Dead North

Sam Williams, Book 1

By: Joel Hames

Narrated by: Andrew Calverley

Two dead cops and a suspect who won’t talk....

Once the brightest star in the legal firmament, Sam Williams has hit rock bottom, with barely a client to his name and a short-term cash problem that's looking longer by the minute. So when he's summoned to Manchester to help a friend crack a case involving the murder of two unarmed police officers and a suspect who won't say a word, he jumps at the chance to resurrect his career.

In Manchester, he'll struggle against resentful locals, an enigmatic defense lawyer who thinks he's stepping on her toes, beatings, corrupt cops, and people who'll do anything to protect their secrets. On its streets, he’ll see people die. But it's in the hills and valleys further north that Sam will face the biggest challenge of all: learning who he really is and facing down the ghosts of his past.

He’s working someone else’s case, and he’s in way over his head. But sometimes, you need the wrong man in the right place.

©2018 Joel Hames (P)2019 Joel Hames

Critic reviews

“In Dead North, Hames’ lawyer turned accidental sleuth, Sam Williams, finds himself far from home and neck deep in Manchester’s seamy gangster scene. But what stands out in this intelligent, intricately woven crime procedural - with a plot to make your brain hurt - is the undercurrent of slick and highly enjoyable humour reminiscent of Raymond Chandler, updated for the 21st century. Loved it.” (S.E. Lynes, author of Mother, Valentina, and The Pact)

“I really enjoyed it. The characters spring of the page with such natural ease. I was gripped by the story - I love a book that takes turns where you least expect. It's going to leave me with a thriller hangover for some time.” (John Marrs, author of The One, The Good Samaritan, and When You Disappeared)

“Hames is such a talent that he has created a white-knuckle, breathlessly-paced read that also has heart. Beautifully written and thrilling, Dead North deserves to go to the top of any chart.” (Louise Beech, author of Maria in the Moon, How to Be Brave, and The Mountain in My Shoe)

A good read

I loved the premise of a lawyer turned investigator and plunged into a world so different from his. My first read by this author. For me, the road to different plot lines felt a bit slow than what I am used to. Saying that, I managed to reach the latter half when the story picked up and had some twists.
I found the narrator okay.
Overall, a good read

Slow start, whiny main character

It was a bit slow to get started and there were some slow parts later in the book but I stuck with it and the fast pace and few twists at the end made it worth my time.

Our main character, Sam Williams, is kinda charming in a whiny sort of way. He’s a complainer and while some of that can be attributed to the run of bad luck he’s had recently, I secretly suspect Sam was a whiny lad as well. He uses sarcasm (which I like) but he uses it all the time, aimed at everyone and everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sam is battling depression. Because of this, I did have a love/hate relationship with him. Sometimes I laughed at a pointed remark, sometimes I nodded right along (agreeing with Sam’s acerbic assessment of the situation), and sometimes I rolled my eyes at angry, ticked-off Sam.

The plot itself was slow to unravel. Sam spends the tale bumbling through things. He uses and irritates and outright abuses his friends and colleagues, and sometimes that’s to work the case and sometimes it’s because he’s in a foul mood. Sam often takes shortcuts, and does so knowing it’s at someone else’s expense.

The ladies are present in this book but for the most part take a back seat. One or two get to make plot-affecting decisions once or twice, but for the most part they are just there for roll call. I didn’t like how Sam treats his girlfriend (who he’s living with and who has supported him through his tough times). While I shouldn’t be surprised that Sam treats her just as roughly as he treats everyone else, this could have been balanced out with other female characters…. if there had been one who didn’t take such smack from Sam.

The last 3 hours or so did give me some unexpected twists and turns and that is what really worked for me. Not only was Sam surprised, but so was I. Over all, it has it’s gruff charm. 3/5 stars.

The Narration: Andrew Calverley makes a really good Sam Williams. He’s got the jaded voice, the cocky attitude, the sarcastic wit. For the most part, he had unique voices for all the characters, though his female character voices could use a bit more differentiation. The ladies did sound like ladies most of the time, though a few times a female character sounded more like a 40 year-old man. The pacing was good and there were no tech issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% my own.

tedious

slow moving, tedious story. uninteresting. couldn't wait for it to end. story drags from the first page. will not buy this author again. narrator did a good job with what he had to work with.