Beneath the Surface

by Heaton Wilson

Nothing ever happens in Cardale. An idyllic little village just north of Manchester, it’s a secluded, peaceful escape from the city. Until 3.5 tons of tractor ploughs into a cottage and kills the couple inside. It looks like an accident, but DCI Jane Birchfield has a suspicion there’s something more at play. There are secrets buried in Cardale, and they’re about to come spilling out of this wreckage. When another body is found and the case becomes a murder investigation, it’s up to Jane and her team to drag the village’s secrets into the light.

324 pages, Paperback

Published August 28, 2022

About the author

I've been a journalist, a postman, a glass engraver, a bad singer, run a theatre company, an actor, a playwright, a communications consultant...
but whatever I have done, I have always been a writer.

I was born and bred in and around Manchester, then lived and worked in Bolton, Herefordshire, Southampton and London, before travelling all over the place as a comms consultant.

I have now landed on the beautiful Isle of Wight, and hope to be allowed to stay!

Find out more at heatonwilsonbooks.com;
also @heatonwilsonbooks for Facebook and Instagram

Reviews

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are connections ever just a coincidence? Beneath the Surface is a police procedural set near Manchester. Although it is the fourth in the series, I never felt lost in the story.

This book certainly has a memorable opening. A tractor crashes into a cottage killing a fornicating couple. Cause and effect. This kicks off a complicated case in which DCI Jane Birchfield and her team have to decide if connections are real or just a coincidence.

The characters were well-drawn, fully fleshed-out people. The plot was complicated and felt real. The author kept peeling back the layers until the truth was revealed.

I enjoyed the setting of the small village north of Manchester. The people who populate a village and the tensions and issues felt real.

I also really enjoyed the author's writing style. I was drawn into the story and the dialogue felt natural.

This is the first book I have read by Heaton Wilson and I was disappointed that the ending felt like a series ending. Everyone got a "what are they doing now?" finale. I will definitely be reading the other three books in this series.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alyson Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jane Birchfield is back as a DCI at Ashbridge CID in Manchester after upsetting the Army and single again after splitting with newspaper editor Allan. Forensic Phil is back after his heart surgery and Jags has returned part time providing CID support work. At least DI George Creasey is still there as her excellent and very loyal second in command, as are DS Paul Rossiter (Ross) and PC Eric Sykes undertaking his CID training. The story opens at the wedding of Mark and DS Loretta Irons (Lorry) but it’s not long before Jane is called away from the celebrations. In the quiet village of Cardale, estate agent and chair of the village association Mary MacDonald is in bed with energy company sales director Geoff Pegg when a tractor ploughs into Mary’s cottage and both of them are crushed to death. It seems there was a problem with the tractor’s steering but was it accidental? There are plans afoot in the village for both gas exploration and also a housing development, so is someone working to their own agenda? With an attack on another villager, a rise in drug dealing and the discovery of a murder victim, Jane has to consider if all these events are connected in a village where apparently nothing exciting ever happens but it seems everyone has something to hide.
As I have come to expect from this series, the plot is complex, twisty and clever, and my head was swimming with potential suspects and red herrings as I watched Jane and her team try to make sense of all the baffling clues to get to the truth. All the investigative team are instantly very likeable and work really well together both as colleagues and as friends, and I wonder what the author has in store for them next. Highly recommended for a gripping and engrossing read. 5*

[Trudie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The murder weapon is what made me start this book. Is it a gun? A knife? A blunt instrument? Maybe even poison? No, it’s a tractor How could you not want to read more? And is it even murder? But it’s the writing that made me keep reading. There are twists and turns in this story as the truth slowly comes out. There are a lot of characters, as you would expect in a murder mystery, and each has their own personality and backstory. This isn’t the first in the series, but not having read any previous ones did not spoil my enjoyment. The author tells you just enough about what has happened before to stop you feeling lost without it being an info dump.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book is the author’s annoying habit of ending a chapter with a new clue being found or something important happening, but then does not go on to tell you what it is in the next chapter. You have to read a few more before you find out and by then it is less significant and you have almost forgotten about it. I think this is done to make the reader want to keep reading but it is not necessary as the book does that well without these parts and I just found them annoying.

Other than that, it’s an enjoyable book and I would recommend giving it a go.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary British police mystery reminiscent of an episode of Midsomer Murders. Dialogue and story line keep you turning the pages. Very good twist at the end. You’ll never guess ‘whodunit!’

