Title – Death in Profile – Book 1 of the Hampstead Murders
Author – Guy Fraser-Sampson
Genre – Thrillers
Publication – March 2016
Pages – 320 Page
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

The genteel façade of London’s Hampstead is shattered by a series of terrifying murders, and the ensuing police hunt is threatened by internal politics, and a burgeoning love triangle within the investigative team. Pressurised by senior officers desperate for a result a new initiative is clearly needed, but what? Intellectual analysis and police procedure vie with the gut instinct of ‘copper’s nose’, and help appears to offer itself from a very unlikely source a famous fictional detective. A psychological profile of the murderer allows the police to narrow down their search, but will Scotland Yard lose patience with the team before they can crack the case? Praised by fellow authors and readers alike, this is a truly original crime story, speaking to a contemporary audience yet harking back to the Golden Age of detective fiction. Intelligent, quirky and mannered, it has been described as ‘a love letter to the detective novel’. Above it all hovers Hampstead, a magical village evoking the elegance of an earlier time, and the spirit of mystery-solving detectives. Guy Fraser-Sampson is an established writer best known for his series of Mapp and Lucia novels which have been featured on BBC Radio 4 and optioned by BBC television. This is his debut work of detective fiction, and the first title in the Hampstead Murders series.

Review 

Twist after twist after twist.. with misdirection thrown in.. wow.

This story follows a police investigation into a series of murders. The case has been stagnant for some time but when a body turns up with new evidence to look at things start to pick up.

Something I really liked form the start was the mention of “copper’s nose” and how the author showed relationships and motivations in the police department itself. It’s the whole issue of old school and new school techniques and ideas. Loved it.

As the case progresses a profiler is brought in to help them narrow the search..using this profile leads them to a suspect…

What happens after that is some wonderful twists and misdirection that had me engrossed.  At one point I thought I’d figured it out but no.. twist.

The plot was great, characters were believable and interesting and I liked there was more to this tale than just a simple police procedural book, the characters had more depth to them.

For me it kept me guessing right until the end and I was that engrossed I finished it in 2 days.. it wasn’t a case of I didn’t want to put it down but more that I just couldn’t put it down!

My thanks go to the authour for the chance to read/review their work

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