The Night Whistler - Greg Woodland

The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Night Whistler is set in Australia in the 1960's. Despite being a Brit, living in New Zealand in 2020, there was something about the writing that sets that time and place very vividly. We're not just told that's where and when it is, but you can feel it too. The story focuses on what starts as a pet killing and nuisance caller and progresses into murder. Told from the point of view of disgraced detective Mick and young teenager Hal.
With much of the story being told from a younger person's viewpoint, there's always the danger that it becomes simplistic or childish, but that wasn't the case here. Hal's discoveries worked alongside Mick's as the story unfolds.
I have to admit that I hadn't worked out who was behind it all by the time everything was revealed. Mostly because I'd actually forgotten about this one character, he was quite shadowy and in the background with other people pushing him out the way. I think that this was probably intentional.
This was a great read and once I started I wasn't keen to put it down. This is a gripping read that draws you in completely with a well-drawn setting and compelling characters.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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The Twisted Web - Rebecca Bradley

The Twisted Web by Rebecca Bradley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I so enjoy the DI Hannah Robbins series by Rebecca Bradley. I usually keep an eye out for when my favourite series have books due out, but I'd missed this one. Fortunately, for me, I'm on the ARC team for Rebecca Bradley and I had a lovely gift a week or so ago of a copy of the latest in the series in my inbox.
As in the previous books, Hannah is faced with a killer causing mayhem on the streets of Nottingham. I have to admit that I don't remember quite so many killers being on the local news when I was back home in the East Midlands, but I'm not going to complain when it creates great books like this. This time he has an axe to grind about social media and is attempting to turn a mirror on itself so that it will learn the error of its ways. I think we already know that that is not going to end well.
One of the things I love about these books is that they are very Nottingham. It's not just the local landmarks and places, but also the language. Of course, Hannah has a bacon cob for breakfast (or rather she doesn't she lets it sit there while she gets on with work, which is a little mad). I am from somewhere not too far away myself, so perhaps I have more a fondness for this kind of things than others might. Having said that, I do like to feel that books really belong to where they claim to be from and this one does it and then some.
Unlike some crime books, we the reader know who's done it and why from the beginning, but I like reading about Hannah trying to work that out and put a stop to it. I can't wait for the next in the series and to read more about DI Hannah Robbins and her team.

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