful setting (Scarborough). Tick. Two female lead detectives. Tick. Coloured male Detective Inspector. Tick. Who happens to be gay. Double tick. The pathologist is Professor Hari Jayasundera. Tick. What’s she got against disabled people and why hasn’t one been featured yet, I tried not to ask myself?
This parade of box ticking was nearly as annoying as the short sentences. Keeping it snappy. Just like this review. Deep sigh.
Still, I like Scarborough and one of my favourite books of last year was set there, “Big Sky”, by Kate Atkinson, so I persisted past my prejudices. To be fair, Kate Atkinson is a hard measuring stick, but I missed the warmth and humour of her Jackson Brodie books. The sly wit of Colin Dexter in Morse, or the almost surreal laughs supplied by Bill James in his Harper and Isles series weren’t in evidence here. It’s a shame. If there is one thing that the Brits have to distinguish themselves it’s a sense of humour, but I suppose it’s hard to capture in not long established characters.
I struggled on for about a hundred pages, but I’m afraid the book just didn’t grip me. I wasn’t interested in the subplot about the incarcerated daughter and I was much, much less than interested in the menopausal issues of the main character. I’m sorry, but I’d have felt the same if Morse had gone on about his prostate. Maybe the condition had something to do with the plot development, but I never found out as I left the book unfinished.
Anyway, I was hardly twenty pages into this book when I started to heavily suspect it had been written with the hope of it being picked up as a BBC crime drama. Picturesque and colourful setting (Scarborough). Tick. Two female lead detectives. Tick. Coloured male Detective Inspector. Tick. Who happens to be gay. Double tick. The pathologist is Professor Hari Jayasundera. Tick. What’s she got against disabled people and why hasn’t one been featured yet, I tried not to ask myself?
This parade of box ticking was nearly as annoying as the short sentences. Keeping it snappy. Just like this review. Deep sigh.
Still, I like Scarborough and one of my favourite books of last year was set there, “Big Sky”, by Kate Atkinson, so I persisted past my prejudices. To be fair, Kate Atkinson is a hard measuring stick, but I missed the warmth and humour of her Jackson Brodie books. The sly wit of Colin Dexter in Morse, or the almost surreal laughs supplied by Bill James in his Harper and Isles series weren’t in evidence here. It’s a shame. If there is one thing that the Brits have to distinguish themselves it’s a sense of humour, but I suppose it’s hard to capture in not long established characters.
I struggled on for about a hundred pages, but I’m afraid the book just didn’t grip me. I wasn’t interested in the subplot about the incarcerated daughter and I was much, much less than interested in the menopausal issues of the main character. I’m sorry, but I’d have felt the same if Morse had gone on about his prostate. Maybe the condition had something to do with the plot development, but I never found out as I left the book unfinished.
March 26, 2022
Donna Morris has chosen to leave her family home in Kenilworth and serve her probationary year as a detective in Scarborough, on the North Yorkshire coast. The book immediately appealed to me as I have spent a lot of time in Scarborough and the east coast over the years. The descriptions of the town and surrounding areas are first class.
On her very first day she attends a crime scene where a rough sleeper has been found dead in local woods. She is inducted onto the investigation team and it initially appears that the man died of his own drug use and had, until recently, worked for a local GCHQ on the Russian section. He was born in Germany and this discovery alerts Donna to things that happened to her younger self, drawing her deeper into the investigation. The postmortem fails to specify the exact cause of death, but bruising and a mysterious needle mark add to the mystery. The book reveals layers of the story well as it progresses, always hinting at Donna’s past.
One of the reasons Donna has left her husband of twenty-five years and picked Scarborough is because her daughter, Elizabeth, is serving time in a prison nearby and she wishes to support her.
Donna, now in her early fifties, has always hidden her past and this case begins to reveal things she has kept secret for over thirty years.
Initially, I struggled with the point of view and the short sharp sentences but as I read on, the story drew me in and I began to appreciate the authors writing style. The descriptions of people and places are excellent and push the story along nicely. Some readers may think it over descriptive but I feel it was part of the author's voice and, for me, pulled me into scenes.
The story flips back and forth and slowly unveils her secret past but is easy to follow and understand. The narrative took me in a completely different direction to where I expected it to go so well done the author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this chance to read a review copy of this book.
On her very first day she attends a crime scene where a rough sleeper has been found dead in local woods. She is inducted onto the investigation team and it initially appears that the man died of his own drug use and had, until recently, worked for a local GCHQ on the Russian section. He was born in Germany and this discovery alerts Donna to things that happened to her younger self, drawing her deeper into the investigation. The postmortem fails to specify the exact cause of death, but bruising and a mysterious needle mark add to the mystery. The book reveals layers of the story well as it progresses, always hinting at Donna’s past.
One of the reasons Donna has left her husband of twenty-five years and picked Scarborough is because her daughter, Elizabeth, is serving time in a prison nearby and she wishes to support her.
Donna, now in her early fifties, has always hidden her past and this case begins to reveal things she has kept secret for over thirty years.
Initially, I struggled with the point of view and the short sharp sentences but as I read on, the story drew me in and I began to appreciate the authors writing style. The descriptions of people and places are excellent and push the story along nicely. Some readers may think it over descriptive but I feel it was part of the author's voice and, for me, pulled me into scenes.
The story flips back and forth and slowly unveils her secret past but is easy to follow and understand. The narrative took me in a completely different direction to where I expected it to go so well done the author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for this chance to read a review copy of this book.
February 9, 2022
I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for a review copy of A Wake of Crows, the first novel to feature probationary DC Donna Morris of the Scarborough police.
On her first day at work in Scarborough Donna is assigned to a suspicious death enquiry. A body has been found in the woods near a GCHQ facility and while he looks like a homeless drug addict, Heinrich Grüntor was until recently an employee at the facility. Donna is drawn to the enquiry due to her similar background.
A Wake of Crows is a novel of two halves. I really struggled with the first half which is slow on the investigation front and spends its time on Donna’s menopausal troubles and her extremely shaky relationship with her husband, whom she has left in Kenilworth for the duration of her probationary period, and her daughter, who is incarcerated in HMP North Yorkshire. Intercut with this is the narrative of Erica Neuhaus and her life in the GDR in the 70s. I found myself putting off picking up the novel as it didn’t interest me - I’ve done the menopause, know all about the GDR and the daughter is horrible.
The second half is much more interesting. The investigation starts to come together and Donna seems to be the one doing the legwork and the thinking. I like the way the author gets creative with her plot and offers a fresh take on murder and death.
This is, no matter the crime, a novel about people. Obviously Donna is front and centre but it throws up all sorts of mini scenarios involving different people, like the homeless or police culture. Not all get solved satisfactorily, but there is some resolution and I think it is all realistic.
A Wake of Crows is an interesting start to a projected series once it gets going and I would be interested to see Donna as a more confident detective without her GDR baggage and menopause cluttering up the narrative. 3.5*
On her first day at work in Scarborough Donna is assigned to a suspicious death enquiry. A body has been found in the woods near a GCHQ facility and while he looks like a homeless drug addict, Heinrich Grüntor was until recently an employee at the facility. Donna is drawn to the enquiry due to her similar background.
A Wake of Crows is a novel of two halves. I really struggled with the first half which is slow on the investigation front and spends its time on Donna’s menopausal troubles and her extremely shaky relationship with her husband, whom she has left in Kenilworth for the duration of her probationary period, and her daughter, who is incarcerated in HMP North Yorkshire. Intercut with this is the narrative of Erica Neuhaus and her life in the GDR in the 70s. I found myself putting off picking up the novel as it didn’t interest me - I’ve done the menopause, know all about the GDR and the daughter is horrible.
The second half is much more interesting. The investigation starts to come together and Donna seems to be the one doing the legwork and the thinking. I like the way the author gets creative with her plot and offers a fresh take on murder and death.
This is, no matter the crime, a novel about people. Obviously Donna is front and centre but it throws up all sorts of mini scenarios involving different people, like the homeless or police culture. Not all get solved satisfactorily, but there is some resolution and I think it is all realistic.
A Wake of Crows is an interesting start to a projected series once it gets going and I would be interested to see Donna as a more confident detective without her GDR baggage and menopause cluttering up the narrative. 3.5*
February 23, 2022
Donna Morris has chosen to leave her family home in Kenilworth and serve her probationary year as a detective in Scarborough, on the North Yorkshire coast. The book immediately appealed to me as I have spent a lot of time in Scarborough and the east coast over the years. The descriptions of the town and surrounding areas are first class.
On her very first day she attends a crime scene where a rough sleeper has been found dead in local woods. She is inducted onto the investigation team and it initially appears that the man died of his own drug use and had, until recently, worked for a local GCHQ on the Russian section. He was born in Germany and this discovery alerts Donna to things that happened to her younger self, drawing her deeper into the investigation. The postmortem fails to specify the exact cause of death, but bruising and a mysterious needle mark add to the mystery. The book reveals layers of the story well as it progresses, always hinting at Donna’s past.
