DC Gary Goodhew Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of DC Gary Goodhew Mystery Books

Alison Bruce was born in Surrey, UK but currently she lives in Cambridge. While growing up, Alison loved American pulp fiction, classic British crime novel, TV crime shows and Black and White movies. Before becoming an author, Alison worked as an administrator. She has also worked as a dj and also as a member in an IT firm. Alison had never planned to become a full time writer. As an adult, Alison always carried her notebook whenever she went. Her love and passion for writing began when she was a kid. To combat boredom, Alison started to create stories by first working on a story idea and then visualizing it in her head until it felt more like watching a movie. Alison still writes stories during her free times so as to combat boredom.

Allison’s first ever series is the DC Goodhew series. Apart from the Gary Goodhew series, Alison has also authored two non-fiction books, The Billington and Cambridgeshire murders which were both published by Victorian press.

DC Gary Goodhew Mysteries

The Calling

The calling is the third installment in the DC Gary Goodhew mysteries by Alison Bruce. In this book, the reader is introduced briefly to each of the members of the somewhat dysfunctional Burrows family. The Burrows family is planning a surprise80th birthday celebration for the family’s Matriach. Two family members fail to show up for the planning activities. Andy is a member of the family who is always feeling as if he is the least favored member of the family. He is still at crossroads as to whether he should attend the festivities or not. However, when his niece Kaye, does not show up for the festivities, he immediately senses that something sinister is going on. From the look of things, Kaye appears to have finished in thin air. This case is assigned to one DC Goodhew who works for the Cambridge CID.

With no clue or idea as to where Kaye is, the only positive note eventually comes from two anonymous calls from a lady who directs police to a man whom she thinks they should investigate. The suspense in this book continues to build up, as it eventually appears that there is more than one suspect. Apart from the many police procedurals, The Calling is a book, which contains a lot of clever plotting and an extremely clever protagonist. The plot line in this book is not only fast paced but also exceedingly complex. The book has a touch of madness and an air of menace throughout the book. All these is revealed in the form of the book’s main character, Marlowe.

The reader is indeed not quite sure as to whether the main character can be trusted to be told the truth or her determination to name her former lover a killer is based on facts or is it because she is angry and jealousy. It also has a young and intuitive man who has himself caught up in the middle of some police politics. Additionally, there is also a suggestion of romantic and professional compatibility between the young man and D.C Sue Gully. In this book, Alison does not at any one point hold her writing back. There are scenes in this book, which are explicitly sexual and there are others which are impossibly cruel. By incorporating all these aspects in the book, Alison is able to create tension and also build a fine and unexpected ending.

The Silence

The Silence is the fourth book in the DC Gary Goodhew series. DC Goodhew is an extremely young man who has been battling some inner demons that he fights by swimming. Despite the fact that Gary is extremely close to his grandmother, he knows very little about his family. While bringing hi up, the grandmother instilled in Gary, a sense of pride which can be seen in everything that Gary does and also when he should break a rule. The book begins like a gentle spring rain and eventually builds up into a wicked thunderstorm that has lots of lightning.

While attending school, there are seven people who share a house. Two of the housemates had family members who had committed suicide. However, not everyone believes this story especially after two house members are found dead. With Cambridge as the main location setting, Gary must do everything he has learned to join all the seemingly random acts so as to find the epicenter and also lead him to a murderer who was willing to wait for years so as to revenge. As the book continues, Gary begins to realise that all this web of tragedy is not out of coincidence. While trying to find the link between the number of deaths, Gary is forced to remember the deeply buried reminiscence memories of a murder investigation, which went cold so many years ago. These memories eventually lead him to one Charlotte stone.

The Siren

Despite the fact that the first novel in this series was great, the follow up to the novel is so much better. The characters in this book are very interesting; the plot is ingenious while the suspense is palable. The Siren has a surprising twist at the end. In this installment, we are introduced to one Rachael Golinski and Kimberly Guyver. All it takes is one small item on the news for the two to know that there old life was indeed catching up with them. They truly wondered why they had been so naïve to think that it wasn’t. They really hoped that they still had one more chance of leaving it behind.

However, within a few hours, Rachel’s house was burning and Kimberly’s youngest son was missing. Dc Gary begins to look into their lives and it does not take long enough before he begins to uncover a rather unsettling picture of murder, deceit and danger. Kimberly is not only distraught, but also uncooperative and defensive. Is it her fear or mistrust concerning the police which is placing her son at risk or is it some darker motivations? Time will tell. The siren is a truly great read and also an easy book to read and to follow. It is highly recommended.