THE PAXTON'S TOWER MURDERSby Stephen Puleston

 3.5* Ugh, it feels like the lead in this book needs basic manners as well as DEI training.

This is a pretty decent read featuring a newly qualified DCI who's been recently widowed; who's in a brand new job; and who by the sounds of it is on her way to being a bit of an alcoholic - I got bored pretty quickly of the mention of a few glasses every night once her child was in bed. 

She lacks manners, sadly, without even a basic 'please' in her repertoire, especially when asking a colleague - clearly an underling in her eyes - to make her a coffee. Who does this in 2025 UK, or anywhere else? 

Those niggles aside, the tale isn't a bad one, with scallies, a bit of intrigue but with a character who stood out a little too much for the wrong reasons, who overplayed their hand badly - not that the cops saw it - gave the game away. 

I'd read more of this series because of the ending, which is likely to disrupt the DCI's world. 

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Highgate Publishing, for my reading pleasure.

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