Title: Shooting Season
Author: David J. Gatward
ISBN: B08XN7HX3P
Publisher: Weirdstone Publishing
Pages: 328
Source: Review Copy from Publisher
Tour Organiser: Random Things Tours
When thriller writer Charlie Baker disappears after launching his latest novel, it looks to DCI Harry Grimm like the fame went to his head—and the booze, too.
Until Charlie turns up dead, a post-mortem reveals something more sinister than suicide, and Harry is faced with too many suspects and not enough answers.
With shocking secrets to expose, unthinkable pasts to uncover, and his own darkness to finally put to rest, revealing the killer’s identity could well turn out to be the most challenging case of Harry’s career.
Assuming that he still has one once’s he’s dealt with his own murderous father . . .
Official Summary
Shooting Season has the feel of an old school “whodunnit” crime mystery. Reading this book brought to mind childhood memories of watching Murder She Wrote. This is a wonderfully colourful story filled with the most amazing views along the way.
I have unfortunately not read any of the other books in the Harry Grimm series, but this did not stop me from enjoying this one. The author takes his time describing scenery that leaves you wishing you could travel to this beautiful part of the world. I loved the views he described and found myself closing my eye imagining every detail.
Charlie Baker, a famous author arrives in town to launch his new book. After a fan accuses him of using a ghostwriter, Charlie is distraught, drinks too much and disappears. When his body is found, and the autopsy reveals that he was murdered, Harry and his team have their hands full. Dealing with the eccentric group of people who travelled with Charlie, Harry soon discovers that they are not as truthful as they should be. Can Harry and the team get to the bottom of what really happened to Charlie, or will his group of friends manage to keep their secrets hidden?
Shooting Season was a light, easy read that left me wanting to plan a trip to the dales. The author did a marvellous job of describing the scenery making the book all the more enjoyable. I liked the characters and found myself eager to discover who was behind Charlie’s death. There were so many little secrets along the way I could not put the book down.
DCI Harry Grimm, with his damaged face and abrupt nature, quickly turns into a favourite. This character carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and as the pieces of his past are revealed, he crawls into your heart. DCI Harry Grimm is a complex character which I think the author did a wonderful job creating.
I lost myself in the scenery described in this book, sometimes so deeply that I battled to focus on the story. Towards the end, when Harry is finally fitting the pieces of the puzzle together, I could not help think about Jessica Fletcher, the Murder She Wrote character created by Angela Lansbury. (Wow, that is a blast from the past). Shooting Season is a wonderful mix of old and new making it a delightful read. I loved the time I spend with Harry Grimm and his team and look forward to reading more of the books in this series.
Crime/Mystery fans need to add this title to their to be read pile. Shooting Season is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages as you try to figure out “whodunnit”!
Other Books in the Series:
About The Author
Author bio from the author’s site
My life was changed by a book I read when I was around ten years old: The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner. So, if you don’t like anything I write, blame Alan. I know I do. I’d loved reading before I wandered into that particular world of myth and magic, but it was in those pages, I believe, that I found myself thinking, ‘I want to do this with words as well.’
As to my love of horror? It starts with Dr Seuss. Combine his book, What was I scared of?, with the Vug Under The Rug, from There’s A Wocket In My Pocket, and the creature the two children find ‘in the park, in the dark’, from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and I think that’s where the seeds were set. What followed was, and is, an unholy mess of all of the following, and more: Sam Rami’s Evil Dead; HP Lovecraft’s cosmic horror; Hammer films; the Bible and growing up in the church; Susan Hill’s The Woman In Black; Clive Barker’s The Hellbound Heart & the Hellraiser movies; Dark Matter by Michelle Paver; Jake West’s Evil Aliens; Sid James in What A Carve Up; that 80s movie Angel Heart; Coffin Joe; all of Rob Zombie’s movies; Stephen King; Gary Braunbeck; my good friend and writer Paul Edwards (trust me, he’s very, very good), and goodness knows what else. Oh, and I’ve seen a few ghosts.
In 1992, my first book was published. I was 18. These two things combined with all the calm of a tube of Mentos in a bottle of Coke and I never lost the bug of seeing my stuff in print or of being involved in publishing. A few more books, a number of publishing jobs, and many years later, Hodder Children’s published my Dead trilogy. Since then I’ve written for publishers including Puffin, Random House, and OUP, worked as a ghost-writer, had a good number of short horror stories published, and even appeared on a special edition DVD box set about Hellraiser to talk about Clive Barker’s amazing writing. The journey now continues with Padre, a rather more grown-up horror series, following the descent into darkness of an ex-special forces soldier turned military chaplain.
So that’s me, really. And when I’m not doing any of the above, I’m probably hanging out with my two boys, my partner, and our daft dog, making homemade pizza, training for a triathlon I swore I’d never do, having Nerf Blaster battles, camping, wild swimming, SUP-boarding, or cooking up some sausages on a little Firebox Stove on Hive Beach, Dorset.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review of Shooting Season. Do you have a favourite DCI Harry Grimm book? Leave a comment below.
Thank you – Anne Cater, from Random Things Tours – for including me in this blog tour, it’s always a pleasure to participate. You always send me an author I have never read before and I love how my reading pallet is expanding.
Until next time…. Happy Reading!
Interesting review – thanks!
Thank you
Hugest thanks for your blog tour support x
It’s a pleasure