I am delighted to share my review today for The Patient by Tim Sullivan. This is the 3rd book in the DS Cross mysteries, and yep… this is the first one I have read in the series and also by this author.

My huge thanks to the publisher Head of Zeus for granting my request to read this title via NetGalley.

Introducing your new crime thriller fix: Bristol detective DS George Cross, champion of the outsider, the voiceless and the dispossessed.

DS George Cross can be rude, difficult, and awkward with people. But his unfailing logic and dogged pursuit of the truth means his conviction rate is the best on the force. An outsider himself, having been diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder, DS Cross is especially drawn to cases concerning the voiceless and the dispossessed.

Now, Cross is untangling the truth about a young woman who died three days ago. With no fingerprints, no weapon and no witnesses, the Bristol Crime Unit are ready to close the case. The coroner rules suicide: the woman had a long history of drug abuse. But her mother is convinced it was murder: her daughter has been clean and sober for over two years.

DS Cross is determined to defy his bosses and re-open the case, even if it costs him his career. Soon he is mired in a labyrinth of potential suspects – but can he solve the case before his superiors shut it down for good?

MY REVIEW

This is the first time I have read anything from this author, and as seems to be my usual, I am starting mid-series!!! This is the 3rd book in the DS Cross Mysteries series and yep, I wish I had started it from the beginning.

Being introduced to Cross part way through a series was actually quite good in some respects as the characters already know him and his routines and ways. Although I do think the journey from the beginning to book 3 would definitely be interesting knowing what I now know.

Cross, is a brilliant character. He has a very analytical mind, in some ways reminiscent of Holmes in the way he does or says things that don’t quite seem relevant to the rest of the team. The synopsis does mention Cross as having Asperger’s, but as I had read the synopsis sometime ago I had, to be honest, forgotten what the synopsis was apart from knowing it was a police procedural.

Having a character with Asperger’s was great for several reasons, it kept the emotional side out of the way. I know this may sound harsh but it gave the analytical process and the way Cross approaches everything a clean, crisp and more structured way of investigating. The second reason was that it made for some interesting conversations between characters as well as showing how far he has presumably come from the beginning of the series. Thirdly it was great to see someone on the spectrum being positively assisted in the workplace.

Now for the plot. This was brilliant, it was quite a complex one as investigated as suicide is then challenged. This in itself leads to other issues and becomes a subplot as such. The main plot has a great amount of intrigue, the process of Cross trying to work only with facts and not gut instinct is quite refreshing and the balance between the team supports Cross and his traits. I have to say the author, in my opinion, did a great job with Cross. His initial emotionless persona was solid, but there were some subtle inclusions that made him a very, very likeable character.

The rest of the team adds a great balance to this story, they are more traditional in their approach, but they also take on advice and adopt different styles to how they think. This for me gave various different perspectives during the investigation, questioning process and the feel of the story overall.

There was also a more personal story within this one, and this again had me hooked. I think pretty much everything about this story had me hooked. The personal story brought in some additional characters and I admit to having a big lump a couple of times.

Brilliant crime thriller story with a psychological aspect t it. A story that deals with mental health
shows personal growth and is a cracking read. It is one I would definitely recommend, and I would also suggest that unlike me starting it from the beginning of the series.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx