Reviewed by Lesley
TITLE: Murder in Shades Red
SERIES: DS Charlie Rees Book 3
AUTHOR: Ripley Hayes
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 193 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 12, 2023
BLURB:
It was supposed to be a holiday. In New York City. A chance for Tom to do some drawing, and for Charlie to see the sights.
The streets of the city seem safe and clean. Everyone is friendly, and the doughnuts are to die for. Charlie and Tom are in love and planning their future.
Then a shocking event turns the world upside down.
Charlie has to question everything he has ever believed. And Tom? Tom may not even survive.
REVIEW:
TW: On page description of a mass shooting in a coffee shop. Book can be started from chapter four to avoid the event and you will still be able to follow the story.
Even on holiday in New York Tom and Charlie cannot escape the ramifications of what happened at Llanfair Art college in Wales. Kaylan Scully causes chaos & death wherever he goes. I really do not want to tell you any more of the story so it doesn’t ruin it for you
This is book three in the DS Charlie Rees series and feels very different to book 2. Very good but different. This is more an action-adventure story than romance story although there are definitely romantic interactions between the 2 main characters.
In this book we see Charlie using all his detective prowess to solve a mass shooting that Tom gets seriously hurt in. It is much faster paced than the prior books which completely suits the feel of the New York City described here.
I have found with this series that Ripley Hayes always creates a clear picture with her books. For me they always create a mini film running through my head as I read them. Whereas previous books have brought to mind UK detective series’ set in very small towns -which I love, this feels more like it should be a big action film, which really worked well. I could see Charlie at Grand Central Station and in Central Park (or at least how I imagine they look from the movies). I could imagine the run-down areas and the apartment blocks described.
Yes there maybe a few little things that were small oversights ( take the SIM out of Toms phone & don’t use a card to pay) which moved this down from a 5 to a 4.75 for me, but they really were small things and didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the book . Maybe I have watched too many crime dramas/ action adventures and that’s why I noticed these things.
This book comes complete with a kidnapping, car chase, thugs, FBI agents and shootings.
RATING: 
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