Shaking Hands with the Devil

by Bryan J. Mason

‘WE ARE ON THIS CASE LIKE A BONER FIDO BLOODHOUND...
AND MY MEN ARE BARKING AT THE LEASH'

In this darkly comic novel, Clifton Gentle is an ordinary man without much to distinguish him. Not much, that is, apart from being a serial killer who is leaving bits of his young male victims scattered around North London
.
DCI Dave Hicks is the larger than life policeman determined to catch him. His attempts to find ‘the nutter' through a combination of spoonerisms, personal abuse and a belief that something will turn up don't go well. All that turns up are yet more body parts.

In a sleazy London dogged by growing squalor and an IRA bombing campaign in the last days of Margaret Thatcher's premiership, the gruesome murders spur an over-the-top media and merchandising frenzy.

The hunt becomes an increasingly personal one and a race against the clock as Clifton, Dave Hicks, a would-be victim, and a copycat killer each try to uncover what - or who - they hold responsible for their own problems.

344 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2021

About the author

Bryan J Mason wrote his first novel, Shaking Hands with the Devil, in the late 1980s, but put it away, concluding he was a failed author after failing to get it published. He finally redrafted it and was delighted to find success over thirty years since the first draft.

He has worked as a financial investigator, a mediator and made sound effects for BBC Radio. He is now a full-time crime writer. As well as crime writing he writes regular theatre reviews and co-writes and directs an annual community pantomime.

An Old Tin Can was the first in a new black comedy crime series set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, followed by Dead On published on 5 November 2025. The trilogy will conclude with the ominously titled ‘There Are No Happy Endings‘.

He describes his genre as ‘black comedy crime’ and enjoys writing in a historical context, which possibly owes something to being a history graduate, but could just be an aversion to writing about modern scientific forensics and CCTV. He is planning a new series set in a Victorian undertakers.

A member of the Crime Writers Association, Society of Authors and Historical Writers Association, he lives in Bristol with his wife and has two children in their twenties. He enjoys swimming, eating out and the theatre, but is never happier than when hanging around in graveyards, which he thinks might come in handy one day.

Reviews

[Natalie "Curling up with a Coffee and a Kindle" Laird · Rating 4 out of 5]

With thanks to Zoe at Zooloo's Book Tours for my paperback copy and my stop on the blog tour!
This was a hugely unique book! It gave me reminders of the Sweetpea series by CJ Skuse (which I love), with it's dark but humourous take on a serial killer.
The humour was a little softer in this book though, with more chuckles and smiles than laugh-out-loud moments. Does that say more about my sense of humour?! It almost felt like the graphic details were talked about like discussing the weather!
Nonetheless, this was a great debut. The differing POV's of the serial killer and the police detective who is investigating him kept the novel interesting and gripping throughout, and the humour was light enough to lift the story from what is a very dark plot!
Clifton Gentle (amazing name btw) and Dave Hicks' characters have been greatly researched, and Mason is definitely an author to appreciate, as he gives a lot of respect to his craft.

[Bookread2day · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about author Bryan Masons’ writing is that it starts in full swing of action with the main characters, that are very interesting to read about, and told with humour.

A serial killer which actually wakes up in a panic thinking he is covered in blood, but what amazed me he is well liked at work finding his amusing and witty. My first thoughts of this serial killer is that perhaps he has two sides to him?

The other main character that I thought was amazing is 34 year old DCI Dave Hicks, who has solved an incredible amount of crimes, and now is leading the hunt for a man that has committed recent sexual assaults, with a number of body parts that have been found in the London area. I loved the words from DCI Hicks, ‘We are on this case like a boner Fido bloodhound’.

I recommend this book as Shaking Hands With the Devil that is easy to get into and to follow. This novel by Bryan J Mason has been very well written, without any complications in following what’s happening.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Struggled to get truly into it and felt that the storyline meandered along. At times it was funny but otherwise I found it tried too hard to inject humour.

Parts of dead bodies were being found all over North London and it was left to Detective Hicks to investigate and find the culprit. He blustered along with outrageous statements and questionable investigative techniques such as setting a bold imminent deadline for catching the killer. Unlike other crime books you were introduced to the murderer Clifton Gentle. He was getting frustrated at Hicks attitude to the crimes, feeling he wasn’t given enough credit for not being caught. This led to him relinquishing his hobby leading to a copycat killer.