One of the reasons Donna has left her husband of twenty-five years and picked Scarborough is because her daughter, Elizabeth, is serving time in a prison nearby and she wishes to support her.
Donna, now in her early fifties, has always hidden her past and this case begins to reveal things she has kept secret for over thirty years.
Initially, I struggled with the point of view and the short sharp sentences but as I read on, the story drew me in and I began to appreciate the authors writing style. The descriptions of people and places are excellent and push the story along nicely. Some readers may think it over descriptive but I feel it was part of the author's voice and, for me, pulled me into scenes.
The story flips back and forth and slowly unveils her secret past but is easy to follow and understand. The narrative took me in a completely different direction to where I expected it to go so well done the author.
Thanks to ##NetGalley and ##Little, Brown Book Group UK for this chance to read a review copy of this book.
On her very first day she attends a crime scene where a rough sleeper has been found dead in local woods. She is inducted onto the investigation team and it initially appears that the man died of his own drug use and had, until recently, worked for a local GCHQ on the Russian section. He was born in Germany and this discovery alerts Donna to things that happened to her younger self, drawing her deeper into the investigation. The postmortem fails to specify the exact cause of death, but bruising and a mysterious needle mark add to the mystery. The book reveals layers of the story well as it progresses, always hinting at Donna’s past.
One of the reasons Donna has left her husband of twenty-five years and picked Scarborough is because her daughter, Elizabeth, is serving time in a prison nearby and she wishes to support her.
Donna, now in her early fifties, has always hidden her past and this case begins to reveal things she has kept secret for over thirty years.
Initially, I struggled with the point of view and the short sharp sentences but as I read on, the story drew me in and I began to appreciate the authors writing style. The descriptions of people and places are excellent and push the story along nicely. Some readers may think it over descriptive but I feel it was part of the author's voice and, for me, pulled me into scenes.
The story flips back and forth and slowly unveils her secret past but is easy to follow and understand. The narrative took me in a completely different direction to where I expected it to go so well done the author.
Thanks to ##NetGalley and ##Little, Brown Book Group UK for this chance to read a review copy of this book.
December 24, 2022
Mixed messages here.
I think there’s a good writer struggling to get out, but the current work is inconsistent. Plot-wise it was interesting, with historical frames and more than one story going on in the contempt cop-shop, and Donna’s domestic life - so that was good.
But the huge coincidence of a Lerner being in Donna’s British life really wasn’t necessary and the question about her GDR family’s fate certainly could have been dealt with differently. The imprisoned daughter’s antipathy to her dad also seemed too strong, considering how kind he was when Donna deigned to go home! Thematically? Donna’s sense of identity crisis at menopause is interesting and quite topical with increased awareness of how HRT has been wrongly vilified (at huge cost to 1000s of women.) Maybe I’d have found the relentless details of symptoms to be more tolerable if that side of the issue had been broached? The old-chestnuts of alcoholism and drug abuse were treated quite sympathetically, I thought.
Her writing style didn’t strike me as too staccato, though her grasp for metaphors was erratic. Sometimes hitting a good image, sometimes so clumsy it drew attention to its gauche effort. Overall I enjoyed this book. I empathised with Donna and found her backstory intriguing. But lost stars on matters of finesse, really.
I think there’s a good writer struggling to get out, but the current work is inconsistent. Plot-wise it was interesting, with historical frames and more than one story going on in the contempt cop-shop, and Donna’s domestic life - so that was good.
But the huge coincidence of a Lerner being in Donna’s British life really wasn’t necessary and the question about her GDR family’s fate certainly could have been dealt with differently. The imprisoned daughter’s antipathy to her dad also seemed too strong, considering how kind he was when Donna deigned to go home! Thematically? Donna’s sense of identity crisis at menopause is interesting and quite topical with increased awareness of how HRT has been wrongly vilified (at huge cost to 1000s of women.) Maybe I’d have found the relentless details of symptoms to be more tolerable if that side of the issue had been broached? The old-chestnuts of alcoholism and drug abuse were treated quite sympathetically, I thought.
Her writing style didn’t strike me as too staccato, though her grasp for metaphors was erratic. Sometimes hitting a good image, sometimes so clumsy it drew attention to its gauche effort. Overall I enjoyed this book. I empathised with Donna and found her backstory intriguing. But lost stars on matters of finesse, really.
October 17, 2023
I found this uneven, but compulsive reading. DC Donna Morris, a fifty-year old newish detective, following a late-life career change, is newly stationed in Scarborough. The main reason she is not with her husband a couple of hundred miles away is that her only daughter Elizabeth is imprisoned here for GBH.
