Amazon Blurb

You think you know him. Until he’s dead.

When Cameron Swift is gunned down outside his family home, DC Beth Chamberlain is appointed Family Liaison Officer: a dual role that requires her to support the family, and also investigate them.

As the case unfolds and the body count climbs, Beth discovers that nothing is quite as it appears and everyone, it seems, has secrets.

Even the dead…

My Review

My favourite genre of crime writing is the police procedural, and all the better if it has a strong female protagonist. Consequently I was delighted to discover that After He’s Gone has both, plus having read and enjoyed previous books by the author it was all boding well. Happily I was not disappointed.

The blurb gives you the basics and I’m not intending to reveal much more, the twisty plot with all its secrets are there to be discovered by the reader and not spoiled by me.

What I will say, is that the unfolding plot was one that kept me gripped on several fronts. The investigation to discover exactly why, seemingly respectable, loving family man Cameron Swift was gunned down offered a number of intriguing lines of enquiry. What quickly became apparent was that Mr Swift was not all that he appeared to be. For me, it was these surfacing personal revelations about his family and private life that really kept me wanting to know more. DC Beth Chamberlain in her role as Family Liaison Officer was ideally placed to unravel what was from the outset a surprising and fascinating turn of events.

I loved Beth as a character, she is warm and compassionate and yet nobody’s fool. She is doggedly determined to seek out the truth. Refreshingly, she is also not carrying the baggage that often hampers many protagonists. Her role offers an insight that is often sidelined as we get to see the more personal side of police work. While we’re party to the details of the main investigation, courtesy of an ‘interesting’ relationship between Beth and her Sergeant, it takes back seat to Beth’s viewpoint. The reveal, when it finally came was an unseen, yet plausible one that offered a satisfactory resolution to the investigation.

Happily, there is to be another outing for DC Beth Chamberlain, and this book left several personal and professional question marks that offer scope for development, over and above any future investigations.

All in all a really enjoyable, satisfying and engaging read, that gave me a new character to follow with interest.

Many thanks to the author for my review copy.