The Delegate - Ali Carter

 

About the book

Ex Cumbrian G.P. Charlotte Peterson is a vicious serial killer simmering her way through a life sentence in Rampton High Security Hospital. A sycophantic inmate with Mafia family connections had aided her escape to a murderous New York rampage six months earlier, but Charlotte only managed to actually kill one of the remaining enemies on her list. She therefore needs someone on the outside to complete the job – A Delegate.

Recaptured by D.C.I. Harry Longbridge and D.I. Fran Taylor after flying to the U.S., Charlotte pulls the strings of a vulnerable woman with serious historic mental health challenges of her own. The icing on the cake for Charlotte is that the woman concerned is none other than Harry’s wife, Annie. It feels good – very good.

However, despite initially falling into line believing it will help with her own ‘List,’ Annie develops a growing inner confidence and two powerful women begin mentally circling one another. As Annie covertly pushes forwards with her own plans, the Zandini’s increasingly come to the fore in more ways than one - and Charlotte starts to feel distinctly uneasy….

The Delegate is the third book in the DCI Harry Longbridge series and you'd think that now he and DI Fran Taylor are back from NYC and Charlotte Peterson is locked up again things could settle down for him a little - but that was never really going to happen was it.

Having read the previous novels in the series (which I would suggest you do too - it will make things a lot clearer) it is clear that Peterson will not be stopped by the walls of a High Security Prison/Hospital when it comes to carrying on with her killing spree.

The fact that she is using Longbridge's wife as the titular Delegate to get the job done could have gone either way but thankfully, as we see the character of Annie growing and watch the balance of power slightly shift the story just gets stronger. How does Longbridge cope with this - well, you'll just have to read and find out as I'm trying not to drop any spoilers here.

As a series this just gets better by the book (and it started off excellently) and has put Ali Carter on my Must Buy list of authors

Thanks to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for inviting me onto this tour. Please have a look at the other posts by the bloggers on the tour (below)

Rivers of London; Deadly Ever After - A graphic novel by Ben Aaronovitch et al

 

Deadly Ever After is the 10th Rivers of London graphic novel and the 2nd one I have read* - although I have read all the 'regular' novels. It is a story that features side characters of the series as the regulars, Peter Grant, Nightingale and co are on another case so I don't feel a deep understanding of the series is essential if this is your first RoL tale.

So, the story . . .

Back in 1897 there was a painter, Jeter, and his daughter, Rose. Life is tough for them but they have the fairy tales Jeter tells Rose at night and a belief they will get their Happy Ever After one day. Then one day Jeter doesn't come back home.

Back to the present and Olympia and Chelsea Brook the river goddess Mama Thames' twin daughters are at a gathering in the woods and, when showing off a little they break the enchantment on a magical mulberry bush and Jeter comes back from the realms of the tree nymphs where he has been for the last 100+ years - and he is not happy. Other friends at the gathering take on aspects of fairy tales in the worst possible way and it is up to the twins to right their wrongs before more fall victim and before Beverley Brook finds out and gives them all the hell they deserve.

Deadly Ever After is, it has to be said, a cracking story made all the better for it's truly lush illustrations. With it not being a Peter Grant story (although he does make a couple of short appearances) it is a nice change to spend some time in the RoL world with characters we don't usually see much of. Olympia and Chelsea are a likeable pair who you just know will have trouble following them around but my favourites were the two foxes who report the initial incident . . . eventually.

I also enjoyed the 'extras' in the back of the book which gives you a kind of insight into how the graphic novel is created.

Many thanks to Alexandra Iciek and Titan Comics for inviting me to review this title and providing the review copy - all views and opinions are my own.

*Although this will be changing first chance I get!