BLOG TOUR: Six Feet Under (The Terry Bell Mysteries Book 4) - Colin Garrow

I hadn't come across the Terry Bell Mysteries by Colin Garrow until I received the damppebbles blog tours invitation for Six Feet Under, the fourth book.  Colin Garrow very kindly offered to provide copies of the previous books to anyone signing up to the tour and I was delighted to accept.  You can read my reviews of Death on a Dirty Afternoon, A Long Cool Glass of Murder and The Jansson Tapes here on my blog (click the link in the book name or find them in the Index) and scroll down to read my review of Six Feet Under.

 

A murder victim, a deserted airfield, a sinister project. Can Terry untangle the mystery before someone else dies?

Asked to investigate the death of a building contractor, taxi-driver and amateur sleuth Terry Bell thinks the dead man’s widow may be wasting her money. But when the trail leads to an old airfield and a brace of brutal thugs, he begins to wonder what they’re trying to hide. Tracking down one of the builder’s former workmates, Terry finds him unwilling to answer questions. When the man is beaten up, the canny cabbie gets a visit from his favourite detective inspector. But DI Charis Brown and her latest sidekick seem determined not to get involved. Until the man is attacked again… 

In this murder/mystery series set on England's northeast coast, Six Feet Under is book #4 in the Terry Bell Mystery series.

What did I think?

Having binge-read the first 3 books in the fantastic Terry Bell Mystery series, I timed it perfectly for the release of book 4 so I could go straight onto Six Feet Under.  I've loved every single book in this outstanding series but in Six Feet Under it feels like the danger levels have been ramped up for Terry and his focus is fully on sleuthing rather than driving his taxi around Whitley Bay, which is supposed to be Terry's real job.

I love the chemistry between Terry and his girlfriend Carol, who tags along like Watson to Terry's Holmes.  Carol also works in the taxi office but more often than not she finds herself on the run from the bad guys when Terry's investigating stirs up trouble. Carol deserves a medal for not only tolerating but being part of Terry's escapades.  I love the way the banter bounces back and forth between them and some of Terry's witty retorts are comedy genius.  For any readers struggling with the Geordie words, Colin Garrow has included a little Geordie Glossary at the end of the book and I loved this added touch, even though I'm a North Easterner so Ah divvent need it like.

The storyline in Six Feet Under is absolutely superb and had me on the edge of my seat, racing through the pages as fast as I possibly could.  I really don't know how Colin Garrow packs so much into such a small number of pages; Six Feet Under comprises only 210 pages in the paperback, the shortest book of the series so far, but so much happens that you feel like you're reading a full length novel.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Colin Garrow is the master of quality over quantity, writing fantastic books without fluff.

The whole Terry Bell Mystery series is binge-worthy reading, with Six Feet Under being an absolute cracker of a mystery.  Although you could read Six Feet Under as a standalone, I wholeheartedly recommend reading the whole series to fully understand and appreciate the characters.  Six Feet Under is absolutely brilliant; it's Geordie mystery with mirth and very highly recommended.

Many thanks to the author and damppebbles blog tours for sending me an ebook to review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

True-born Geordie Colin Garrow grew up in a former mining town in Northumberland and has worked in a plethora of professions including taxi driver, antiques dealer, drama facilitator, theatre director and fish processor, and has occasionally masqueraded as a pirate. 

Colin has published three stage plays, six adventures for middle grade readers, two books of short stories, the Watson Letters series and the Terry Bell Mysteries. His short stories have appeared in several literary mags, including: SN Review, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Grind, A3 Review, Inkapture and Scribble Magazine. 

These days he lives in a humble cottage in North East Scotland where he writes novels, stories. poems and the occasional song.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/colingarrow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colingarrowthewriter/

Website (adults): https://colingarrow.org/

Website (childrens): https://colingarrowbooks.com/

Website (The Watson Letters): https://thewatsonletters.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinngarrow/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/colingarrow

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B014Z5DZD4

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The Jansson Tapes (The Terry Bell Mysteries Book 3) - Colin Garrow

A tape machine. A missing writer. A mysterious woman.

When a familiar leggy blonde slides onto the back seat of his cab with the offer of work, taxi-driver and amateur sleuth Terry Bell isn’t keen. However, compared to the tedium of driving a cab all day, the lure of another mystery is too strong to resist, and Terry agrees to help. Tracking down a missing writer and his tape recorder sounds simple enough, but following the clues to a remote village, the case takes a dangerous turn when the man turns up dead. 

After the police take over, Terry and his sidekick Carol return home to find their flat ransacked—and that’s not the only surprise. Caught between a suspicious detective inspector and the machinations of a mysterious woman, can the wily investigator unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again?

The Jansson Tapes is book #3 in the Terry Bell Mystery series set on England's northeast coast.

What did I think?

Having read three Terry Bell Mysteries pretty much off the belt, I can definitely say that these books are as binge-worthy as anything I've ever watched on TV.  The Jansson Tapes is the third book in the series, but it could definitely be read as a standalone.  I've no doubt that anyone jumping into the series at this stage will want to pick up the earlier books to be further entertained by more Terry Bell shenanigans.

Taxi driver Terry certainly has a knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time but this time trouble comes looking for him when he is asked to find a missing writer and his tape recorder.  The mystery writer is using the name Tove Jansson, of Moomin fame, but this is no cartoon strip as Terry and his girlfriend Carol find themselves thrust into danger yet again.

Colin Garrow has created such a brilliant character in Terry Bell and his banter with the other characters carries the story along effortlessly.  I love Terry's sense of humour and his pretty laid back nature even when he's being chased by bad guys.  There's so much going on in the book that time flies by when you're reading and as with the earlier books, I found it amazing to have reached the end so quickly with so much ground being covered.  At only 219 pages in paperback, it may be a novella but every single word has purpose so you feel as if you've read a full length novel.

As I live in the North East of England, I love the North East setting and it's always fun to recognise places with which you're familiar in books.  Colin Garrow even includes some authentic Geordie dialect but nothing that requires a Geordie dictionary, just the odd 'pet' and 'ye' and 'ah' instead of 'you' and 'I'.

Hugely entertaining and filled with non-stop action, The Jansson Tapes is a superb addition to the Terry Bell Mystery series.  It's a series I definitely plan to read again to get my Terry Bell fix while I wait for the next instalment.  Keep them coming, Colin!

I received a gifted ebook from the author and all opinions are my own.

My rating:

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A Long Cool Glass of Murder (The Terry Bell Mysteries Book 2) - Colin Garrow

 

A dead client lands Terry in hot water – and not just with the police.

When taxi driver and amateur sleuth Terry takes on a new client, he doesn’t expect her to turn up dead. With echoes of his recent past coming back to haunt him, can he work out what’s going on before someone else gets killed?

‘Charis Brown's elfin-like smile was, like the footsteps on the stairs, noticeably absent. She looked at me, looked at the dead woman and let out the sort of sigh I knew from experience meant it was going to be a long night.’

‘A Long Cool Glass of Murder’ is book #2 in the Terry Bell Mystery series.

What did I think?

The Terry Bell Mysteries are turning into an amazing series and I'm so glad that I have discovered these hidden gems.  A Long Cool Glass of Murder is book two and although I'm reading the books in order (at the time of writing there are four books in the series) Colin Garrow has included an excellent recap of book one, Death on a Dirty Afternoon, for any readers new to the series.  So you can definitely read this as an excellent standalone but I heartily recommend that you read the whole brilliant series.

The story is set in a taxi firm in my native North East, just over the Tyne in Whitley Bay and there is brilliant banter between all of the colourful characters.  Taxi driver Terry Bell always seems to turn up in the wrong place at the wrong time and turns to amateur sleuthing to clear his name.  It helps that he went to school with the local detective otherwise he would have a lot more explaining to do; Charis just rolls her eyes and accepts that it's Terry getting himself in hot water again.

The writing is accomplished, the story is entertaining, the characters are well developed and the clever plot is completely riveting - A Long Cool Glass of Murder has it all and ticks all of the boxes of a five star read.  At the heart of A Long Cool Glass of Murder is an outstanding murder mystery; its a whodunnit that Agatha Christie would be proud of as Colin Garrow managed to tie my brain into knots wondering how, why, when, what the...

A Long Cool Glass of Murder is an awesome novella, it's great fun to read and an absolutely brilliant whodunnit.  There's so much going on in its 230 pages and it's so perfectly paced that you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a full length novel; Colin Garrow yet again proves that it's quality over quantity that counts.  Highly recommended - I loved it.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Death on a Dirty Afternoon (The Terry Bell Mysteries Book 1) - Colin Garrow

Two deaths. A suspicious cop. A taxi driver in the firing line.

When taxi driver Frank is found dead on his dining room table, ex-cabbie Terry Bell assumes his old friend died of a heart attack. But when Terry's former boss also turns up with his face bashed in, it starts to look like there's a connection.

Faced with a Detective Inspector who doesn't like coincidences, and a series of threatening letters, Terry does a bit of investigating of his own, but when another body is discovered, the temperature starts to rise - in more ways than one.

Death on a Dirty Afternoon is book #1 in the Terry Bell Mystery series. 

What did I think?

Death on a Dirty Afternoon is the first book in the Terry Bell Mystery series and what an amazing start to the series it is.  It's an absolute delight to read; witty, intriguing and fraught with danger as Terry gets himself into some entertaining scrapes.  You would be forgiven for thinking that Terry is a member of law enforcement but no, he's a taxi driver in Whitley Bay, a seaside town on the North East coast.

Terry returns to work as a taxi driver when the firm he used to work for find themselves two men down; Frank and Ronnie aren't off sick though, they're both dead and Terry finds his fingerprints at both crime scenes.  Luckily for Terry, he used to go to school with Charis, the local DI, otherwise he might have found himself behind bars.  At least that would have been a safe place for him as it looks like Terry could be the next victim.  Terry just can't keep his nose out of trouble and can't help doing his own investigating, which sees him and his colleague, Carol, ending up in serious danger.

Death on a Dirty Afternoon is such a refreshing read; yes, there's murder, mystery and a cracking plot but Colin Garrow's sense of humour really sets it apart.  I found myself giggling, chortling and full-on belly laughing at some parts, whilst still being completely intrigued by the fantastic storyline.  

Filled with colourful characters and with an outstanding eventful plot, my only disappointment was that I finished the 257 page story so quickly, but thankfully there are more books in the series so I can continue reading about Terry's escapades.  I absolutely loved this superb little book where it's definitely a case of quality over quantity.  A very highly recommended read and I can't wait to read more.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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