If you’re looking for a good murder mystery, The TV Detective by Simon Hall will not disappoint.

I read this book in one sitting and got so into it, I completely lost track of time and ended up missing breakfast AND lunch. No regrets, though.

The plot:

Dan Groves is a television reporter newly assigned to the crime beat and not at all happy about it. Dan knows next to nothing about police work or how to report on it, so when he persuades Detective Chief Inspector Adam Breen to allow him to shadow a high-profile murder inquiry, it seems like the perfect solution.

Dan is dropped in the deep-end when a man is killed in a lay-by with a blast through the heart from a shotgun. The victim is a notorious local businessman, with many enemies. With limited evidence, what will the police do? And what part does a journalist have to play in uncovering the truth?

I honestly loved this plot and the characters. A review on the back of the book states “more than just well written, it brings alive the people and places” and I honestly could not agree more.

I could imagine every single sentence in The TV Detective. 

The story is well thought-through but a little predictable for a detective like yours truly. However it all came together soooooooo well, The TV Detective is a definite winner for me. This is the sort of book you’ll want to recommend to all your family and friends – despite what genre they prefer. It’s not too sinister and keeps you attached the whole way through.

I cannot stress enough how much I loved the two main characters. They really made the book for me, and props to Simon Hall for being able to portray the simplest things, such as dog walking and hiking, in the most beautiful way. I could imagine every single sentence in The TV Detective. The author’s work as a Crime Correspondent has really shown through his writing; it’s as if Simon Hall is writing a word-for-word description from a previous case.

I had a few questions throughout the book, but these were answered very well, and at exactly the right time, and has left me SO excited to see if Simon Hall produces more stories with the same characters. There is a little twist near the end of the book, and it’s very, very creative. 10/10 would love to shake Simon Hall’s hand for coming up with this book and idea.

A minor flaw in an otherwise flawless book, was right at the beginning for me. It felt slightly rushed, but we do get some more information later on in the book, and it wasn’t something that nagged me the whole way through. I just think maybe a few more pages would have done the trick.

Bookmark That. And then tell your family and friends, because they’ll love it too.

The TV Detective, Simon Hall, RRP £7.99 (paperback); Waterstones