In a world filled with detective stories both on TV and in books, Simon Mason’s The Broken Afternoon stands out as a fast-paced rollercoaster of a novel. I haven’t read the other book in this series but I’ll be borrowing it from the library as soon as I can. Loved it!” I did find the scenes between Ray and his wife quite humorous, and how Ryan interacted with his infant son endearing. Despite the fact that sometimes life doesn't always go as expected, these two manage to make the best of it. Ryan in particular is a star in this. This humour brought balance to the yet heavy theme of the book. The story is pacy and exciting and I seemed to finish the book in no time! I was glued to my seat and stayed up late to finish it! I particularly liked the drip-feeding of clues before the race to find the culprit reaches its conclusion. I didn’t like that the two main characters have the same name though, I found this confusing and unnecessary”

When an old friend of his appears in an agitated state whilst he is on guard duty, Ryan decides to investigate. With thanks to the author, publishers Quercus, and NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this work in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. A very descriptive, gripping writing style, full of anger and emotion. without ever getting boring anywhere, with great attention to detail, and well-developed, likable two main characters. A four-year-old girl goes missing in plain sight outside her nursery in Oxford, a middle-class, affluent area,

The Broken Afternoon

This is the sort of book you just don’t want to put down. It goes into very dark areas at times when looking into the disappearance of the little girl, snatched by a paedophile. It shows a different side to Oxford, not the pretty tourist university’s town which most readers imagine. This story is maybe a bit more thoughtful than Book 1 and concerns child abduction, a hit-and-run killing and police mistakes. It also offers more insight into the lives of the two protagonists, especially DI Raymond Wilkins as he struggles with problems at home and work. Ryan, of course, is struggling with a low-paid, undemanding job that’s slowly killing him with boredom, so when he inadvertently finds himself on the periphery of a police investigation, he just can’t resist helping things along. The author hits the nail on the head with his statement: 'we are thoughtless about what is the most precious to us...' [red] The senior investigating officer (SIO) is DI Raymond Wilkins a stylish and personable officer who is going to be fully immersed in the case, his wife Dianne being pregnant and twins. As the case intensifies and takes a darker twist solving it becomes an obsession, one he ends up staking his career and reputation on. Determination comes at a cost though as he neglects Dianne by missing her prenatal appointments and not giving her the attention she needs, they start to drift apart. Ray begins to delve deeper, unearthing an underground network of criminal forces in the local area. But while Ray’s investigation stalls Ryan brings his unique talents to unofficial and quite illegal inquiries which will bring him into a confrontation with the very officials who have thrown him out of the force.

I haven’t read the first book in this series but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of The Broken Afternoon at all – it was an easy read, with relatable characters and an exciting conclusion and I was able to dive straight in without feeling I’d missed a step” A truly, phenomenal thriller, I stayed up late to finish the story. Really good writing, (I am familiar with his children’s books), this thriller comes highly recommended! The Broken Afternoon is the second instalment in the series that introduced the partnership of DIs Wilkins and Wilkins (no relation) of the Thames Valley police force in A Killing in November. I am sorry to not have read the first book, because The Broken Afternoon is the best contemporary police procedural I have read in a very long time.

By Stuart MacBride

Could the two things be related? And can Ryan manage his anger for long enough to get himself reinstated as a detective? I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Broken Afternoon, the second novel to feature DI Ray Wilkins and former DI Ryan Wilkins of Thames Valley Police.