The contrasting attitudes of the characters was enjoyable. Hicks with his incredible confidence at catching the killer and bizarre methods of going about it. Meanwhile Clifton continued his normal life while nonchalantly murdering when he felt like it. The storyline seemed to stall until a copycat killer was introduced but whilst it led to a bizarre ending didn’t add that much.

I did enjoy the sense of humour with some brilliant statements from Hicks however it did seem a bit much on occasion. Unfortunately, I found there was quite a few spelling or grammatical errors which grated. The ending promised much but I felt it lacked drama.

Overall, the storyline was promising with the characters good contrasts against one other. It was good switching between the two characters progress. That said, the story lacked punch with the humour not quite doing it for me.

[enjoyingbooksagain · Rating 3 out of 5]

The arm slowly came away from the body with a sucking sound,this is the first sentence in the book.
I have to say I was a little scared to continue but I did. This story was told from two different POV a serial killers and a police detective We have Clifton Gentle the serial killer and Dave Hicks a detective who is way out of his expertise. The author did a good job in writing a story about a serial killer of course you expect gore but putting in dark humor it was a truly unique read.

[David Prestidge · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is an interesting debate which raises its head periodically, and it involves the tricky subject of what can - or should not - become the subject of comedy. Jimmy Carr was in the news only the other day, because he made a joke about the deaths of Roma people in The Holocaust. There are numerous TV sitcoms from back in the day which are fondly remembered by us older folks, but would not survive the heightened sensibilities of modern publicists and producers. This preamble is by way of a warning that Bryan J Mason's novel, Shaking Hands With The Devil, will not be for everyone. There are jokes and themes in here which, as they say, push boundaries, so if you are someone who takes offence at words on a page, then I think it's probably 'Goodnight Vienna'. For those made of sterner stuff, here's the story.

We are in late 1980s London - the autumnal years of Thatcher's Britain - beset by strikes and endless assaults by the IRA. A predatory killer called Clifton Gentle - think Denis Nilsen - is enticing young homosexuals to come back to his home, where they have sex, but the post coital routine is that he kills them and chops them up into pieces. Sometimes the pieces stay in his flat, but when they become too noxious, he leaves them spread about the capital, in skips, under bushes or in Biffa bins.

On his trail is a grotesque cartoon of a copper - DCI Dave Hicks. He lives at home with his dear old mum, has a prodigious appetite for her home-cooked food, is something of a media whore (he does love his press conferences) and has a shaky grasp of English usage, mangling idioms  like a 1980s version of Mrs Malaprop.

The other gags come thick and fast. We have three new police cadets - Oldfield, Abberline and Slipper -  working on the case (Google if you're not sure}, while the editor of The Herald Review (one of the newspapers covering the case) is a certain Mr Charles Manson.

Mason's final audacious name-check is when he reveals that there is a second killer on the loose, a young man who has won all the glittering prizes, but has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Peter Kurten is determined to make the most of his final six months by a bit of casual 'triple D' - Date, Death, Dismember. A confession. Suspecting that this was another joke, I Googled the name (so you don't have to) and found that Peter Kurten a.k.a The Vampire of Düsseldorf was a notorious German serial killer who went to the guillotine on 2nd July 1931.

When he learns that he has a rival, Clifton Gentle is most aggrieved. That is not his only problem, however, because a young rent boy called Jimmy is Clifton's only failure. Not only did Jimmy escape before fulfilling his date with the cleaver and hacksaw, he has now located his would-be assassin and is blackmailing him.

Hackney's finest, Dave Hicks or, as he prefers to be known, 'The Dick from The Sticks' is also up against it. As clueless as ever, he unwisely announced in a news conference that he had set himself just fourteen days to bring the killer to justice. The days and hours tick by, without Hicks having any genuine leads. Then, on the eve of the expiry of his deadline, he decides to save his reputation. In a a bizarre attempt to blend in with the crowds in London's gay clubs, Hicks sets out to attract the killer (he is unaware that there are two) and is dressed to kill, decked out in:

"A fuchsia -pink shirt with outsize wing collar, over-tight lime green denim jeans, a brand new squeaky-clean leather jacket and, just for good measure, a black beret with white trim."