Donna gets caught up with deaths, of course, first of a homeless man recently dismissed from GCHQ for drunken behaviours, then a couple of other unfortunates who are poisoned by magic mushrooms. Donna, however, is not your average English cop; her back story is an escape from East Germany some thirty-six years previously. Whew!
Donna shows herself to be a smart and dogged investigator. There are a few amazing coincidences we have to overlook, like the dead ex-GCHQ operative with a similar East German background to Donna, but we may ignore them. The backstory of Donna’s escape from the GDR is told in short chapters interspersed with the current police procedural. Much of the description is of the landscape around Scarborough, too much maybe? Nonetheless, a good story well told.
Donna gets caught up with deaths, of course, first of a homeless man recently dismissed from GCHQ for drunken behaviours, then a couple of other unfortunates who are poisoned by magic mushrooms. Donna, however, is not your average English cop; her back story is an escape from East Germany some thirty-six years previously. Whew!
Donna shows herself to be a smart and dogged investigator. There are a few amazing coincidences we have to overlook, like the dead ex-GCHQ operative with a similar East German background to Donna, but we may ignore them. The backstory of Donna’s escape from the GDR is told in short chapters interspersed with the current police procedural. Much of the description is of the landscape around Scarborough, too much maybe? Nonetheless, a good story well told.
March 26, 2023
First in a new series featuring DC Donna Morris
This is a terrific to start to a new series, featuring DC Donna Morris and set in Scarborough (whats not to like), Donna although in her fifties has recently moved here to begin her probationary period leaving her husband behind, in its self this make for an interesting dynamic, and your’e never quite sure what their relationship is like, though you have your suspicions.
When a body is discovered in the woods Donna is assigned to work the case, although on the surface there appears nothing suspicious about the death, her persistance to uncover the truth soon pays off.
There is a wonderful slowness about the pace of the book which allows the story and investigation to reveal itself, running throughout the book a back story set in the East Germany, this cleverly not only informs the past but also the present, equally it has a twist that throws what you thought you knew into question, I liked the way there were multiple threads to the plot each relevant to the other each interwoven in a way that has you thinking as you read.
Kate Evans also draws on the area, as a Scarboroian it is particularly interesting to read of locations which are only minutes away from my home, for me this did add an extra dynamic to the story
Plot, however, is nothing without characters who can carry the book, here you get a real feel and depth for each, wonderfully drawn out on the page, on the surface ordinary everyday people the people you meet on the street, just in this case carrying secrets. throughout the book you get glimpses into Donna past, a backstory which you feel there is more to reveal, one thing I find crucial when reading Police Procedurals is the need to know that the invesigation is being carried out in the correct manner and the need for team work, we are treated to a somewhat diverse bunch, all though with the desire for justice
There is a strong narrative running throughout the book and to some degree the book focuses on family life and how the past can catch up with us
Overall I found this to be read which kept me engaged throughout and cerainly left me wanting to read more
4* a welcome new voice in the world of the police procedural
This is a terrific to start to a new series, featuring DC Donna Morris and set in Scarborough (whats not to like), Donna although in her fifties has recently moved here to begin her probationary period leaving her husband behind, in its self this make for an interesting dynamic, and your’e never quite sure what their relationship is like, though you have your suspicions.
When a body is discovered in the woods Donna is assigned to work the case, although on the surface there appears nothing suspicious about the death, her persistance to uncover the truth soon pays off.
There is a wonderful slowness about the pace of the book which allows the story and investigation to reveal itself, running throughout the book a back story set in the East Germany, this cleverly not only informs the past but also the present, equally it has a twist that throws what you thought you knew into question, I liked the way there were multiple threads to the plot each relevant to the other each interwoven in a way that has you thinking as you read.
Kate Evans also draws on the area, as a Scarboroian it is particularly interesting to read of locations which are only minutes away from my home, for me this did add an extra dynamic to the story
Plot, however, is nothing without characters who can carry the book, here you get a real feel and depth for each, wonderfully drawn out on the page, on the surface ordinary everyday people the people you meet on the street, just in this case carrying secrets. throughout the book you get glimpses into Donna past, a backstory which you feel there is more to reveal, one thing I find crucial when reading Police Procedurals is the need to know that the invesigation is being carried out in the correct manner and the need for team work, we are treated to a somewhat diverse bunch, all though with the desire for justice
There is a strong narrative running throughout the book and to some degree the book focuses on family life and how the past can catch up with us
Overall I found this to be read which kept me engaged throughout and cerainly left me wanting to read more
4* a welcome new voice in the world of the police procedural
March 28, 2023
This introduces DC Donna Morris who is a probationary DC in Scarborough, she is peri-menopasal women who has joined the force after being a special constable. She has moved to Scarborough to be near her drug addicted daughter who is an open prison nearby, leaving her husband for the year of her probation, The book opens with her living with her family in East Germany and the first story line is about her escape. This is woven into the main story of a body being found in a local woods where he was living rough. Other rough sleepers are also dying or falling ill through poison.
