Blog Tour stop for this very original and thrilling crime story
#Geraldine @rararesources
" A body is found on the foreshore of the Thames... But is the part of a recent spree of hate crimes?"
Synopsis
Hatred is such a nasty thing - we all deplore it in others but do not necessarily recognise it in ourselves.
At what point does resentment, jealousy, betrayal or humiliation turn into anger and then grow to an all consuming hatred?
Hatred can be slow, taking years to fester, or can explode in seconds – it can linger for a lifetime or wither in seconds of its conception.
Inspector Matthew Merry and Sergeant Julie Lukula have to deal with the consequences of violence and murder on a daily basis and in the case of Gerry Driver they both see that hatred is the prime motive.
But is it, as Julie thinks, one of a series of hate crimes that has led to this killing? Or, is Matthew right in saying, ‘Driver’s death is undoubtedly a hate filled crime but I’m just not convinced that there are sufficient links to suggest it is part of a pattern of hate crimes.’
Only time and their investigation, which takes as many twists and turns as the Thames does along it course through London and past Wapping Old Stairs, will tell.
My Review
Having read the author’s first book – The Fourth Victim I was very excited to be asked to take part in this tour and the next story featuring DI Matthew Merry and DS Julie Lukula.
To say this is an original story is an understatement what i love most about John Meads writing is his brilliantly original story-lines and the way he shows such a unique side to to London itself.
In this story a body found in the Thames Geraldine AKA Gerald in life, a female impersonator about it hit it big so who would suddenly want her dead? .
We are thrown in to the world of cabaret clubs and pubs and the life styles of drag acts and impersonators. friends with secrets and a powerful family added to the mix along with the shocking stories and actions of hate crimes withing the LGBTQ+ community .
police suspects are lacking and the case just seems to falter at every turn leading on to some fantastic twists and building to a great ending for a very difficult case which as a whole only makes this read even more interesting.
One thing I wanted to mention was while the procedural elements and the crime in the story are fantastic but I just hate the main male character in DI Mathew Merry! He utterly makes my skin crawl, He treats every woman he meets as a sexual object, He’s also not a good husband he reacts shockingly to an event he does seem to make more of an effort as the story gores on but it was far to little to late for me, my dislike of him drove me insane!
I guess this might show more of the authors talent for character development as all his characters feel so real that where I felt all the emotions for many of the characters I also felt so much dislike for DI Merry!
I enjoyed this read even more that the authors first and I cannot wait to get stick in to more!
Author Bio
John was born in the mid-fifties in East London, on part of the largest council estate ever built, and was the first pupil from his local secondary modern school to attend university.
He has now taken early retirement to write, having spent the first part of his life working in education and the public sector.
He was the director of a college, a senior school inspector for a local authority, and was head of a unit for young people with physical and mental health needs.
He has travelled extensively, from America to Tibet, and he enjoys visiting the theatre, reading and going to the pub.
It is, perhaps, no surprise that he is an avid ‘people watcher’ and loves to find out about people, their lives, culture and history.
When he is not travelling, going to the theatre or the pub; he writes.
Many of the occurrences recounted and the characters found in his novels are based on real incidents and people he has come across. Although he has allowed himself a wide degree of poetic licence in writing about the main characters, their motivations and the killings that are depicted.
John is currently working on a series of novels set in modern day London. These police procedurals examine the darker side of modern life in the East End of the city.
Purchase Links
Social media links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnMeadAuthor
Amazon author profile: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B07B8SQ2ZH
Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17891273.John_Mead
Giveaway
Giveaway to Win 3 x Paperback copies of Geraldine by John Mead (UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Blog Tour
Thank you to the Publisher and Author for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel and for the opportunity to review these works.
All reviews are my own unbiased opinion.
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