I am delighted to share my review today for Games People Play by Owen Mullen. I do like this authors books and this latest one is a cracking read.

My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy via NetGalley.

When a baby is stolen from a Scottish beach, private investigator Charlie Cameron reluctantly agrees to take the case.

While her parents are just yards away, thirteen-month-old Lily Hamilton is abducted from Ayr beach in Scotland. Three days later, her distraught father turns up at private investigator Charlie Cameron’s office. Mark Hamilton believes he knows who has taken his daughter. And why.

Against his better judgment, Charlie takes the case—and when bodies are discovered, he suspects this may not be an isolated crime. Is there a serial killer whose work has gone undetected for decades? Is baby Lily his latest victim? Charlie won’t be able to give up on this case. Memories and guilt from his childhood won’t let him…

Owen Mullen is a best-selling author of psychological and gangland thrillers. His fast-paced, twist-aplenty stories are perfect for all fans of Robert Galbraith, Ian Rankin and Ann Cleeves.

Purchase Link –Amazon

My Review…

With a very dramatic prologue opening this story I found myself quickly drawn into this authors latest book. A story of a missing child is only the very start of describing the storyline for this opener to a new series featuring Charlie Cameron, a Private Investigator.

When mark, the father of missing 13 month old Lily turns up on Charlie’s doorstep asking for help alarm bells start to ring. Why would Mark asked for Chalire’s help when the police are already active in the case? Deep down Charlie knows he should walk away, it brings memories back they Charlie still hasn’t dealt with.

A missing child, dark secrets, and devious and intriguing “other events” that make up this story are brilliantly worked together to give the reader quite an intense reading journey. This is a slow burner and one that involves quite a few characters that did take me a while to get my head around.

The author has woven a tale that involves the past and there are secrets involved that need to be worked through. I do like the slower pacing of this story as it gives the reader a chance to get completely absorbed. Alongside the missing child, Charlie still has other cases that are brought to him. Being a Private Investigator is what Charlie is, so taking on several cases is what he does. It is mentioned in the story that it is often a feast or famine type of business, and it is definitely a case of a feast with several to juggle. Good job he has a couple of friends to give a helping hand.

As I mentioned this is a novel that has various threads, one of which is Charlie himself, his personal life and gradually more of his past. This is interwoven into the other plots. It does mean that the investigations do alternate, for me, it gave a more complete character, showing his working and home life balance.

This is a brilliant book that is a mix of crime, mystery and personal life and one that I thoroughly enjoyed, I do like the slower pace of this story. At times I did want it to move on quicker but that was because I was impatient to get answers to the questions. Forcing myself to slow my reading was great because it meant I could get into the storyline. This is one for those who like a slower-paced crime, mystery read and one I would defiantly recommend. It has left me looking forward to reading more in this series.

About the Author…

Owen Mullen is a highly regarded crime author who splits his time between Scotland and the island of Crete.  In his earlier life he lived in London and worked as a musician and session singer. He has now written seven books and his first gangland thriller for Boldwood, Family  will be published in January 2021.

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