Toe The Line

DC Jake Tanner #1

by Jack Probyn

Note: this book was previously published as The Conspiracy by Jack Probyn.

The owner of a jewellery store has been kidnapped.

The people responsible are known as The Crimsons, an organised crime group the police have been hunting for years.

A deadly collar bomb has been attached to her neck.

To save her, DC Jake Tanner, on the first day of secondment from the Met, must answer a series of riddles and clues to defuse the device.

The countdown to save her has begun…

But as the investigation develops, two things become clear: this is The Crimsons’ last height, and they’re willing to do anything to ensure their survival; and two, not everyone is on Jake’s side. A knot of corruption operating deep within the heart of Surrey Police is working against him every step of the way.

Without knowing who to trust, Jake must decide whether to toe the line of duty or turn against his colleagues and solve the case that could cost him his life…


Toe The Line is a gritty crime thriller perfect for fans of Simon McCleave, Rachel Mclean, and the BBC's Line of Duty.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2020

About the author

I’m Jack Probyn, and I write murder mysteries and crime thrillers set in England. I studied Creative Writing at the University of Surrey and have always been fascinated by storytelling, particularly the dark and twisty kind.

I’m the author of the DC Jake Tanner series and the DS Tomek Bowen series, both packed with suspense, mystery, and unexpected twists. When I’m not writing, I enjoy building LEGO, solving sudoku puzzles, and occasionally going snowboarding. I live in England with my partner and our British Shorthair cat, Tommy.

Reviews

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was really enjoyable, and I lived the way that, similar to jake, you were guessing who to trust, and when you thought you had it, you didn't.

the only issue I had was in relation to the cruise ships. I thought that wasn't very believeable

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake Tanner has been seconded to the Surrey CID. On his first day, there is a deadly theft of jewels at a local jewelry store. What seems to be a straightforward case turns on its head as the bodies pile up. While the police are trying to find the thieves, their attention is turned to the time bomb attached to the neck of the hostage from the jewelry store.

This story was odd in that Jake had experience with the Crimsons, a theft ring that wore red devil masks and overalls. It had occurred earlier in Jake's career, and he still had panic attacks because of the fear instilled in him over the case. However, when the Crimsons kill a store employee and take a hostage, Jake realizes that the MO has changed for the group.

I will give the author the benefit of the doubt and give this book a VG rating. However, it was unrealistic in many ways. A rookie officer taking over the case was ridiculous. Going to his head officer and telling her that he suspected people working there were on the take was unrealistic. He didn't have enough evidence. I will try the next novel in this series, but I wouldn't say I like this author's mystery writing style. Maybe I'm too old-fashioned.


CID Case – Total of 2
3 1. The Conspiracy (2020)
3 2. The Community (2020)

[Cherry Mischievous · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Thoughts:

When I bought this book, I did not realise that this book has been sold before under a different title. That made me a bit apprehensive going into this story. Like there might be something dodgy. Or perhaps the author upgraded the story so it changed title?...

Besides, what does "Toe The Line" got to do with the story?! I could stretch my imagination to make a pretty good guess. But, it would be a stretch!

I got confused with Mark/Murphy. The narration is confused too. I read Murphy in the ebook but I hear Mark. Or I read Mark in the ebook but I hear Murphy. Only to find out that his name is Mark Murphy in chapter 15. The script that the narrator was reading is obviously not the same one as the kindle ebook that amazon is selling. I hate it when that happens!

I like the twisty plot. That one was a pleasure to read! Even though there are plot holes in there. Like, if a character is involved in the plot/scheme, it shouldn't make her faint in fright because she knows what is going on already. Holes...

The story telling quality though... I find myself needing frequent little breaks in between. This made the pace a little slow despite the convenience of the audiobook format.

Aubrey Parsons narrated this book and that is what made me buy this book to begin with. Obviously I am an old Aubrey Parsons fan.

Quantitative Evaluation:

Story telling quality = 3.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 3
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 3.5
Pace = (10 hrs and 15 mins listening time)
Plot = 2.5
Narration = 5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

[Jim Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Like Jake

Jake is new a team of police. Jake wants to be a detective an understands that being new to the team, his ideas probably won't be give much weight for influencing investigations.

This jewelry store robbery/murder happon his first day on the job. Jake's courage increases throughout the day as clues start to emerge. However, something seems to be out of place.

The investigation progresses even with a crooked cop is slowing progress.

Jake and Danika are great a what they do. A lot of character development is missing from the other team members.

I rated a three for the vague story movement, the team character relationships and the lack of suspense. I probably won't be reading and other books in the series.

Foul language is persistent throughout the book, it seems like psychic violence was a normal happening with unhappy marriages.

I was really turned away from the series from reading a short preview of the next Jake Tanner Crime Thriller. The preview looked to me like a 1 or 2 rating.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of this author & love his Tomek Bowen books, so I have gone backwards & started to read the Jake Tanner series. This novel was previously published as The Conspiracy.

It’s DC Jake Tanner’s first day on secondment from the Met. Talk about hit the ground running, a jewellery store owner has been kidnapped & a collar bomb fastened around her neck. The people responsible set riddles & drop clues in order to defuse the device & time is slipping away. During the investigation, it becomes apparent that not everyone is on his side & Jake has some big decisions to make.

This was a good read & I will tackle the rest of the series but I can also see how much the author has progressed & finessed his skills in later works. There is a little humour but this is a gritty thriller with violence & strong language aplenty. I certainly enjoyed it, although perhaps enjoyed isn’t quite the right word.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toe the line is the first in first DC Jake Tanner series.
It’s Jake’s first day after been seconded from the Met and he is in training. His first case on the job is an armed robbery in a local jeweller shop. What normally happens is straightforward, but things goes wrong, and someone is killed. Jake recognises similarities from a previous case that he was involved in. But trying to influence his senior officers is another problem to deal with. When they robbers kidnap someone and place a bomb device collar around their necks. The Police are rushing around at breakneck speed to find the keys that are supposedly to diffuse it.
This is a fast-paced thriller, full of action and corruption. Which I found although a bit farfetched at times, I found a highly entertaining read and a great start to the series. 4 stars from me.

[Janet S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the DC Jake Tanner series. Jake is transferred to a new station as a temporary DC and is very anxious about meeting his new colleagues. His first day starts with a coffee in town with a couple of his superiors, where he is nearly clipped by a van. Something about the incident leaves Jake feeling uneasy, then all hell breaks loose.
A robbery and murder have occurred in a jewellers literally minutes from where they were drinking coffee. They also discover that two people have been kidnapped and that the perpetrators are totally evil and it suddenly becomes a race against time to save the victim. As first days go this has got to be the most fast paced ever. With plot twists along the way and not knowing who he can trust will Jake survive it! Really enjoyed this book and looking forward to seeing how the characters develop.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toe the Line: A Gripping British Crime Thriller with Twists You Won’t See Coming (DC Jake Tanner Crime Thriller Book 1), my eleventh read from author Jack Probyn. Well-written with well-developed main characters that continue to grow in depth and a 10-hour 15-minute/278-page crime thriller that continually develops throughout the length of the book. I look forward to Probyn’s next book when it's published. “I received a complementary Audiblele copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." Aubrey Parsons' gritty narration adds to the enjoyment. The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Anne Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an unrealistic thriller overly full of incident. So much so that I found it quite exhausting. I think the basic plotline is good but the main character needed a lot more development and the chapters focusing on the criminal gang could easily have been cut out. It's also a lot more violent than it needed to be. That said, it was nice having something set in the area where I live, and there are certainly a lot of twists and turns throughout. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series though.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild chase and a twisted path. Inside corruption and betrayals. In the end , I had sympathy and empathy for the brothers. It was nice that Freddy got a crumb of humanity served to him at least. It was irking that inside corruption still flourishes. It was very suspenseful and kept my interest until the end. I voluntarily listened to the audio version of this and the narrator did a good job bringing it to life.

[Reggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An armed robbery, with a murder and kidnapping, an a young DC who recognizes the MO from a prior case. Except his senior officers ignore him. Told from several POVs, we follow the robbers as they make their escape, and the police as they try to determine how to apprehend. DC Jake Tanner figures out that the gang has some inside help but proving this is not as easy. Disappointed that I did not get an HEA but just means that I’ll have to get the next book!

[Pedro Bedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly improbable but highly entertaining only let down by some of the weird descriptive stuff like gelatinous sweat and illegible muttering (it's inaudible) but the characters are all good and to have two bent cops in a unit would be a bit of a stretch and surely would be noticed. The Crimsons were dysfunctional enough to bring on their own downfall without too much input from the police and got what they deserved rightfully enough. Jake Tanner is worth following.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

DC Jake Tanner has been seconded from the Met, and on his first day becomes involved in the search for a violent gang who have robbed a jeweller’s, killed somebody and taken someone else hostage. Jake realises that he knows who the gang is, and things move fast as he tries to save lives.
This was an exciting story, but I didn’t quite believe in Jake and everything he did. It will be interesting to see how his character develops in future books (and to see how the loose ends progress!)

[PelicanFreak]

This was a DNF for me, and I only selected star-ratings because this platform requires it. I gave it a good effort, but it was just so very dull, and ultimately I decided that life is too short to be this bored.

No star-rating. I don’t think it’s fair to star-rate something I DNF’d.

The production was smooth, and the narrator was fine.

[J Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story with some nice twists.

The book deals with PC Jake Tanner's first day at a new posting. It moves along at breakneck pace to its tense conclusion. There are well rounded descriptions of the characters and of the settings.

[Barbara Birchall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost there

Interesting but I wonder if this is how it works. A new, young detective given so much scope to an on going investigation of this magnitude. A little unbelievable but a fast paced novel.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Jake Tanner title. Previously released as The Conspiracy. Fast paced book and you actually wonder how all that happens can do so in such a short period of time. There’s definitely no shortage of action.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this book on Audible. Good listen. Great narration.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Docked a star because it ended in a cliff hanger. Up until then it was a good police thriller.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 7/23 Originally titled “The Conspiracy.”

[Sam C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read .

Enjoyed this book very much. Like the characters of Jake Tanner . Have not read any Jack Probyn books before but will certainly read more.

[S D Lawrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent crime drama with so many twists and turns. I can see this being made into a series.

[Debbie Lawrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping crime story that had me hooked from the beginning.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

On his first day in a new post, DC Jake Tanner, is thrown into the deep end, as a smash and grab robbery turns into a mad dash man hunt.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

DC Jake Tanner's first day in the Guildford Major Crime Team. And the criminals known as The Crimsons have hit a local jewellery shop. Killing one female and taking hostage another. Can the team captive the Crimsons and save the hostage having found that they have a corrupt team member, but who is it.
An entertaining modern mystery. A good start to this series.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read

A great book. Easy to read but difficult to put down! An interesting plot with lots of twists and turns. You really feel like you get to know the characters. It'll be interesting to see how they develop throughout the series.