Police partners, D.I. Calladine and D.S. Ruth Bayliss face one of their toughest challenges yet. A group of homeless people have set up camp in the grounds of a disused cotton mill belonging to local businessman Damien Chase.

But one of the men is not what he seems. He has a secret he will do anything to cover up. And once Calladine and Bayliss investigate, they find the crimes go much further than they could have ever imagined.

When I saw Dead Lost reviewed on another blog (sorry, I forget which one), it sounded like a book I would enjoy. Then, browsing Netgalley, I came across a copy and it felt like fate (or at least good luck!) – I was obviously meant to read it.

I’m glad I did because it’s a really good piece of crime writing with interesting characters and multiple storylines that all come together in the end through a clever set of twists and turns.

Helen H. Durrant does a great job of building the tension, starting with a homeless man who comes to a slighly sad and brutal end and weaving in tales of human trafficing and police corruption along the way.

It was also nice to see a team working together rather than a lone detective doing his own thing regardless of anyone else and a central character in Calladine who isn’t a loner or an alcoholic. The group dynamic gave it a different feelI liked and I could see this as a TV show.

Saying all that, there is a small part of me that wished I hadn’t been quite so lucky in getting a copy as, for me, this isn’t a book that completely stands alone. The fourth in the series, one plot line built on what happened in a previous book and I wished I knew more, especially about the central detective Calladine’s relationship with his cousin and local drug lord Ray Fallon.

Still, this is a minor gripe and wouldn’t stop me recommending the book. Liked it a lot.

Emma