DNF

Enjoyed the book and can't wait to read the next books in the series. Loved Jenny and Andrew's working relationship. She's a very lovable sociopath. Enjoyed the story and the twists and turns I didn't see coming.

Andrew is a private investigator and Jenny is his assistant. Andrew has an ex-wife he is not over, even though it's been eight years since he has talked to her. Jenny has an empathy deficient disorder. Together they make a great team. Richard Carr hires Andrew to find his son Nicholas. Nicholas has been missing for nine months and the cops never located him. They did find three of Nicholas's fingers in the woods. Andrew starts his investigation and finds links to the occult and black magic. An angry husband from a previous case is not happy about being followed by Andrew and Jenny and lets his displeasure known. When the mystery behind Nicholas's disappearance is finally revealed, it's not what I expected at all.

The book definitely kept me in suspense. I kept guessing at what must have happened to Nicholas but was completely wrong. Enjoyed the story and characters. Loved Jenny and Andrew. Lara was definitely creepy and I felt she was involved, especially after Keira explained the meaning behind Malvado. Many people are not what they seem and turn out to be horrible people. I loved the writing style and always look forward to reading Kerry Wilkinson's books. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Definitely recommend the book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author, Kerry Wilkinson, for a free electronic ARC of this novel. ( )

Something Wicked – An excellent new series

Having read Kerry Wilkinson’s previous outings as the author of the Jessica Daniel series and the thoroughly enjoyable The Silver Blackthorn Trilogy I looked forward to his new Andrew Hunter series. I can tell you I was not disappointed, the writing is absorbing, the descriptions spot on, even kinder than could be, and the action fantastic.

The descriptions were spot on; even kinder than they could have been is true if you know some of the areas within Greater Manchester that Wilkinson uses as his backdrop. When he describes the halls of residence in Salford he understates how bleak the area and its pubs are as for the concrete jungle that the students live in. He is also correct in that Alkrington Wood has been a cause of concern for some of its nocturnal uses, I read about it in the Manchester Evening News archive!

Andrew Hunter is a private detective working from an office in central Manchester, where if you stand on tip toes you are able to see Piccadilly Gardens. He has an over qualified assistant, Jenny, who never seems to have a home to go too but not afraid to pitch in.

They are approached by Richard Carr to help find his missing his son, Nicholas, who went missing on his eighteenth birthday with no sightings. The police seem to have given up on the investigation even though three of his fingers were found in Alkrington Wood in North Manchester. He knows he will have to go back to basics to try and discover what happened to Nicholas, and see if kicking over the stones will see information scurrying around.

Nicholas’ parent are not too sure about what information to give Hunter and Jenny even as they explore the teenager’s bedroom as the family say his former friends have moved on. With family hovering around they discover some information but are not sure what they have found.

With all the information becomes available and the various clues Hunter is still not happy about the mixture of magic and the occult especially as it means contacting his former wife. He does not know who is sad or who is mad and who could be dangerous but he needs to find out while various twists throw up different questions and directions.

Like the magic mentioned in the book Wilkinson is a skilled writer especially where the sleight of hand is used to create a literary illusion that he uses as device to give you the clues, but whether you pick them up is a different matter. There are enough twists in the novel to make fusilli pasta which helps to make this an exciting and enjoyable reads. ( )

Something Wicked: Andrew Hunter, Book 1
Written by: Kerry Wilkinson
Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
Series: Andrew Hunter, Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook

Publishers' Summary

From Kerry Wilkinson, the best-selling author of the Jessica Daniel novels, comes a new crime series.
Nicholas Carr disappeared on his 18th birthday and the world has moved on. His girlfriend has gone to university, his friends have got jobs, the police have other things to look into.
But his father, Richard, is still stuck on the three fingers the police dug up from a sodden Manchester wood. What happened to Nicholas on the night he disappeared, and why did he never come home?
Private investigator Andrew Hunter is Nicholas' last hope - but Andrew has his own problems. There's something about his assistant that isn't quite right. Jenny's brilliant but reckless, and he can't figure out what she gets from their working relationship. By the time he figures out who's a danger and who's not, it might all be too late...
©2014 Pan Macmillan (P)2014 Kerry Wilkinson

My Review

I'd been looking for a long time, searching for a new Mystery / Crime series to enjoy. Then one day whilst browsing through Free Audiobook Giveaways (a Facebook group) there it was; amongst all the books about shifters, sliders vampires and sci fi, shining through like a diamond on a beach full of pebbles was The Offer: Kerry Wilkinsons' Something Wicked, offered by the narrator, Nigel Patterson in return for a review.
I knew I would like this story as soon as I heard Nigel Patterson acting the role of the radio announcer with the fake American accent. The next hook was the car pursuit of the wily and underestimated Stuart Deacon in his Audi, this was also my introduction to Andrew, the little bit seemingly boring P.I., and his lively assistant Jenny.
It would be difficult to add to the publishers blurb without spoilers, so I won't, but needless to say, there are many twists to this story. The beauty of it is though, is that this is the first story of a series, and as such, cleverly lays the foundations for future stories.
Now what about Jenny? Well, being the assistant to a private investigator, we know that she is bound by the laws of crime fiction to be clever and quick witted, and also to be very good with computers. She is all of these, yet Jenny is also a Very Odd Person, and I look forward to reading or listening to her story. Oh, and does she have a surname or is that a part of her mystery? I can't recall hearing one on my audiobook.
As for her boss, Andrew Hunter, seems he's a bit of a mystery himself. I quite liked him, but at one point in the story he really went down in my estimation. However, later, when he'd proved that he could man up, he redeemed himself! I'm very much looking forward to his future story.
I would never have believed I could like anything originating from the pen of a Sports Writer, but this is a thumping good story, tip top, and well suited to audio.

Narration
Much of the success of an audiobook is, of course, dependant on the quality of the narration. For me, the best of the best narrators are the one who, when within a few moments of listening, one just doesn't notice them any more. The voice is pleasant, the rythymn and pace is just right, as are the accents and characterisations. There is nothing to jolt the listener away from the story and back to reality. Surely, this is how it should be? Such is their talent, that they can make or break an audiobook. Nigel Patterson is up there with the best of them, I fervently hope that the author and publishers continue to work with him for all the Andrew Hunter Audiobooks.
You can go here to listen to his work and to also read an interview with Kerry Wilkinson: http://nigelpatterson.com

The author has himself a very interesting story to tell, you can go here to read it: http://kerrywilkinson.com ( )