This is book two of a series, but the story is complete with a satisfying ending. This is my voluntary and honest review of an ARC I received from the author.

[Julie Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

a proper british mystery with a variety of great characters

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Book Sirens for the chance to read this Manchester thriller, I submit herewith a review based on my experience of the book. I am sorry for some critical points that stem perhaps from the fact that this was not the first book in a series so I was not fully invested in the characters.

Having not read the first DCI Jane Birchfield novel I was at something of a disadvantage as there are multiple characters in a complex work environment trying to unravel an unfortunate incident in a farming area outside Manchester. The novel begins with the extraordinary collapse of a country cottage on top of a copulating couple by a runaway tractor. As the novel progresses a tangled web of people come into the frame as potential suspects and further incidents fog the plot, a possible attack and the discovery of a body. Meanwhile the local authority are wrangling between digging for fuel or selling land held by local families for housing, against the protests of an environmental body. A significant number of the men have first or surnames beginning with A - Aaron, Alistair, Allan, Attrill. Because presumably the characters in the police cohort had been well delineated in the first novel I did begin to get confused at times. Although the action takes place in a village called Cardale I did not get a strong feel for the place, especially when it turned out that many of the villagers were being delivered not milk and more but drugs.

Sad to say I found the duplicate paragraph numbering distracting, there was a random 32 in the middle of a section, and a typo that I sent to the publisher. it was quite good but I should probably have tried #1 first.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

My biggest problem with this book was the way in which the story was told. Every page or two, there was a change in POV. The switches were so abrupt that I struggled to keep up. But more than that, the POV switched between far too many characters. I think this novel had more POVs than any book I’ve ever read before. Most of them were utterly unnecessary and could’ve been consolidated with other perspectives. We heard from so many characters that we spent very little quality time with any of them, which impacted my ability to emotionally connect with the story.

The storyline was generally fine, though it became increasingly convoluted over time. The choice of villain was a bit perplexing. It didn’t really fit with the rest of the book and felt like the easy way out. Though there were some witty lines and shocking turns, the pacing was somewhat slow. I definitely didn’t feel that there was much suspense.

Overall, while this book initially had promise, the innumerable POVs and lack of suspense made the book difficult to get through or enjoy. I do not recommend it.

*I received an ARC of this book. This is my complete and honest review.*

[Pamela Sewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Sirens eARC. Fourth in the DCI Jane Birchfield series. Jane is called away from a wedding when a tractor crashes into a cottage in the village of Cardale with two fatalities. The victims are nude obviously involved in an affair and a small amount of coke was found. When a known drug dealer is found in a shallow grave on a nearby farm, Jane and her team suspect a link and that this was more than a tragic accident. This was an even paced narrative, a slow point to point gathering of information leading to finding the underlying motive and the culprit. It was calming to have a plot with out major twists and surprises. The character development was realistic with enough back story to keep me in the story working well as a standalone. A good choice for those who enjoy village mysteries and police procedurals.

[Mary Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. I didn't realise it was part of a series but it could be read as a standalone as I did. There were references to previous events but although I'd have preferred to have had read about those beforehand, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.

The setting was good, a village which seems to have lots of secrets. Are certain events coincidence or is there more at play here? The characters were interesting and there were plenty of twists to keep you hooked particularly towards the end. I would read more by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jeanne Chepko · Rating 4 out of 5]

It all starts when a rogue tractor collapses a house killing two people, DCI Jane Birchfield has to sift through the wreckage to find out what is really going on. Money, drugs, shady contracts, environmental issues and power plays keep the pages turning on this murder mystery.

Seems like the whole village is involved, but Jane sticks to what she does best.

Fun and quick clever read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.

[Ruth Coulson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent British murder mystery set in an (otherwise) quiet village in the Manchester area. Killed by a tractor ploughing into a house? Unfortunate! But perhaps it is murder. Unbelievable! But then other incidents occur in the town and all this is against the background of a possible property development that may not necessarily be welcomed by all the locals.

There is quite a lot going on in this book. And it is the part of Jane Birchfield and her group of detectives to solve the murder, if murder it turns out to be. And this is although there are some developments in Jane's private life.

This is a good diverting read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this is part of a series, I found it could be read as a standalone.

A very engrossing book which starts with an out of control tractor demolishing a cottage and killing the two occupants in it.

This clever well written storyline turns into murder, a quiet village holding plenty of secrets, and a tangled web of an investigation.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable gripping thriller.
My thanks to Book Sirens for the copy, this is my honest unbiased review.