Six Feet Under by Colin Garrow
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Asked to investigate the death of a building contractor, taxi-driver and amateur sleuth Terry Bell thinks the dead man’s widow may be wasting her money. But when the trail leads to an old airfield and a brace of brutal thugs, he begins to wonder what they’re trying to hide. Tracking down one of the builder’s former workmates, Terry finds him unwilling to answer questions. When the man is beaten up, the canny cabbie gets a visit from his favourite detective inspector. But DI Charis Brown and her latest sidekick seem determined not to get involved. Until the man is attacked again…
This is my second book by Colin and it is from the same Terry Bell Mysteries series, book#3 of which I read and reviewed on this blog earlier.
One of the things that I noticed about Colin's books is the treatment of female characters. Colin has some recurring ones and a new one introduced in this book and every single one of them is well written and given good brains and confidence to handle it too. Most prominent is his girlfriend Carol, who is not a sidekick but an equal partner and often compliments Terry in his investigations as well as in his home. Then there is DI Charis who seems to be really frustrated with Terry, but you cant blame her because she is tied by her post and perhaps also some worry for Terry & Carol.
This is my second book by Colin and it is from the same Terry Bell Mysteries series, book#3 of which I read and reviewed on this blog earlier.
One of the things that I noticed about Colin's books is the treatment of female characters. Colin has some recurring ones and a new one introduced in this book and every single one of them is well written and given good brains and confidence to handle it too. Most prominent is his girlfriend Carol, who is not a sidekick but an equal partner and often compliments Terry in his investigations as well as in his home. Then there is DI Charis who seems to be really frustrated with Terry, but you cant blame her because she is tied by her post and perhaps also some worry for Terry & Carol.
So, the fact that Terry is not like most leads who single-handedly deal with every danger, but is a sensible curious, and just man who knows when to ask for help and appreciate the people who take time to offer him the same. Six Feet Under was a little slow in building the mystery part, but it had quite good enough twists in the story. It anyway makes up with the colorful characters, the chases, the element of fun mixed into the dangers that Terry & Carol keep finding themselves in and the dangers were quite ramped up in this book for them. I was amused to see Charis showing a little more affection for Terry and her partner Tilly was a good mix into this [ who knows these four might actually become friends in the next one ;) ]
The language might feel different because of some vocabulary but it is easy to follow and adds to the geographic feel of the setting for the story. In all, this short mystery read was perfect for a single afternoon sitting and would not leave one unsatisfied.
About Colin Garrow: True-born Geordie Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland and has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. Colin has published three stage plays, six adventures for middle grade readers, two books of short stories, the Watson Letters series and the Terry Bell Mysteries. These days he lives in a humble cottage in North East Scotland where he writes novels, stories. poems and the occasional song.
Book Links: Amazon US | Goodreads
Book Links: Amazon US | Goodreads
Thanks for being a part of the blog tour :)
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