Black Nab: Text M For Murder

DCI Finnegan Yorkshire Crime #1

by Ely North

He's just received a text message from his wife… his dead wife!A murder with no witnesses, no motive, no clues. Where would you begin?The unsolved murder of a local woman, a spate of armed robberies on petrol stations, followed by two missing schoolgirls, who mysteriously vanish from a seaside beach in broad daylight, is challenging the resilience of battle-hardened Yorkshire copper DCI Frank Finnegan.With a new, energetic, and street-smart female officer joining his ranks, will it be the boost he needs to solve the crimes?When the grieving husband of the murdered woman offers vital information relating to the missing girls, things swiftly escalate.Is the husband telling the truth, or creating a diversion? And is there a connection between the three crimes?Finnegan's motto is—every crime scene contains a clue; every criminal makes a mistake. His adage is about to be tested to the limit!Set in the rugged and atmospheric landscape of Whitby and North Yorkshire, this gripping page-turner of murder, mystery, and whodunnit, with a sprinkling of dry gallows humour, will keep you enthralled until the end.Black Nab—Text M For Murder!

Start reading book 1 in this brand new series today.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2022

About the author

Start your DCI Finnegan journey with AQUA PHOBIA (The Body in the River) — absolutely free on BookFunnel. No sign-up, just click and download: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/1j1hkjlw6olink


Ely North is the bestselling author of the DCI Finnegan Yorkshire Crime Thriller series—gritty, gripping, contemporary British police procedurals set against the haunting beauty of Whitby, the North York Moors, surrounding coastal villages, and the majestic Yorkshire Dales.

Leading the charge is DCI Frank Finnegan—a sharp-witted, old-school detective with Irish-Welsh roots and a Yorkshire tongue. With his dry humour and “never back down” attitude, Finnegan is a fan favourite: “a good policeman and a great character.” He’s flanked by DS Zac Stoker, known for his blunt honesty and dogged loyalty, and DI Prisha Kumar, a smart, modern counterbalance to Finnegan’s old-fashioned methods. Their camaraderie—and the occasional clash—gives the series heart as well as edge.

Since its 2022 debut, Ely North’s series has captivated readers worldwide, earning over 33 million Kindle Unlimited page reads, with Black Nab alone topping 5 million.

North’s storytelling blends “twists and turns that keep you guessing” with authentic characters and a strong sense of place.

One reviewer called it “as addictive as anything by Ann Cleeves,” while another said, “Ely North is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.” Perfect for fans of Dervla McTiernan, Peter Robinson, and Joy Ellis.

Ely North’s novels offer crime fiction with atmosphere, dark secrets, and the occasional laugh in the face of murder.

The DCI Finnegan series is set to continue for many more books to come.

Reviews

[Pam]

What a brilliant book, I loved DCI Frank Finnegan a good policeman and a great character, along with his team and a really brilliant story I couldn't put this down, and on top of that it's set in Yorkshire, I can't wait for the next book in the series.

[Andy Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid enough series starter set in Whitby. Ending leaves some aspects of the case still up in the air and I'm happy enough with the series to go back for more as long g as it doesn't get too silly.

[Alan Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to book 2 in the series

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great copper story

Well written with plenty of twist and turns. Characters are well thought out and tell a good story. Good copper book

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good page turner

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, pleased to know that some strings from this book continue in the next one. Can't wait to read it!

[Karen Oakley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The unsolved murder of a local woman.
A spate of armed robberies on petrol stations.
Two missing schoolgirls.
They say bad things come in threes, but this is challenging the resilience of battle-hardened Yorkshire copper, DCI Frank Finnegan.
With a new, and feisty, street-smart female officer joining his ranks, will it be the boost he needs to solve the crimes?
When the grieving husband of the murdered woman offers up vital information relating to the missing schoolgirls, things swiftly escalate.
Is he telling the truth, creating a diversion, or masking a dark secret?

I was sort of enjoying this book until the ending as it left the story unfinished. I hate that the author expects you to find out what happens when you buy the next book. I feel cheated. The grieving husband storyline felt unrealistic as well or is that revealed in the next book? Considering the title of the book relates to this and yet doesn't reveal an answer is very bad writing in my opinion. Sadly I'm now not interested enough to find out.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written in the present tense, which is rather unusual for a crime drama, and it took a bit of getting used to. However the story was excellent and I really enjoyed it once I got into it. I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Ethan Norfolk]

What a fantastic book! I was gripped in the final chapters and already excited to start the 2nd DCI Finnegan book.

The plot was great, the characters are likeable and lots of humour built in through them.

[Kevin M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book ended and I immediately wanted to pick up the sequel.

Black Nab – Text M for Murder is a sharply written crime mystery set against the brooding coastline and tight-knit communities of North Yorkshire. It follows a tangle of events sparked by a cryptic text message, a suspicious death, and a cast of characters whose lives are more interconnected than they seem. Ely North masterfully balances an intricate investigation with vivid sense-of-place, blending small-town secrets, local politics, and the kind of misdirection that keeps you second-guessing everyone.

The pacing is tight, the dialogue feels authentic, and the shifting perspectives draw you deeper into both the mystery and the characters’ personal stakes. Each chapter builds tension without resorting to gimmicks, and the final reveal is both clever and satisfying — making the central mystery feel earned.

The book ended and I immediately wanted to pick up the sequel.

[Karen Wrobel · Rating 3 out of 5]

What works - This is a decent procedural with a good plot. The police work feels real, as does the less than perfect ending.
What doesn’t - Word usage and grammatical errors. The word is ‘kosher’ oh editors, not ‘kosha’. I read an article the other day about male writers and female characters. Although I’m guessing ‘Prisha’ is intended to be portrayed as capable, intense, smart and focused, as written she comes across as a know it all, obsessive and generally nasty bitch. Certainly not someone anyone wants as a partner since second guessing everyone is her specialty. I’ve known guys like that, so maybe it’s a reflection, hard to say but I do know she’s really an unpleasant character.
I have the first three books in a package, so I’m planning on trying book two, we’ll see if the characterization improves. Right now, I’ll give this an ok read and 3 stars.

[K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so disappointed. This book is written in a series of short, choppy sentences, entirely in the simple present tense, and completely devoid of engaging description. I wanted to like it, and could almost have forgiven the distracting writing, but when two female characters discussed a third having "shaved her vagina", I gave up. Honestly, if you are going to write about female characters and include anatomical details, it would be nice if you knew what you were writing about, or at very least took a moment to research. Here's a hint: the vagina is an internal part of a woman's anatomy, and no woman in the history of the world has ever shaved hers.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: audiobook
Narrator: Nathaniel Priestley

DCI Frank Finnegan has some challenges ahead, an unsolved murder, a spate of armed robberies and two missing schoolgirls but when the grieving husband of the murdered woman claims to have received a txt from his dead wife with information about the missing girls Frank will have to look closer, is he telling the truth? Or Hiding a darker secret?
Overall an enjoyable read.

A narrator can make or break a book for me but I’m please to say this narrator does a fabulous job.

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read through this very quickly . I didn't hate it I liked the main male character but frank but very quickly decided that prisha needed to be quiet more often and stop being a rude pain in the rear . The other characters were well rounded. Im guessing the author will fill it all out a bit more as the series moves on maybe with some descriptive scenery and a bit of thoughtful insite as this was too quick and with not much to think about but I did enjoy it

[Terry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry but the present tense writing style was very irritating and completely put me off this. The characters are badly portrayed and for the most part totally unlikeable. The DCI is a bad tempered tyrant not at all realistic and I had issues with his attitude from the get go. I stayed with it as it started off ok but I gradually lost more and more interest. After 200 pages I didn’t care anymore. Not for me. Won’t be reading any more of this author.

[Helen Moyes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please pay a proofreader

The punctuation, spelling, etc is all over the shop throughout the book. The characters are lazy copy-pastes. There is an overly generous helping of clumsy exposition in dialogue. (And kudos to the character who waxes her “vagina”. the curse of men writing women strikes again!)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A freebie on Kindle Unlimited.

Frank Finnegan is a DCI based in Whitby. There has been a spate of robberies in petrol stations. His team also have a 6-month old murder hanging around them.

When two teenagers go missing, they become a priority.

I really enjoyed this. It could have done with a proofread or two but the errors weren't enough to put me off. I'm looking forward to reading the next.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI Frank Finnegan oversees the cases from robberies, murder and now two teen girls come up missing. When the husband of a murdered woman thinks he knows what happened to the missing girls, not because he witnessed something but swears his wife told him via text messages. No Spoilers! I highly recommend this first book in the series and do plan on reading more.

[Bryngel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never enjoyed a book written in present tense. I still don't. I really struggled with getting through it and as I didn't like the characters much (whom every one else seems to love) it simply was more of a strife to finish. Simply put, the plot and writing never tickled my senses, and that's a bad thing.

(Please forgive my poor English, my excuse is I’m Swedish).

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small seaside town detective, DCI Frank Finnegan is a good old school copper. He's in his later prime, happy marriage with a doting wife and has a wry sense of humor. It's pretty slow at first and seems like average small town detective but somehow along the way the cast and their chemistry just got me hooked. A good enjoyable read.

[Gill Appleyard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but only ending up finishing it because I wanted to know the ending, which was ultimately disappointing!
I couldn’t get on with the writing style so won’t be reading any more

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Story

An excellent story by Ely North set in the Whitby area. Lots of interesting characters and a great storyline. I feel that there may still be more to come with this case. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Sue Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Good plot, interesting characters and a fast pace that made it difficult to put down. I immediately started to read the next book in the series. So pleased I discovered this author.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit slow to the DCI Finnegan series but I'm glad I have found it. Loved the storyline in Book 1 and now that I've moved on to Book 2, I like the continuation of the charachters. So far, the stroyline of Frank and his team are positive and I'm looking forward to working my way through to the end of the series to date

[Susan Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Nab

Murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and contact with the murder victim from the other side. This story has it all.
As the Police work to solve the kidnapping of two girls, their first break through comes from the Widower of the murder victim!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new author to me. As a (North) Yorkshire lass I absolutely loved the setting as I know the area well.
Great storyline and the characters were believable.
The audio book narration was perfect.
I'll look forward to the next book in the series.

[Glyn Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black nab is the first in the d.c.i. finnegan series by ely north a new author for me. A local woman murdered, armed robberies, two schoolgirls vanish and are all connected. This is for frank and team to uncover the truth. So buy the book and really ENJOY.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, I like the characters, but I feel that it ended too abruptly with too many loose ends and some weird events that needed an explanation. I feel that it is more like a serial than a stand alone novel. I am giving it the benefit of the doubt with four stars.

[charles stupples · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good gritting story lines

Enjoyed Black Nab. Some good Yorkshire grittiness set in a lovely very popular Yorkshire seaside town. I am very familiar with areas mentioned in the book , which helps to bring fiction to life. Next book in the series please.

[Lee Sherwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wrong tense for me!

Cannot abide a novel written in the present tense. I find it really irritating and could only manage the first chapter.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given it 5 stars but I found the ending disappointing