Hope Road (1st John Ray crime thriller) [Kindle Edition]

I worked in Leeds for four years so the prospect of a crime thriller set in the city was certainly one that had me interested from the start. John Barlow's Hope Road focuses on a solitary murder and delves into the criminal underworld in North England where one man finds his past will simply not let go.

The primary character is John Ray, the son of crime boss Antonio "Tony" Ray, who is now in a home and his criminal days are over. John stayedout of the family business while his brother Joe was gunned down before him in the family's second hand car dealership which formed a mask for their criminal activities. However, John has made the business legit and has won an award for his efforts. Things become complicated when a young woman is found dead in one of his cars, a stash of money is with her and the prime suspect is one of John's staff, Freddy Metcalfe. To make things more complicated, John has an alibi in the form of his girlfriend, Detective Denise Danson, while a crime boss Lanny Bride also takes an interest in the murdered girl and wants answers. Having desperately tried to leave his past behind, John is thrust back into the dark and gritty criminal underworld in search of the truth.

Hope Road begins quickly and initially it seems Denise Danson may be our central character as she is contacted about a murder but is soon ordered by her superiors to remain off the case. As John's alibi she cannot be involved but despite the suspicions of her peers, Denise doesn't believe John has anything to do with the murder of a young woman, Donna. In turn, John is convinced Freddy is innocent, even after he is arrested and kept in custody for questioning. John's personal investigation leads him to a hotel where Donna frequently visited and to two Ukrainians who John believes are the culprits for the murder.

As the mystery unfolds we have video footage from the hotel, different accounts of events, large stashes of money coming into the country and the ever growing suspicion and threat of the police as John tries to find the truth. His past proves hard to shake off even though John insists the life his father and brother led is not one he followed. John is well-educated and legitimate but somehow that isn't enough for the law. With Freddy in custody and time running out, John finds help from Denise even though their relationship begins to show cracks, as well as another member of John's staff - Connie. With Lanny Bride becoming involved though, can John solve the case before more blood is shed?

I enjoyed Hope Road. It was an intriguing murder mystery from start to finish with a small group of suspects for Donna's murder. I failed to guess who the killer was but there were some surprising revelations towards the end of the novel. It was strange reading about parts of Leeds that I know and have seen with my own eyes and with this being part of a series of books, I will look forward to further instalments.

Hope Road is a good murder mystery that moves along at a fast pace and carefully unfolds the story of Donna's last days and her death. A small group of suspects will keep the reader guessing and with John having a somewhat shady past you will be left wondering if he has been involved in any way.

This novel is brilliantly written, skilfully crafted, and intriguing. It takes an admittedly fictitious look at the underbelly of crime in the Leeds area and the relationships of the criminals with the police, and leads the reader through a complex, almost tortuous, series of twists and turns to an ending which, though clear, really doesn't form a conclusion. The scene is set for more novels in this series... A wonderful read, rungs above your average detective story.

Really great read. I would recommend to any one who likes good British crime books? Really hope there is more to come like this book.