I am delighted to share my review today for A Lifetime Ago by Jim Ody. This is the first book in a new series, a crime mystery story that I really enjoyed.

My huge thanks to Zoe at Zooloo’s Book Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my e-copy via Question Mark Press.

This is a tale about how the events of one day have such catastrophic consequences on the future.

Hudson Bell is a consultant for the police. A former DI, he spends his days helping to find missing children.

May and her son go on a road trip to celebrate his birthday; Robert and Nadia buy their dream house by the sea.

But as each look to enjoy a new life, none of them can shake off what happened on that fateful day. One of them blames the others and will stop at nothing to seek revenge.

One accident and five lives changed forever.

Purchase Links – AMAZON UK – US

MY REVIEW…

This is a fabulous introduction to Hudson Bell in this new series. Hudson is an ex-Detective, he was a well respected and esteemed man. However and the incident has left him traumatised, he now works as a consultant. This suits him better and he can still help those in need.

Hudson is one of those characters that is trying to overcome events from the past. Often this is one of the things with a police-style story, but I have to say that the background the author has woven for Hudson is definitely traumatic. Even though he is not directly involved with the day to day police work he does get cases handed over. They are cold cases and they involve missing children.

This is a story that flits across timelines and between characters, I did find this kept throwing me as I don’t always read the chapter headings. My fault entirely, it did make me have to backtrack a couple of times, so be warned – read the headings!

This isn’t a simple or straightforward case, this case, in particular, has been nagging at Hudson. It is one that is not straightforward and it definitely has twists. This becomes even more twisted as the other characters bring their sections into the story.

I did like the character of Hudson, he definitely grew on me as discovered more about him. There is another character, Jez, he is brilliant, has no filter, says what he thinks and is at times hilarious. Jez adds a sounding board element, as well as being a quick release from the tension of the story. I did like the interaction between these two, Hudson definitely needs Jez in his life.

This is quite a fast-paced story that will keep you reading, when you think you have things sussed, well you won’t have! Twist upon twist, they just kept coming. Nothing is quite as it seems and this makes it a very intriguing read. I did think it wrapped up a little too quick.

This is one for those that like crime thrillers that have a police element to them, it does have a bit of a Private Detective feel and I liked this. Looking forward to seeing where this series goes, It is one I would happily recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Jim writes dark psychological/thrillers, Horror and YA books that have endings you won’t see coming, and favours stories packed with wit. He has written over a dozen novels and many more short-stories spanning many genres.
Jim has a very strange sense of humour and is often considered a little odd. When not writing he will be found playing the drums, watching football and eating chocolate. He lives with his long-suffering wife, three beautiful children and two indignant cats in Swindon, Wiltshire UK.

Follow him at – Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – Amazon

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