What The Critics Said

'Charlie Priest is a no-nonsense down to earth cop who sees things pretty much as they really are. This is a solid tale of revenge, police procedure and very real people... Charges along at a cracking pace, and doesn't let up for an instant. Priest is on terrific form, as always.'

Booksmonthly

'What marks the book out from the pack most of all is the author’s grasp of language. His similies hit you with startling originality (‘she had a voice like a milkman’s van crossing a cattle grid’), he shows perceptive insight and sympathy into people’s motives and all his characters have rounded personalities...
If you haven’t yet met Charlie Priest, look up Stuart Pawson’s impressive back catalogue where you will find a dozen more adventures about Yorkshire’s most likeable detective.'

Shots Magazine

'A VERY PRIVATE MURDER is a treat worth waiting for... A new Stuart Pawson novel is like your favourite uncle turning up, telling you corny jokes, whisking you off to the zoo for the afternoon and feeding you your favourite ice cream…
You don't read Pawson for nail-destroying tension or rapid action. What he does, and does insanely well, is to present the reader with a cast of characters so realistic that you're convinced you know them from work or from your road or from down the pub.'

Reviewingtheevidence.com

'Full of Stuart’s trademark dry humour, whether he muses on nasal hair razors or Friday night in a small town..there is so much pleasure to be derived from the Yorkshire ambience that the plots sometimes seem of secondary importance. But Stuart Pawson always tells a good story, and tells it well.'

Martin Edwards

'I felt like I was reading an old Dick Francis novel (and quite enjoying it.) A VERY PRIVATE MURDER is full of good humour and solid detection...Pawson definitley has a talent for plotting but his forte is characterisation. I met a lot of interesting people on my journey through the novel. This, the thirteeth novel in the DI Charlie Priest series, is a winner.'

Deadly Pleasures