Gripping
Not My Valentine by Tony Bassett is a fabulous contemporary crime suspense that I just could not put down. It is the seventh book in the Detectives Roy & Roscoe series but can be read as a stand-alone.
I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces. Easy banter flowed between the regular police officers. We see the tenacity of the law to solve the case as we drop in on the detectives.
Present day murder is investigated alongside a cold case. The law enforcement officers are relentless in their pursuit of justice and the reader applauds their commitment.
The action is set in the Midlands with a murder in Worcester, and chasing criminals around Birmingham and the Black Country. As a Black Country wench living in Worcestershire, the locations were incredibly familiar to me. This helped me to really bed down into the book.
Tony Bassett always writes novels that entertain and consume me. I don’t just read his books. I live his books.
Not My Valentine is another superb offering in this fabulous series.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
Not My Valentine
The most romantic day of the year turns into a nightmare…
Having returned from a date with her new boyfriend, Lydia is fatally attacked in her home. A burglary gone wrong or a planned assault?
Detectives from Heart of England Police investigate and try to find out more about the victim. She was much loved by family and colleagues. But maybe someone loved her too much.
Attention turns to Lydia’s boyfriend, Roman, when it transpires that he is the son of a local crime boss known to associate with the feared West Side Gang.
DS Sunita Roy believes he is hiding something, but will have to tread carefully – the criminals have connections in the force.
Despite having strong intuition, Roy is struggling. There is something missing from the picture and it could be a secret taken to the grave.
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Author Bio –
Tony Bassett is a former journalist who worked on regional and national newspapers in Britain for more than 40 years. He mainly reported on crime, show business, human interest and consumer topics. Now retired, he writes crime fiction.
Tony is best known for his series of novels set in the West Midlands featuring Detective Chief Inspector Gavin Roscoe, an experienced detective and family man, and his sergeant, law graduate and resourceful problem-solver Sunita Roy.
The latest novel (Book 7) concerns a glamorous blonde managing director’s secretary, Lydia Squires, who is planning to settle down with the man of her dreams after a whirlwind romance.
Tragically, her life is cut short on Valentine’s night by a brutal killer. Detectives Gavin Roscoe and Sunita Roy discover Lydia – also a part-time singer – was being stalked by an obsessed work colleague.
Could this man have slaughtered Lydia in a jealous rage or were other, more ruthless forces at work?
The fifth book in the series, Heir To Murder, was judged first in the Mystery and Suspense (Police Procedurals) category in the American Fiction Awards in June 2024.
The other titles in the collection (all published by The Book Folks) are: Murder On Oxford Lane, The Crossbow Stalker, Murder Of A Doctor, Out for Revenge and It Never Rains.
Tony has in addition written a stand-alone thriller Seat 97, about a man shot dead at a London concert hall, which was published by The Book Folks, while two further works (the crime novel Smile Of The Stowaway and the spy novel The Lazarus Charter) were published by The Conrad Press.
Tony first developed a love of writing at the age of nine when he produced a junior school magazine. A few years later, his local vicar in Tunbridge Wells, Kent staged his play about the Biblical story of Naboth’s Vineyard.
At Hull University, Tony was judged Time-Life Magazine student journalist of the year in 1971.
Tony, who has five grown-up children, is a Life Member of the National Union of Journalists. He lives in South-East London with his partner Lin.
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/ tony.bassett.92505/
https://x.com/ tonybassett1
Instagram: tonybassettauthor
Tony’s website: https://tonybassettauthor.com
