Synopsis
With a reputation for solving bizarre murders Detective Inspector Jonah Pennance, recently transferred to the National Crime Agency, is brought in to investigate the mysterious death of celebrity fund manager, Grady Carnegie – choked to death, then his body arranged and ready for a wake.
Then a second corpse turns up under identical circumstances – that of washed-up investigative reporter, Stan Thewlis. But how are the two men connected?
Soon, Pennance’s partner, Sergeant Simone Smithson, comes under suspicion for the deaths – the evidence seems overwhelming. To save her Pennance must determine what role the shadowy organisation Blackthorn plays and who is in the background, pulling all the strings…
My Review
I have been a fan of Keith’s work for a while now. I have read most of his books and I have really enjoyed them. I must admit that I have a particular soft spot for the new series featuring Detective inspector Jonah Pennance. I read and loved the first book in the series which is called ‘Blood Sentence’ and it was released in February 2022. When I heard that Keith was due to release another book in the series, I knew that I had to grab a copy and read it just as soon as I could. Well ladies and gents the wait is over because the second book in the series is called ‘Dead Money’ and it was released on 17th June 2022. It’s another cracker of a read, which I thoroughly enjoyed but more about that in a bit.
I must admit that I have developed something of a soft spot for Detective Inspector Jonah Pennance. He is a policeman with many years experience behind him. He comes across as a bit of a loner and a tad eccentric. He also seems like a bit of a rebel and occasionally has problems with those in authority. Jonah is determined, stubborn and he doesn’t care who he upsets during the course of an investigation- particularly if they get in his way or if he feels they aren’t telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Jonah gets results and he has one of those brilliant analytical brains that can see things that others miss.
It took me no time at all to get into ‘Dead Money’. In fact seeing Keith’s name on the cover of a book that I hadn’t yet read was enough to draw me in. As soon as I started reading I knew that I wasn’t going to be doing anything other than reading for the rest of the day. I just couldn’t put the book down. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. This book seemed to develop a hold over me and it was a hold that I wasn’t willing to break. I had my own theories as to what was going to happen and I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered off in the opposite direction. I must admit that I found myself becoming way too involved in the story to the extent that I tried to interact with the characters as if they could hear me and I kept cheering Jonah on – particularly when he was ruffling feathers. I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘Dead Money’ and I had to say a temporary farewell to Detective Inspector Jonah Pennance. I found ‘Dead Money’ to be a tense, gripping and dramatic read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Dead Money’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing else from Keith Nixon. Keith certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a compelling story and then some. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. Reading ‘Dead Money’ felt like being on one heck of a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns to it than you would find on a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ board. I love the way in which Keith makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action. That’s how I felt at any rate. The series featuring Detective Inspector Jonah Pennance goes from strength to strength.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Dead Money’ and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Keith’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
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