Dead Fish

by Ruth Carrington

The first of a series of legal thrillers featuring Alison Hope, a small, attractive, feisty, Bristol-based barrister.

When Dr Geoffrey Quinn arrives home during the night his children are missing, the remains of his wife's body are in the boiler, and police are waiting to arrest him.

Genres: Thriller

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 1998

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

DEAD FISH is this author's first ..and only book to date. Alison Hope will be defending Dr. Geoffrey Quinn against a murder charge. His wife's remains are found in the boiler...nothing but bone pieces and ash ... and his two young children missing.

Quinn claims he is innocent, but has a hazy recollection of where he was the weekend his wife was killed. He claims someone was threatening his wife, but he doesn't know who. She would disappear for hours, but wouldn't tell him where she was going or had been.

She and her Private Investigator, George Kristianssen , are looking into the backgrounds of the Quinn family. What they find are secrets upon secrets upon lies. But they must be getting close to something somewhere, because bodies are dropping like flies. Now if only they could make the connection....

Where Alison shines is the courtroom. She's known for being prepared, determined to win her cases. But can she shed light on the truth and save her client?

Amazing twists and turns keep the pages turning. It's like seeing a roadside accident ... it's compelling and you just have to look. The characters are terrific. The author has done a bang up job in character development. I'm surprised that there hasn't been another book following ....

I enjoyed the courtroom drama, but I must admit, I was waiting for a Perry Mason moment .. but the ending was even more surprising.

Many thanks to the author / Thistle Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Ellie Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dead Fish is a gripping Crime novel that chronicles the arrest and trial of Geoffrey Quinn, devoted father, husband, and former surgeon. Quinn is accused of killing his wife and children, and most seem to judge him as guilty, except for his amazing lawyer, Alison, who on first meeting Quinn, believes in his claim to innocence.

There were two characters that gained my genuine sympathy throughout the novel- Quinn and Alison. Quinn appears lost, confused, and mostly afraid as his life literally hangs in the balance.
On the other hand, Alison was easy to sympathise with, the more the story delved into her past. Tragic experiences with loved ones (and the sudden, unexpected loss of them) plague her every thought, making Alison a complex and rather intriguing character.

Many secrets are unearthed in this high-stakes tale. I won’t go into examples as I’d hate to spoil the book for others. However, the acts I was reading about shocked me to my core. This is definitely a story I’ll remember.

I’d definitely consider reading Dead Fish again at some point. ^_^
My kind of novel.

I’d recommend it to lovers of crime and thrillers.

[Pat Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Quinn faces a murder charge when he returns home to find his wife’s burnt remains and his children missing. Alison Hope and Private Investigator George Kristianssen take on his case, Alison thinks Quinn is innnocent but she has a tough job to prove it. As she starts to investigate the case she finds that his wife had lots of secrets in her life which leads her to uncovering illicit social parties involving sex, drugs and underage sex. Can she solve the case as the end of the trial looms?
I loved the character of Amy Hope and all her past history. I hope we see this as the beginning of a series featuring her. This is gripping debut novel. The plot has many twists and turns and it is a definite read for crime and thriller lovers.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Lorey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an ARC I received in return for my honest opinions. DNF.

I sincerely tried to finish this. I did. And at some point maybe I'll give it another go- but for now, it is what it is.

While there were some interesting ideas and plot points (at least they seemed to be before I had to stop reading), it was... well honestly, it needs a good editor to fill in all the missing information. The structure was off, the writing went from over-the-top to sluggish and then back to chaotic. I think that perhaps the premise is good, it just needs more work? Or/and a better editor.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this novel, and sadly was disappointed. Not only does the story come off as cliché, it isn't compelling enough to keep me engaged. I found it difficult to finish the novel and almost didn't on several occasions. There are some interesting ideas throughout the novel, but they were not portrayed in a good manner.

The flow of the story was rather choppy, it would be fast paced and exciting one minute then sluggish and slow the next. I struggled to stay interested in the characters as they seem too ordinary, there was nothing that made me relate to them or feel any emotion towards them. I think if Carrington went back through and added more depth to the characters this would be a different story. It honestly does start off well, but then slowly drops off and declines. There was a lot of different vices used throughout such as alcohol, drugs, sex etc, I understand that was the point, but it came to feel like it was a bit too much, too difficult to keep track and interested. There were WAAY to many red herrings, and I began to wonder when we were going to get to the point of the tale.

Overall it was an interesting idea, granted one done before but I had hoped Carrington would do it differently, add a unique twist to it that made me go "WOW" unfortunately that did not happen. While I think there are people who would enjoy this novel and would recommend other readers to give it a shot and see it fairs with them. It just was not my cup of tea.

** I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review**

[Ivory Castle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Geoffrey Quinn arrives home after a long drive to find his house a crime scene and taken over by the police. They arrest him after discovering the remains of his wife in the basement furnace. Meanwhile his two children are still missing presumed dead.
Alison Hope is his legal rep who has suffered her own devastating loss in the past. She works hard to prove Quinn is not guilty of murder and in the process brings buried memories to the surface.
George is the rough diamond turned PI who shares her bed and risks his life to obtain the evidence she needs for her case. Will she realize her true feelings before time runs out?
The storyline kept me interested all the way through to the last few pages. The ending was a reminder that things are never quite what they seem.
If two characters are attracted to each but do not realize it or accept it I always feel a little frustrated with them. In no way did this detract from my enjoyment.
First published in 1998 this Alison Hope novel is an easy mystery thriller to read. I felt it was worthy of a four star rating.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dead Fish started off very well. Dr. Geoffrey Quinn is arrested for the murder of his wife. Authorities suspect his children are dead as well, but no bodies have been found.

Allison hope takes Quinn's case, but she isn't sure if she believes him and is certain that he is holding something back.

Unfortunately, as the book became a bit convoluted with red herrings and shocking crimes, the original promise did not hold up for me.

NetGalley/Thistle Publishing

Crime/Legal. March 29, 2018. (First published in 1999) Print length: 376 pages.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok... seemed a bit dated with all this use of cameras and phone boxes.... clearly before smart phones.
There was a lot of alcohol in this book,practically at every turn,followed by sex and some big red herrings.
Pardon me for being immature but I laughed when they said the suspect was a member of the KLF. they didn't mean the band.
Bit of an inevitable ending.

[Jannelies (there is no hope anymore) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this book.

Well... although I can agree with some of the reviewers here, I thought is a nice enough one to give it three stars. It kept my attention and I wanted to know what was really going on - although it wasn't hard to find out. For me, it was an enjoyable book and I would like to read more of this author.

[Starr Baumann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off strong, but when the MC, who calls herself a feminist quite often, thinks about her own breasts for the umpteenth time, I grew suspicious and looked up the author. Yup, sure enough--a man using a female pen name.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the ARC.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you do when you arrive home one evening to find your children gone and your wife burned to death in the boiler . That has what happened to Dr Geoffery Quinn. In comes Alison Hope a bright eyed lawyer who is determined to help him out . But as she dives into the world that Geoffery is part of the chances of him being innocent are not looking good . There is more going on then people will let on, as the trial looms closer and closer Alison must figure it all out or die trying .
Ok I tried really hard to love these characters but alas I just couldn't fall in love with them I found that I really just couldn't connect with them . Don't get me wrong they are well written but I really just wanted to strangle Quinn a few times . He really came off as a douche and I was really kinda hoping that he actually did do it . Just for poor Alison's sake . Alison was a go getter but sometimes she just came off way to eager and some times a whiner . Over all these are good characters just wish there was some more depth to them.
I am very torn on this book , I truly wanted to like it but in some parts I just really wanted to skim because I just felt that it really didn't belong . The parts that I did love were well written and you can really see the main characters trying to their best .The court room scenes were well written and it did catch my interest . Over all i really did like the book I just wished that the author went over it one more time and added some depth to the characters and some suspense to the chapters . If you want to give it a try check it out .

[Shivank Srivastava · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very gripping story line coupled with lots of plot twits makes this book a very engaging read.