Blog Tour: Paid In Blood by Susan Handley

Synopsis

A dead celebrity loved by the nation.
A blind detective with something to prove.

When a well-loved celebrity is found murdered at a glitzy art event, DI Matt Fisher is faced with his first big case since being blinded in an acid-attack. Despite most people thinking his return to his old job is an impossible task, Fisher is determined to prove them wrong.

With his guide dog Luna at his side and the assistance of eager yet inexperienced DC Beth Nightingale, Fisher must find a way to see through the lies and expose a ruthless killer.

He’s had his fair share of bad luck in the past but has always managed to bounce back. Can he do it again, or are his days as a detective numbered?

About The Author

Susan Handley grew up in the Midlands and now lives in a small village in rural Kent with her husband and two rescue cats, Charlie and Porridge (aka Podge).

As a child, Susan devoured anything crime related: books, films, TV shows and even games (anyone remember electronic detective? – a game Susan professes to have been a whizz at). Although she had dreamt of becoming a pathologist like Quincy (one of her favourite shows growing up), Susan went on to study chemistry and went as far as getting her doctorate in it. Soon, however, she came to the conclusion that lab work wasn’t for her and went on to have a successful career in finance.

It was during her time at university, on learning that her mother had finally read the complete collection of Agatha Christie’s classic crime novels, Susan bought a second-hand Olivetti and attempted to write one of her own, intent on giving it to her mother as a Christmas present. Susan readily confesses the end result left a lot to be desired but says it did whet her appetite for crime writing. Over the years that followed, she never stopped dreaming of becoming an author and after many years of writing at night she finally published her debut novel: A Confusion of Crows, the first of her books to feature one-time marine biologist now turned detective Cat McKenzie. She has written a further two novels in the DC Cat McKenzie mystery series. The second, Feather and Claw, sees Cat holidaying with a friend in sunny Cyprus, though things take a sinister turn after a fellow guest is found dead. In the third book of the series, The Body Politic, Cat investigates the murder of a local councillor but it’s the links to a member of her own family that leaves her wondering whether you ever really know anyone at all.

Susan’s most recent novel is Paid in Blood, the first in a new series to feature DI Matt Fisher. DI Fisher was en route to being one of the country’s top scorers in football’s premier league until injury forced him from the pitch and into the police force. And it was working out well, until he put himself between a young woman and a terrorist brandishing a bottle of acid. Now blind, Fisher finds himself fighting to keep his job, so when a beautiful celebrity is found dead at a glitzy art event, he’s determined to figure out who did it and prove he can still hack it as a detective.

In addition to the DC Cat McKenzie series, Susan has published two crime fiction anthologies: Crime Bites (volumes 1 and 2). She has also published a novella set at the height of the Californian gold, The Secret of Snake Pass, which is published under the name S.J. Handley.

When Susan’s not indulging in her love of writing crime fiction she loves walking (the hillier the better), bike riding (the flatter the better) and tending her garden, especially her veggie patch.

My Thoughts

Thank you to Zoé at Zooloo’s book tours and the author for a free copy of the book with a request for an honest review.

I read a lot of crime fiction, as you may know if you read any of my posts, but I’ve never read one with physical disability representation. The notion of a blind detective really intrigued me as sight is an integral sense being able to pick apart a crime scene. From reading the acknowledgements, Susan Handley did consult a blind person who uses a guide dog who read the book and advised to help with accuracy which leads me to believe that it would be a good representation of the blind experience, but I would be interested to know if any blind readers have read it and what they thought of the representation. I’m also really interested to know if there are any blind detectives in the police in the UK.

The story opens when an Olympic diver turned artist is murdered at a charity auction. The action alternates from DI Matt Fishers POV to other characters who are investigating or present at the scene of the crime. I like books with multiple POVs as I think they make the plot really exciting and I like getting to know all the characters.

DI Matt Fisher was a great character. A former footballer, he joined the police force after injury put an end to his career and he was blinded by an acid attack in the line of duty. His marriage has broken down. His DCI is out to get him. Even though he was quite surly, I really warmed to him as a character and was rooting for his success.

The writing style was really engaging and it was easy to keep track of the plethora of characters. The plot wasn’t too intricate and it was quite believable, too, so it was very easy to get engrossed in the story. I read the book over one weekend as I couldn’t put it down!

Although I didn’t feel like the plot kept me on my toes as much as some other crime novels I’ve read recently, I really enjoyed the police procedural aspect and getting to know the characters. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for other books by Susan Hadley in the future!