The finale of Dave Hicks's  quest to catch his man is set in an old fashioned Soho of seedy clubs, touts and pimps that would be unrecognisable to the trendsetters who frequent it today. Mason's dystopian novel is, in turn, ghastly, eyebrow-raising and hilarious, but is also a must for those who like their satire as black as night.

Shaking Hands With The Devil is published by Vanguard Press/Pegasus Publishing, and is available now.

[Crimefictioncritic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shaking Hands with the Devil by Bryan J. Mason—A satirical tale from a master wit at his quirky, provocative best.

I’ve been remiss in not posting this review of Shaking Hands with the Devil by Bryan J. Mason sooner. It certainly offers something quite new as far as serial killer novels go. As soon as I started reading, I fell in love with the way Mason wrote this book—from the point-of-views of Clifton Gentle, the serial killer—who’s resplendent with quirks and a smidge of mad, and the annoyingly arrogant but inept DCI Dave Hicks.

If you enjoy your serial killer novels with a healthy dose of dark comedy, Shaking Hands with the Devil by Bryan J. Mason is the book for you. I very much enjoyed this book. There’s a definite sense of wit and lightness in it, but it reminds us that our impressions of people may not always be correct, that people’s personalities come in various shades of grey and can often surprise us. This isn’t a whodunit, as we meet villain, Clifton Gentle, our serial killer, on the opening pages. The plot centers on whether the largely inept, and arrogantly and pompously boastful Detective Chief Inspector Dave Hicks, can identify and arrest the suspect, leaving body parts strewn willy-nilly around his patch in London.

What I liked most about Shaking Hands with the Devil was the same thing I like about the movie Dumb and Dumber. While I rarely like slapstick comedy, in the film, the two imbecilic best friends in the film are so relentlessly stupid that it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious. In this novel, instead of two imbecilic best friends, we have Clifton Gentle and Dave Hicks, two quirky men who in their own rights are so relentlessly half-witted that it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious. The deeper into the book we go, the more absurdly cerebrally challenged they reveal themselves to be.

There’s a sense of predictability here and I think readers will clearly see where this book’s going, but Mason also throws in some surprises. I felt the plot probably wasn’t as robust as I typically like, but whatever its flaws, the book gives you no chance to get bored. The characters are uniformly interesting and Mason does a fine job with offering the reader some great background texture and layers of complexity. That helps us understand why the main characters are who they are and behave as they do.

Shaking Hands with the Devil, while a work of fiction, is a bit of a study in culture and society. Bryan J. Mason wrote this novel in the late 1980s, “but reluctantly put it away in a drawer after his agent narrowly failed to get it published.” As you read the book, you notice immediately the story is set at a time before the stifling contemporary onset of political correctness that demands we all conform to accepted language and practices that don’t risk offending the political sensibilities of the overly sensitive.

I received a print copy of this book from the publisher used for this review, representing my honest opinions.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two men, almost the antithesis of each other, both a bit of a joke to those with whom they interact. There’s Clifton Gentle, slender, solitary, abstemious, colourless in appearance and Dave Hicks, obese, indulgent, colourful in appearance and language. The main factor which divides them, though, is that Clifton is a serial killer and Dave the detective tasked with finding him and putting a stop to his activities.

We know whodunnit, the big question here is whether or not ham-fisted Hicks can actually live up to the extravagant claims he’s made to the Force and the Media and find Gentle before any more body parts are liberally strewn around North London. There’s a darkly-comic tone to the tale as Gentle, who works in Human Resources by day and seeks human resources for his own ends by night, becomes dissatisfied with the efforts of the dozy detective to find him and decides to take matters into his own hands; not to mention the small matters of a copycat killer and an almost-victim with their own agendas to pursue.

Author Bryan J Mason constructs the narrative with a tight control, bringing the various characters right where he wants them and not before he wants them there. The evocation of London at the end of the 1980s struck exactly the right note with me, a North Londoner who hasn’t lived there for many years, while the mentions of the politicians, the IRA bombing campaign, Desert Orchid and the Cheltenham Gold Cup brought back vividly the feel of the times. This is not my usual kind of read, but I’m so glad that I saw it, liked the look and read it. Follow up my leads, as Hicks would say, and read it too.

[Donna Morfett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read some odd books at times, and this is right up there with them. However I find that odd usually lead to a really cracking read which is absolutely the case here.
Clifton Gentle is anything but. A serial killer, active for years, discarding body parts all over London, is suddenly under pressure, as DCI Hicks is on the case!
Hicks is an odious creature. Self aggrandising, arrogant, fat, loud, oblivious, and dumb as anything. He is full of malaproprisms. Not helped by his ridiculous mother!
Bring in an escaped potential victim and a copycat killer, and you have quite the game of cat and mouse, especially as Hicks confidently told everyone he would catch the killer within a fortnight.
This is full of dark humour and some very clever naming, which I won't spoil by pointing out,but thought was a great little touch by the author.
It was a case where I hoped the killer would escape, at all times I hoped he'd escape justice. A very unusual turn of events for someone who chops up bodies!
There are lots of little asides that move action and characters along with seamless perfection.
The descriptions of 1980s London, the heat, steaming, dirty streets,IRA bomb threats, Thatcher and John Major all added to the atmosphere.
A really cracking read that I have enjoyed every single page of.

[Jibraun]

As the author's own description on this page states, he wrote this book in the 1980s, failing to get it published and then moving onto another profession before returning to writing. I read his second novel Old Tin Can, which is fantastic -- and apparently written far more recently than this novel. Here is my review for that book (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...).

Given how much I liked Old Tin Can, I decided to give this novel a chance as well. Unfortunately, I can see why this novel did not get published when he originally wrote it. It's not that funny. The plot meanders. And several pages are allocated to events and scenes that should've been seriously shortened. Clearly, the author has grown as a writer in the last 35 years given how much better Old Tin Can is. I will just stick with that series (Harry Burnard), including his most recent release in it (Dead On). And I will forget about this book, which has all the hallmarks of a debut novelist floundering before finding his voice.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was offered the opportunity to read this book some time ago & what a fun read it was! Full of black humour, so right up my street.

Clifton Gentle is a grey, nondescript man, who happens to be a serial killer. DCI Dave Hicks is on the case, unfortunately he believes his own publicity & has certainly been promoted beyond his capabilities. His whole team, including senior officers, see him as a buffoon but somehow he gets the job done. Luck is on his side & as for his misappropriation of words, it’s hilarious; think Del Boy from Only Fools & Horses.

A great read; pacy & written with marvellous wit despite the subject matter. There are some gory descriptions but, to be honest, they are written in such a way that you have a wry smile & imagine the scenes & sound effects!

First I’ve read by this author & I can’t wait for the next. Recommended.

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

First up, my apologies to the author who kindly sent me this book last year, for my overdue review.

If you loved Sweetpea by C. J. Skuse this is the book for you!

A cracking debut, that's full of dark comedy, drama and body parts.

The storyline was unique and not your average serial killer plot, it's not every day you're hunting a SK and their copy cat. The story flowed well and was so compelling and unputdownable and I read it in one sitting. I'm hoping this is the first in a new series of books so we can get to go on more crime adventures with DCI Hicks.

The characterisations are well rounded and highly flawed. With a backdrop of eighties London and centred in and around the gay club and pub scene.

I found Shaking Hands with the Devil a highly enjoyable, entertaining read.

Many thanks to the author for my gifted copy.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Emma Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh I liked this. Unusual for all the right reasons. No spoilers necessary here as we know very early on that our killer is Clifton Gentle. I think this is quite possibly THE best serial killer name i've ever heard.
Some truly brilliant laugh out loud moments in this and its incredibly quick witted and humorous. None of this detracts from the plotline of Hicks trying to solve the crime.
High in drama, and liked the 80s time period.
One that'll keep you on your toes until the final line.

[Luce (LucyJane) Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

[Craig Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read by Bryan Mason and it’s quite clear he’s a very talented author. I particularly enjoy the way he consistently incorporates humor into especially dark subject matter. Mason’s characters are unique and interesting: DCI Dave Hicks is simultaneously competent and buffoonish; Clifton Gentle is a killer who seemingly has a bit of a conscience.

Another tool that Mason uses, just as he did in “An Old Tin Can”, is unique chapter headings - this time naming each chapter with a color in addition to the usual chapter number. I kept trying to determine if there was any significance to the choice of color for each chapter but, unable to find any, I simply continued to enjoy the book. You will, too!

[Alyson Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clifton Gentle is a civil servant living in North London. Everything about him, even his socks and underwear, is grey. But on the morning we are introduced to him, he does have something rather extraordinary waiting for him in his bath. DCI Dave “Hicks of Hackney” has a high clear up rate in his particularly villainous part of North London due to the extensive repertoire and prowess of his team in extracting a confession. He’s a big lump of lard of a man, still being looked after by his doting old mum. He is not impressed that someone is leaving body parts from his victims all over his manor. Rude! The present count is at least six partial bodies in the freezer. If he can be the man to bring this killer to justice, his fame will know no bounds. Just like his heroes – Holmes, Poirot et al. Clifton was fine whilst he was able to barbeque bodies in the garden but a house move has forced a different method of disposal. The story details how he first got started on his killing spree and there are initial similarities to serial killer Dennis Nilsen, from his first connection with death seeing his grandfather’s corpse to his surprise at finding a dead body in his bed. Now Clifton is well into double figures and is incensed when he hears what Dave is calling him on the tv. He taunts the police and a game of cat and mouse ensues, with the gauntlet being firmly laid down. Unfortunately there are factors that neither Dave nor Clifton can foresee – so just who will get their man?
This is a wonderful and very well written romp through seedy 1980s London, full of daft and dark humour with wit a plenty and very evocative of the time. I appreciated the irony of the naming of the three new cadets – Oldfield, Abbeline and Slipper – all men who failed to get their man, and the various characters in the story all bearing serial killer surnames. I loved Dave’s misquotes, eg “grasp the balls by the horn” (think DelBoy from OFAH) and his complete lack of tact and diplomacy. It’s definitely more sweeney than pc! Some of Clifton’s thoughts are quite deep. Dave’s are most definitely not! Unless they involve Mum’s home cooking, of course. The ending was superb and I can say I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish! 5*

[Sharon Rimmelzwaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that I would say is a black comedy crime thriller, and I loved every word. The story takes place in the days that heralded the end of Margaret Thatcher. We meet two serial killers and a copper. D.C.I Dave Hicks is the one tasked with discovering who is leaving  body parts around and about. Clifton Gentle is the serial killer in question, and unknown to Hicks there is a copycat too.
Set around the gay clubs and bars of London, and the author doesn't hold back with the gay scene, but on the other hand, doesn't go overboard with the murders and the dumping of the body parts.
A unique, humorous, and dark take on a serial killer story with twists that just keep going. I spent the majority of time either sniggering, smiling, or just laughing. The story is told from the  perspectives of DCI Hicks and Clifton Gentle, so we get to know both of them quite well. Hicks is definitely not a man who's likeable. A dumb, loud, and on the larger side, policeman, who has claimed he will catch the killer within two weeks... Not realising there is a copycat, too. This leads to a merry dance for Hicks. Shaking Hands With The Devil is a truly different book in that I was cheering the killer on! I willed him to get away so many times that it's funny for that on its own. The little details of the era added an authenticity to the setting with the IRA threats and even the Margaret Thatcher reign with John Major popping his head up, too. I felt like Bryan.J.Mason had taken me back to my childhood years of the 80s.
I thoroughly enjoyed this comedy of errors that entertained me for a day and would say that if you love crime with a funny (albeit dark) side give this book a go, I bet you read it in no more than 3 sittings, I know I couldn't put it down anyway.

[Veronika Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two men, like chalk and cheese, and the only thing in common is the body parts that keep turning up around London. Because one of these men is a serial killer and the other is the police officer on his trail.

Clifford Gentle is a quiet man who lives alone and works in a mundane job. Little do his workmates know that he is the serial killer or ‘Cereal Killer’ as he becomes known (the book will explain), responsible for almost twenty murders and dismemberments.

Larger than life police officer DCI Dave Hicks is determined to catch ‘the nutter’ as he calls him. A huge man with a large beard, Hicks lives across the road from his mum, who still does all his cooking and cleaning. He loves his mum, almost as much as she loves him. She dotes on him and feeds him massive, unhealthy meals every day, which no doubt partly account for him being larger than life. Hicks also has a way with words, or probably doesn’t: ‘Everything fits in with my previous proboscis,’ he tells the press upon discovery of yet another body.

This book is at times gruesome and at times hilarious. It has all the makings of a great detective novel, plus Dave’s ridiculous spoonerisms, his ineptitude, very-un-PC banter from his co-workers and a philosophical killer. Because Clifford Gentle struggles with his life, his sexuality and frequently his motives. What he really needs is a hobby – other than chopping up his hapless victims.

You need to be prepared to be offended, disgusted and broad-minded in equal measures to enjoy this book (the humour made me wince at times), but this was written in the eighties about life in the eighties at the end of Thatcher’s government. And the ending is worth waiting for as the initial horror has smatterings of a farce, but you’ll have to wait till you get there to find out.

Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

[Nicola Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a bit worried at how gory the introduction was and I was so thankful to find out it was just a dream. The author immediately showed me that he has a way with words. I was so taken aback at how this author created something so immensely disturbing to something that was completely dark and comical. For the plot of the story being centred around a serial killer the humour and wit that was combined throughout this read was just incredible.

The characters are unique and you can’t decide if you love them or hate them. What I found incredibly interesting was that Hicks was a bit of a moron for a dci but one that was perfectly fitting to try and track down what was going on it the depths of London. I suppose what additionally stood out with this one was it got the public and journalists involved in a way with conferences that were held. Usually in these sorts of reads you find that it’s the DCI and the ‘murderers’ so this was different to me. I loved the way the writing flickered between the different perspectives and the way the book was split up into parts.

I did enjoy that I felt I was there in the 80s reliving some of my earliest memories or memories I remember my parents moaning about as such. It’s a really fast enjoyable paced read if you love a bit of gore and the thrill of the chase. The author really creates two worlds of light heard dark humour of those two even go hand in hand and quite serious gory crime elements. This was the perfect Sunday read for me and I enjoyed my partner and my kids glaring at me with every moment i laughed out loud.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to categorise this book? I’m going with a dark comedy thriller. The story takes place in sleazy London in the dying days of Margaret Thatcher’s premiership and is set around the gay clubs and bars. Featuring two seemingly ordinary men who turn out to be serial killers (Clifton Gentle and a copycat) and the bumptious DCI Dave Hicks. Hicks is probably the most unlikely and unlikeable detective you are likely to come across - egotistical, loves his Mums cooking and a master of unwitting spoonerisms.

Briefly, When body parts keep turning up Hicks is allocated the job of finding the killer. What he doesn’t realise is that he is looking for two men, the original killer and a copycat. He attempts to solve the case by using hilarious press conferences whilst invoking the spirits of the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.

It is told in the first person by Hicks and the two killers and whilst explicit about the gay scene does not dwell on the actual killings and disposal of the body parts. This is a delightful and often funny book which had me sniggering a lot and laughing out loud at times, despite the very dark and gory scenes. Definitely worth a read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shaking Hands with the Devil by Bryan J Mason is probably the most unique book I’ve read in 2022. I did read this book over the span of a couple of days, but that’s only because I fell asleep late into the night. I didn’t want to put this down!

I’m obsessed with the writing. There is aton of wit and intriguing writing that really kept me engaged. There’s a healthy mix of comedy and thrills that gives a unique read.

The plot is compelling and heads down a path I wasn’t expecting. I loved the surprises and this is one of the many reasons I had trouble putting this down. This is easily a five star read for me and I highly recommend giving it a shot!

Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Tours for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.

[Brinx · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an anachronism! Like taking a step back in time and not necessarily in a good way. A meandering plot, a cast list full of stereotypes and a good dose of late ‘80s and early ‘90s sexism, homophobia and bigotry. Maybe it’s funnier if you weren’t there at the time?

[Adele Ursell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful romp and a great page turner as Clifton and DCI Dave Hicks chase each other through sleazy London. Amusing and intriguing to the end.

[TJ Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's a crime novel quite unlike anything I've read before. Wonderfully bizarre characters, twisted killers and a fantastic sense of time and place.

[Michael Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently this is meant to be funny. To me it was nothing but overdone borderline homophobic stereotypes.

[Bryan Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outrageous comic detective tale

Outrageously funny with crackling wit on nearly every page. I didn’t think a novel about a serial killer could make me laugh, but this hits the spot. Can’t wait to share it and look out for the next one by this author