Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Black Nab: Text M for Murder by Ely North

Detective Chief Inspector Frank Finnegan features in three books (so far) by Ely North, set in Whitby, a town in Yorkshire on the northeast coast of England. The first title is Black Nab: Text M for Murder (Red Handed Print, 2022). Normally the seaside town doesn’t have much of a crime rate. But in February an ordinary middle-aged woman was killed on her way home from the pub one night and six months later Finnegan still has not been able to identify a suspect or a motive of any kind. Her husband has grieved into a shadow of himself and Finnegan is deeply frustrated that he has not been able to close the case.

Now in August a pair of hoodlums decide to rob all of the isolated petrol stations in the region. Finnegan notes that the counties on the coast to the north of Yorkshire have been reporting similar crimes. He assumes that the duo is working their way across the country. While there have been no injuries so far, one of the thugs waves a gun around during each robbery and Finnegan knows it could go off any time. Then a frantic mother calls: her 13-year-old daughter and her friend are missing. Lost children take precedence and the entire county mobilizes to search for them.

This is a good interpretation of the classic contemporary British detective story. A realistic mix of cases and a convincing spin on local law enforcement staffing, with a few truly dedicated coppers and a few just putting their time in. Finnegan is the typical boss stuck in his ways. Finnegan’s wife is pressuring him to retire, as his health is taking a hit from the sustained stress. The addition of Detective Sergeant Prisha Kumar to his roster is a nice way to diversify his personnel and she challenges him and makes him think. In particular the newcomer Prisha loves the beauty of the region that Finnegan stopped seeing a long time ago.

The one drawback to this book, and it’s a big one, is the story lines are not all wrapped up at the end. Like most readers, I have strong feelings about cliffhangers and this one is significant. Prospective readers, beware.

 

 

·         Publisher: ‎Red Handed Print (August 5, 2022)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Paperback: ‎342 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎0645290475

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-0645290479 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.