August 1976 and it seems as though the long hot summer will never end. Early morning at Clacton on the north Essex coast, a light aircraft takes off from the airstrip but struggles for height and crashes into the sea. First on the scene, Sergeant Cyril Claydon pulls the pilot’s body from the wreckage. But something else catches his eye. A bulky package wrapped in black plastic is on the passenger seat. Returning to investigate, he makes a grim discovery – another body. And so begins a series of events that puts him and others in danger as he is drawn into the investigation, having to work alongside DI ‘Dick’ Barton, a man with totally alien attitudes. Can they work together?
It's my pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for Disposal, the first book in the Tendring Series today. My grateful thanks to the author and Caroline Vincent for inviting me and for my ecopy of the novel.
I seem to have a knack for reading books in a series out of order, it doesn't usually matter too much but I must admit it was a real pleasure to know Disposal is the first book to feature Sergeant Cyril Claydon and DI 'Dick' Barton. The Tendring Series is set in Essex with the action in this book taking part in the long hot summer of 1976.
Cyril Claydon is contemplating retirement when he witnesses a light aircraft crashing into the sea, when he discovers the unfortunate pilot isn't the only body on board - and the second body is wrapped in black plastic - he is drawn into a murder investigation that will push thoughts of his police career coming to an end to the back of his mind. Cyril is a really lovely man; he's still affected by the loss of his beloved wife and a traumatic wartime experience but rather than make him cynical, he's a warm, empathetic and perceptive police officer. After ten years in CID as a DC, he returned to uniform to gain a promotion but CID are a man down after one of their officers is injured drink driving - this is the Seventies, after all - and so Cyril is asked to work on the case with DI John 'Dick' Barton.
Readers could be forgiven for thinking Barton's nickname was earned through his behaviour but Dick Barton:Special Agent was actually a BBC radio show in the 1940s and 50s. Nevertheless, the modern meaning works as he is frequently rude and obstreperous - his working relationship with Cyril has a shaky start. As the novel progresses however, his character is revealed to have hidden depths and watching the partnership between the two men develop is one of the highlights of the book.
The steady pace of the plot works perfectly with the constraints of a criminal investigation of that time, results came about through painstaking legwork and intuition as much as through forensic results. The complexities of the case made for an engrossing read, knowing just who can be trusted is far from straightforward here. Although the book focuses on Claydon and Barton, the secondary characters are distinct and well rounded. Cyril's neighbour, Doris is particularly fabulous, wise and warm - she ends up playing an important part in the investigation. Disposal is a thoroughly enjoyable police procedural and I look forward to reading the next instalment of the series.
Disposal is published by Orchard View Publications and is available to purchase here. Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
David Evans is a Scots-born writer who found his true love as well as his inspiration for his detective series, set primarily in Wakefield. Having written all his life, in 2012 he decided to go for it – successfully as the next year, in 2013, he was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award.
The Wakefield Series became an International Bestseller in June 2017 with success in Canada and Australia as well as the UK. But now, whilst the Wakefield Series awaits the next instalment, David Evans has written Disposal, the first in the Tendring Series, a completely new detective series set in north Essex in the 1970s.
David Evans on Social Media
Author Website: http://www.davidevanswriter.co.uk/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/davidevanswriter/
Twitter: @DavidEwriter
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