Nighthawking

By Russ Thomas https://russthomasauthor.com/index.html

Published by Simon & Schuster UK https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/

431 pages ISBN 1471181405

Publication date 29 April 2021

I read an uncorrected paperback proof provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

From the blurb

Sheffield’s beautiful Botanical Gardens- an oasis of peace in a world filled with sorrow, confusion and pain.  And then, one morning, a body is found in the Gardens.  A young woman, dead from a stab wound, buried in a quiet corner.  Police quickly determine that the body’s been there for months.  It would have gone undiscovered for years – but someone just sneaked into the Gardens and dug it up.

Synopsis

It’s a year since the firewatching case and there have been many changes.  Mina Rabbani has joined Adam Tyler in doubling the strength of the cold case review unit, but it is still at danger of closure.  Guy Daley has returned to work following his bad injury and appears to be a changed man.  With the encouragement of Jim Doggett, Tyler is investigating the suicide of his father, but his personal and professional relationships are becoming strained.

The finding of a young woman’s body in the Botanical Gardens changes priorities meaning Tyler and Rabbani are drafted into the investigation.  Rabbani quickly identifies the woman with a missing person’s report, but Tyler and Daley are both distracted for different reasons.

The murdered woman (Chi) is Chinese, and her father is a man of authority in the local branch of The Party back in China.  Accordingly, the investigation will have to proceed with caution and with no hiccups.

The location of the body is so enclosed that immediate suspicion falls upon the people who work there, particularly volunteers.  There are also links to the local university where Chi studied and one of the volunteers worked and the shady activity of a group of night-time treasure hunters.

A tale of greed and love that comes to an end at the Bear Pit.

My thoughts

I first came across Russ Thomas only last month when he appeared on one of the panels of Hull Noir 2021.  I’m friends with the organisers and so was duty bound to watch all the sessions and read up on the works as many of the authors as I could who I was unfamiliar with before the day.  I read Russ’ debut novel Firewatching and enjoyed it, thinking it was a well-written first novel and set up a collection of characters and back story well served as a series going forward.  I always think it a little presumptuous to start writing a series, unless the author has a multi-book deal, but nobody seems to write crime fiction standalone novels.  This I feel is going to be a good series of stories.

If you turn on Sky Documentaries, in amongst the Nazis, UFOs, mummies and storage units which provide the staple viewing you will also see treasure hunters, many who use metal detectors.  Metal detectors had a brief surge in popularity, as toys, in the 1970s but still to this day have their enthusiasts, such that the BBC even produced a highly rated comedy series about the hobby.

Nighthawking is the (illegal) activity of treasure hunting at night.  Most of the time it is done for the thrill as nothing of value is uncovered.  Other more serious issues arise where such activity infringes upon genuine archaeological digs where damage is done, and artifacts are stolen.  In the book the Nighthawkers discover 13 extremely rare gold roman coins.  The dilemma is then to either report the find and face the consequences or to sell the finds on the black market.  Most of us would surely do the former, but then we’ve never held treasure in our hands.  The actions of these Nighthawkers lead to a series of unexpected consequences including murder.

Each chapter starts with a description of a night’s activity of each of the six nighthawkers and their thoughts on what are generally wasted trips, finding little of value on cold and wet November nights.  They are a club, but it tends to be a solitary activity and it can, one can imagine, lead to a degree of paranoia and resentment.

The plot centres on the investigation of the woman’s murder but there are also side plots, only some of which are resolved, leaving others to be developed as the series continues. 

Family is also central to the story.  As well as looking into his father’s past Tyler is trying to contact his estranged brother Jude.  He also encounters different generations of a well-known criminal family which may well hold information about his father, but which will come at a high price.  The interaction of the initial victim, Chi, with her own sister Ju and her husband are key drivers to the plot which are deftly handled.  When we feel trapped who can say how we respond to jealousy and greed even if it involves those closest to us?

The main characters are strong and have great scope for development along with future storylines.  Tyler is openly gay, something unthinkable for a policeman only a few years ago, but has problems committing fully in relationships.  He is also disturbed by the apparent suicide of his police officer father, who some say was corrupt, and has become consumed by uncovering the truth.  Rabbani is a young Asian woman struggling to make an impact as a detective.  Her family don’t approve of her career and want her to settle down, get married and have children.  The pair of them have a talent for upsetting their senior officers and the protocols they try to enforce.  It’s not all petty bureaucracy though, Tyler’s digging into the past may uncover police corruption and conspiracy.

This was an enjoyable read, with enough incident and tension to keep the reader engaged.  The whodunnit aspect of the plot defeated me and kept me guessing to the end, which I always feel is a good thing.

This is not quite the end though.  There is a short epilogue, which takes place 3 months later.  These normally tidy loose ends up, however, this one sets the hare running for book 3 and came totally unexpected for me.  All the most reason to buy the next novel in the series, but not before you’ve enjoyed Nighthawking.

If you wish to watch ‘In Cold Blood’ the Hull Noir https://www.hullnoir.com/ session he features in, it can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTbDvkoTmxQ