Author:Danny Miller
Denton, 1984. After a morning’s betting at the races, bookmaker George Price is found in his car, barely alive with a bullet in his head. As he’s rushed to hospital, Detective Inspector Jack Frost and the Denton police force start their hunt for the would-be murderer.
But with a long list of enemies who might want the bookie dead, the team have got their work cut out for them. And with a slew of other crimes hitting the area, from counterfeit goods to a violent drugs gangs swamping Denton with cheap heroin, the stakes have never been higher.
Will Frost find the answers he’s looking for before things go from bad to worse?
DETECTIVE JACK FROST IS...
'A splendid creation, a cross between Rumpole and Columbo' The Times
'Deplorable yet funny, a comic monster on the side of the angels' Guardian
Absolutely loved Past Tense – Lee Child just gets better and better, which is a very rare quality in a writer of a long-run series. Whip smart, always compelling, always fun, he is dangerously addictive.
—— Peter JamesJack Reacher is today's James Bond, a thriller hero we can't get enough of
—— Ken FollettI loved it. One of the best.
—— Jonathan RossIt’s Lee Child. Why would you not read it?
—— Karin SlaughterSometimes you just want someone who can beat the s*** out of people! I pick up Jack Reacher when I’m in the mood for someone big to solve my problems
—— Patricia CornwellLoved [Past Tense]! