This one was a real page-turner, and it kept me guessing until the end. I really enjoyed the unique take on a detective novel from the private sector side.

About the Book

Abductions and murder are not what ex-DCI Luke Sackville expected when he left the police after tragedy struck his family.

Luke’s return to the workplace was meant to be a soft landing but when a woman vanishes after being accused of taking bribes, he is assigned a disparate team and tasked with tracking her down.

Their search becomes more urgent when her disappearance is linked to the death of a second woman. When a third goes missing the hunt becomes a race against time. Luke’s return to work presents him with the most challenging case of his career as the murder victims mount.

Murder and intrigue are peppered with humour in this fast-paced crime thriller set in and around the beautiful city of Bath in the southwest of England.

Taken to the Hills is the first in the Luke Sackville crime series. If you like a team you can root for then you’ll love this page-turner. Perfect for fans of JD Kirk, LJ Ross, JM Dalgleish and David J Gatward.

My Thoughts

I think this was probably one of the funniest thrillers I’ve ever read. Overall, it wasn’t funny in a general sense – like the storyline wasn’t funny. But the writing and the characters offered comic relief in just the right places to make a darkly comedic story that was thrilling, kept me turning pages, and wanting more. Which is good, because it’s billed as a series. And it’s always horrible when you want more of something and can’t ever get it.

While like most thrillers and crime fiction stories, there was a main detective and a main crime to be solved, this story was much more of an ensemble cast than some others I’ve read. I really enjoyed this and look forward to seeing more of the team that was built in this first installment. Each of our characters is trying to overcome something – from the death of a beloved spouse to “the menopause” and everything in between. It’s a great collection of characters with personal issues ripe with storylines.

I really appreciate the interesting angle this story is taking as well. It’s not unusual for detective stories to utilize the ex-cop trope. But I’ve not read one that places the cop within a company like this as an ethics investigator. It’s a unique take, and I really enjoyed it. The only complaint I can somewhat lodge is the motivations of the villain seemed off, but that is unfortunately life sometimes. And it’s what makes life so scary. Stories like this help remind us to be kind, but also that sometimes even that isn’t enough.

I am so grateful to the author and Love Books Tours for including me in this tour, and I can’t wait for the next installment! If the author has any other books I’ll definitely be checking those out. If not, I’ll be (probably not-so) patiently waiting for the next adventure in this series.

Who’s It For?

If you’re a detective novel lover, this is a great read. This is the start of an exciting new series with a great detective in the lead. He is unique, has his quirks, and his specialties. His supporting team is awesome, his family is great, and he has a sweet pup.

Content Warnings: Kidnapping, Abusive Language, Adult Language, Partner and Parent Death, Murder, Suicide, Hostile Workplace Environment, Sexual Assault, and More

Question of the Day

What is the last funny book you read? What kind of humor was it?

About the Author

(From the Author)

Let’s get one thing straight: my name’s Steve. I’ve never been called ‘SJ’ but Steve Richards is a political writer hence the pen name.

I was born in Bath and have lived at various times on an irregular clockwise circle around England. After university in Manchester my wife and I settled in Macclesfield before moving to Bedfordshire then a few years ago back to Somerset. We now live in Croscombe, a lovely village just outside Wells, with our 2 sprightly cocker spaniels.

I’ve always loved writing but have only really had the time to indulge myself since taking early retirement. My daughter is a brilliant author (I’m not biased of course) which is both an inspiration and – because she’s so good – a challenge. After a few experiments, and a couple of completed but unsatisfactory and never published novels, I decided to write a crime fiction series as it’s one of the genres I most enjoy.

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