T M Payne LONG TIME DEAD

 3* Decent tale, but very much told, not shown. Flashbacks weren't organic and slowed down the stry towards the crescendo.

This is my first book by this author, that reads like her first book. Pacing is off, the tale is very much told, not shown, and at 70% gone, it should have been ending. But, at that point the author started delving into Sheridan's brother going missing, into the baddie's past and thoughts and machinations, and feelings, and everything slowed right down. It took me out of the take at this point, and a couple of times before.

What I didn't get was how there wasn't a hint of Scouse in anyone's speech. This tale is set right bang in the middle of Liverpool and there's no way that at least one character wouldn't have been speaking that way. Even without the accent, there'd have been local expressions, but the only thing there was, was 'butty'. I know the author's a Brit, but I'm not sure she wrote an authentically Scouse-set tale. I mean, EFC and LFC barely featured!! 

It is readable but it needs weeding out, details need to be sharper and less round the houses, and sorry, but it needs a good editing and the pace needs picking up. I'm not sure if the care home owner grabbing something mysterious and going to London on a train will lead to events in book 2, or if the author's totally forgot about her and her Xmas visit to family, as by the time the tale ended, it was April, I think, or at least, March. This author has potential but where detail about people was needed, she skipped it, and where things needed to be galloping towards the finale, she slowed things down and introduced things that jarred, from 72% onwards.

ARC courtesy of Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley, for my reading pleasure.

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