Laptops Can Kill

by B.L. Faulkner

Case 13 in the DCS Palmer and the Met's Serial Murder Squad files. When petty thieves are murdered by a team of professional hitmen whose MO matched other unsolved killings Palmer wants to know why? What could bring a professional hit on a bunch of petty thieves? What had they done to upset somebody so much that the hit was called? There's a big search going on in the underworld for a certain laptop, why? What's on it and where is it and is it connected to the case? Who is 'Sammy' the person being sought so aggressively by the hitmen and what does 'Sammy' know? Palmer brings in help from Organised Crime and starts to unravel the tangled threads of the case whilst suffering the usual attempts of Mrs P at home to improve his health with a vegetarian diet that he resists and his nemesis neighbour Benji unwittingly causing him pain.

Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2021

About the author

Barry Faulkner was born into a family of South London petty criminals who ran with the Richardson's Crime Gang in the 60's-90's. Being the youngest his mother, a top fashion model, was determined he would not follow in the criminal footsteps of the rest of the family and enrolled him into the Morely Academy of Dramatic Art to pursue a career in acting. Sadly young Faulkner was asked to leave after three months when no acting ability had surfaced. He went onto become an advertising copywriter with the English branch of the US Agency Erwin Wasey Ruffraf and Ryan where he got lucky with some scripts he sent to the BBC TV and became a scriptwriter and editor for them and several ITV companies. During this time the DCS Palmer plots were amassed in various notebooks and three years ago Faulkner finally found time to write and publish them. His early insight into the criminal world of his family has added authenticity to the characters and plots that makes them credible and the pace keeps the reader glued to the end. His signature end twist will always surprise you. Check out his top rated crime blog at geezers2016.wordpress.com.

Reviews

[Robert Crouch · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re going to steal a laptop, make sure it doesn’t belong to a deadly and ruthless criminal. Unfortunately, for two thieves, it’s too late. For Detective Chief Superintendent Palmer, it’s the beginning of another fast-paced investigation for the Serial Murder Squad. In addition to his trusty IT guru, Gheeta, Palmer calls on the Organised Crime Team for support as he tries to make sense of the killings and the missing Sammy.

Palmer’s soon on the trail, but he’s lagging behind Sammy, who has a similar agenda. With his usual humour, directness and Gheeta’s skills, he soon solves the mystery and catches the killers. Only it’s not that simple as a final twist reveals.

Once again, BL Faulkner has delivered an entertaining and enjoyable police thriller that’s original and populated by memorable characters – plus that extra twist, which lifts the story to another level. I’ve enjoyed every book in the series, and while they are all excellent, this has to be one of my favourites.

While it can be read as a standalone, like all the books in the series, to get the most of the characters and the humorous backstory that features his wife and their neighbour, Benji, it’s wise to start at the beginning.

[Greta Halliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another thrilling case by the inimitable Mr Faulkner. The same wit and humour as usual along with the long suffering Mrs P make this and also the rest of the series a joy to read. Thanks to the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book.