Long Time Dead - (Detective Sheridan Holler) by T M Payne (Paperback)

About the Book

A cold case that's no longer cold. A suspect who's been murdered. A silenced witness. DI Sheridan Holler is used to solving crimes on Liverpool's streets, but after a decayed corpse turns up in a cemetery, she finds herself reopening not one but two cold cases. Seven years earlier, two women were gunned down and the only suspect, small-time drug dealer John Lively, was never seen again. Case closed. Until the body in the cemetery is identified as his. Holler needs to work out if Lively was killed out of revenge for the murders, or was just a victim of the criminal world he inhabited. When shocking evidence is revealed about the murder weapon, Holler's cold case starts to look hopeless once more. But defeat is not an option. Driven by the unsolved and traumatic murder of her brother when they were children, DI Holler's pursuit of justice is relentless. As old wounds are reopened, the police close in on the women's killer, but the threat of them striking again is all too real. Can DI Holler put the pieces of the puzzle together before anyone else winds up dead?

Book Synopsis

A cold case that's no longer cold. A suspect who's been murdered. A silenced witness.

"A brilliant debut." --Steve Cavanagh

"True fans of Val McDermid will love Payne's writing." --A. J. West

"One of the most exciting new voices in crime fiction." --Kia Abdullah

DI Sheridan Holler is used to solving crimes on Liverpool's streets, but after a decayed corpse turns up in a cemetery, she finds herself reopening not one but two cold cases. Seven years earlier, two women were gunned down and the only suspect, small-time drug dealer John Lively, was never seen again. Case closed. Until the body in the cemetery is identified as his.

Holler needs to work out if Lively was killed out of revenge, or was just a victim of the criminal world he inhabited. When shocking evidence is revealed about the murder weapon, Holler's cold case starts to look hopeless once more.

But defeat is not an option. Driven by the unsolved and traumatic murder of her brother when they were children, DI Holler's pursuit of justice is relentless. As old wounds are reopened, the police close in on the killer, but the threat of them striking again is all too real. Can DI Holler put the pieces of the puzzle together before anyone else winds up dead?

Review Quotes

"A brilliant debut." --Steve Cavanagh

"An excellent crime novel, full of humor and pathos as well as utterly realistic action. A stunning debut." --Elly Griffiths

"A thrilling debut...If you are a fan of police procedurals, this one set in the mean streets of Liverpool is for you." --Mari Hannah

"A twisty, compelling, page-turning cracker of a debut. Full of great characters, T.M. Payne's Long Time Dead is so absorbing you'll miss your bus stop AND stay up past your bedtime. Perfect for fans of Val McDermid and Michael Connelly." --Chris Merritt

"A superb debut...Gritty, well-paced and packed with vividly drawn characters. T. M. Payne has hit the ground running with Long Time Dead." --M. W. Craven

"A gripping and gritty start to what promises to be an excellent new police procedural series." --David Fennell

"An evocative, brilliantly plotted debut which I defy you to put down. I promise it will haunt you long after the end." --Graham Bartlett

"Make way for the brilliant Detective Sheridan Holler! True fans of Val McDermid will love Payne's writing." --A. J. West

"T. M. Payne is one of the most exciting new voices in crime fiction. In Long Time Dead, she crafts a richly-textured thriller that brims with authentic detail. I loved the humor, the poignancy and the intricate rendering of Liverpool in all its heart and grit. The comparisons to Val McDermid are well earned indeed." --Kia Abdullah

"Worth every interminable minute it takes to wind down." --Kirkus Reviews

"Good twists, and plenty of red herrings, and the book builds to a very tense and unexpected conclusion, with some neat stings in the tale...a really quick and engaging read." --Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine