Deceived By The Light by Damien Boyd

Deceived By The Light by Damien Boyd
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

An innocent man framed. A case closed. A serial killer free to kill again.

It is 1985. Detective Inspector Mungo ‘Bob’ Willis is being forced out of Avon and Somerset Police on medical grounds. His career is in tatters, his body broken, his mind shattered, and his partner—DS Lizzie Harper—dead in a sting operation gone wrong.

Their last case is closed, but Bob is convinced an innocent man has been framed, leaving a serial killer cruising the A303 with impunity, free to target lone women who have broken down by the roadside late at night.

The killer knows the police aren’t looking for anyone else in connection with the murders. What they don’t know is what Bob will do next.

And when another woman is killed in horrifyingly similar circumstances, Bob launches his own—unofficial—investigation. Can he stop a sadistic killer before they kill again? And again…

DI Mungo “Bob” Willis is an average police officer. With no real career highs (nor lows) he has been mediocre – and comfortable with it – his entire life. Until the night he and his DS Lizzie Harper faced down a serial killing pair alone in a layby lane on the A303. With Lizzie dead and Bob barely released from the hospital weeks later Bob is fired by something he’s never experienced before – determination and revenge.

I have greatly enjoyed this author’s other series so when I found out he’d begun something new I eagerly jumped in. I was a little surprised that this book was set back in 1985 – an find it mortifying that at 40 years ago now, this is classed as a historical mystery – but I still found it an exciting and engrossing read. Even with no modern technology – no license plate readers, no CCTV, no mobile phones, but instead people using telephone booths – I loved how the author made the story about the plot and characters and still kept everything relevant and interesting.

I found it highly enjoyable that even without so many of the new tricks, this book strongly contained solid police work and character driven emotions. I found both of these critical elements helped keep this a gripping read and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I’m pleased to see there’s another book and hope the author sticks with this. The older time setting helps keep this series feeling different and fresh, but I absolutely think there’s enough mystery and interesting characters to keep modern readers attached and eager for more.

A new series from an author I am well versed in, this is a great read and one I can highly recommend.