The Dead

Set in Newcastle, Howard Linskey's The Dead follows mob boss David Blake as his control over his criminal empire is tested to the limit.  A dead police officer's daughter, a dodgy accountant, a group of Serbians and a crazy Russian Oligarch are all causing problems for Blake.  Not to mention that his wife Sarah has started asking questions as to what really happened to her father, the former head of the firm, just as Blake starts looking for answers about his own missing dad.

The Dead is not a book that I would typically buy or check out from the library, and I haven't read Linskey's previous two novels that feature the character of David Blake.  Yet I couldn't stop reading and found myself swept away by Linskey's narrative.  There's a lot going on plot wise, but each strand is handled well and the momentum just keeps pushing you forward into finding out just how Blake will handle all of his problems.

From the blurb I thought that Linskey would have filled his novel with tons of gratuitous violence. However,  even though there are moments that made me flinch, there's no examples of violence just for violence's sake.  This coupled with Blake not being your typical mob boss made for a much more interesting read.

David Blake's third outing is a perfect holiday read, and there is no need to have read the first two books to be able to enjoy Howard Linskey's latest tale.  Although be warned; you may need to pack another book in your suitcase as you are likely to finish The Dead within a day.