The Last Ride by Nick Louth
11/7/24; 320 pages
Canelo Publishing
Detective Jan Talantire #2
The Last Ride by Nick Louth is a highly recommended procedural and the second book in the DI Jan Talantire series set in Devon and Cornwall.
A stolen Mercedes packed with teenagers crashes at high speed on the southern edge of Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. An elderly WWII veteran lives by the crash, reports it, and manages to pull one of the teens out of the wreckage. DI Jan Talantire happens to be nearby and is the first responder to arrive at the scene to see the crash and assess the victims. Soon others arrive and begin the task of trying to save the surviving teens in the wreckage.
While Talantire begins to look at the tire marks and the trajectory of the crash, a worried mother turns up at the scene of the accident. Her daughter, Jade, a friend of the joyriders, hasn’t been seen since the previous night. The elderly man said he briefly saw a glimpse of a girl running away from the crash when he came out of the house. Could this be more than a case of irresponsible teens?
This detailed, even-paced atmospheric mystery is a meticulously
plotted procedural. The team work well together uncovering clues and
information while carefully collecting forensic evidence to discover
what happened. The pace and tension do pick up significantly as the
novel heads toward the surprising final denouement.
DI Jan Talantire is a fully-realized, engaging character with depth and a personality. She works well with others and is not afraid to stand up for herself with a predatory superior. This is the second book in the series and although it seemed to work as a standalone, it might have been better to start with book one before this. It did feel like I was maybe missing some backstory, although there is a great deal of character development here.
Those who like detailed-oriented procedurals will enjoy The Last Ride. Thanks to Canelo Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
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