I enjoyed this book, the Mother and Daughter interactions, Donna exploring her feelings about her past and her marriage, It also explores bullying in the work place. Also it was a good story with twist and turns. I found it well paced and un puttable down. this is one to be recommended to the Oundle Crime Book Club.
I enjoyed this book, the Mother and Daughter interactions, Donna exploring her feelings about her past and her marriage, It also explores bullying in the work place. Also it was a good story with twist and turns. I found it well paced and un puttable down. this is one to be recommended to the Oundle Crime Book Club.
November 20, 2021
I enjoyed this book. I picked it because it was set in Scarborough, my home town, and because I had read one of Kate Evan's earlier books, The Art of the Imperfect. A Wake of Crows is about the investigation of the death of a former GCHQ employee who is living rough in Raincliffe Woods. The book kept my interest from beginning to end. The story is well told and easy to follow. The characters are credible and interesting. I found a couple of the scenes quite touching. I could imagine the book being turned into a film or TV program. Five stars from me.
March 5, 2022
I really struggled at times with this book, which is set in Scarborough in Yorkshire. The first half seemed to centre around Donna, the main character, and her health issues relating to the menopause. I really don't want this in a crime novel but, nevertheless, I soldiered on with the read. The second half was a bit more interesting in that the investigation threw up the issues of homelessness and police culture, very topical at the moment. I liked the short sentence structure and the descriptive passages but overall, it's an average read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC
March 12, 2022
In this story we are introduced the the character of Donna who is completing her probation year as a detective in Scarborough leaving her husband and her family home behind but there is a reason she has chosen this destination, her incarcerated daughter.
This book is a mix of professional and personal and as the book develops Donna past is brought to life, including the secrets she's been concealing about her past.
This story was easy to follow, descriptive and I look forward to seeing how this develops! into a series.
This book is a mix of professional and personal and as the book develops Donna past is brought to life, including the secrets she's been concealing about her past.
This story was easy to follow, descriptive and I look forward to seeing how this develops! into a series.
June 22, 2022
I borrowed this police procedural on impulse from the library based on the title and wasn’t disappointed. The lead character Donna Morris is intriguingly reserved, but has a complicated background and I hope Kate Evans plans more novels about her so we can find out more. The plot is compelling and the author draws on her interest in pre-unification Germany to lend an unusual slant to the story whilst ensuring that there are enough developments to keep the reader engaged.
June 22, 2022
Kate Evans is a new author for me but unfortunately I wasn’t overly impressed with this, first in a new series, featuring a probationer DC Donna Morris.
I love police procedural books but I found this book to be more about Donna Wilson and her life story rather than focusing on her work as a new detective. However I found the back story interesting and I liked the focus on the homeless community.
Worthy of a read but not a page turner for me.
I love police procedural books but I found this book to be more about Donna Wilson and her life story rather than focusing on her work as a new detective. However I found the back story interesting and I liked the focus on the homeless community.
Worthy of a read but not a page turner for me.
January 30, 2023
I liked how the chapters switched from then and now. I felt the book was slow burning until you’re about two thirds in and it all ties together but then the ending there was no gasping moments or plot twists it was all as you thought it would be
February 3, 2023
I found myself confused at time with the time shifts and seemingly very different storylines, though this all came together at the end. Much of the time the story felt very downbeat, though there are a few positives. Will I read the next book, yes I probably will.
December 31, 2023
This is a great read! Great main character and lovely that it is set in a place I know so well. It should be made into a TV series! Not my usual book to read, but it was a real page turner and very well written.
December 11, 2022
Not keen on the way this was written.
February 15, 2023
Excellent
For once an ending that didn’t seem rushed or edited down as if there was a word limit. I will now move onto the next one in the series. Thank you Kate.
For once an ending that didn’t seem rushed or edited down as if there was a word limit. I will now move onto the next one in the series. Thank you Kate.
March 15, 2023
3.5 stars
March 24, 2023
First book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it.
April 27, 2023
3.5 stars. Good story, lots going on, characters you can relate to and everything explained, just felt a bit pedestrian at times.
November 27, 2023
Very good!
March 5, 2023
I’m not sure what to think of this book. The beginning was slow but it picked up a bit half way through. The narration was well done.
July 16, 2024
Very interesting credible and sensible characters
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