Taste of Ashes
"If you haven’t yet read Tony Black, you’re missing out."
Synopsis:
When DI Bob Valentine returns to duty after a narrow escape with death, he is faced with the discovery of a corpse on a kitchen table with a horrific neck wound and a mystery surrounding the victim's missing partner and her daughter. It's all too close to his own near-fatal stabbing.
When the murder investigation begins to reveal a tragic family drama, Bob Valentine struggles to deal with the rapidly unfolding events and the terrifying visions that haunt him. As he starts to uncover the illicit secrets of the family's past, can he keep a grip on the case and on his own sanity before the body count starts to rise?
Purchase the book from Amazon.
Review:
Tony Black writes with one of the most distinctive voices I've ever encountered. I'll be honest and admit it took me more than a couple of pages to get into the rhythm of his prose despite having read his work before. Trust me, it was well worth the effort as 'A Taste of Ashes' is a first class novel whose prose crackles off the page. The plot winds and twists as secrets are uncovered and new evidence is uncovered but never once does Black lose either the reader or himself. Valentine is a compelling lead whose travails show the depth of his character. DS McCormack provides able support as do other minor characters but it is firmly the Bob Valentine show. If you haven't yet read Tony Black, you're missing out.