Torn Apart by M A Comley

Torn Apart by M.A. Comley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 198

Blurb from Goodreads

Everyone understands about the no-go districts--areas of the city so overrun with gang violence even the police stay away. In this book, the first in a new series, DI Hero Nelson sets out to combat the issue. When Saskia Hartley and her nine-year-old son are run down outside a restaurant, DI Nelson knows it is no ordinary hit-and-run incident. He's looking at a homicide case... and the evidence points to the brutal Krull Gang. When two prostitutes are murdered, but little interest is given to the women on the Krull's payroll, Nelson connects the dots. DI Nelson has to decide whether he's dealing with a turf war or something far more sinister.

My Review

This is my first dance with this author. The opening scene is pretty traumatic, there is a gang running wild in Manchester and the opening scene shows just how tight their grasp is. They commit a horrific crime, rape and murder and are without fear of punishment or capture. As the tale develops we are given a glimpse into why they have this no fear attitude. DI Hero is our main character with his sidekick Julie, they investigate the crime and murders that follow. After a woman and her child are brutally murdered it seems we have a vigilante on the scene and the police need to clue up to catch them.

This book has a strong, yet uncomfortable and brutal start, you are drawn into a dark culture that the DI is trying to break through despite meeting opposition. However, as the book progresses and we are exposed to the main characters the plot weakens, I knew really quickly who the killer was and mostly the why. The detective isn't a particularly likable character although as the story develops he does get better, well his attitude to his family. His investigative techniques reminded me of a mix between Inspector Clouseau of the pink panther and Columbo without the wit.

Despite the negatives, the story itself was engaging, dark, horrific and if the dialog between the detective had ran more smoothly with a bit more input about why the higher up authorities were loathe to go into the estate, I would have ranked this book higher. I like to have my I's dotted and my T's crossed and for a good pat of this book I was left questioning behaviors, attitudes, discussions and actions on a few of the characters however the theme of the story was good and from reading other reviews, I should head back and read the other series by this author. I plan to do this and see how I get on from there, a fair 3/5 for me this time. If you have read this author I would love to hear your thoughts on this one and your recommendations on where to start next. Thanks to #TBConFB for introducing me to a new author and giving me this book to review in exchange for an honest review.

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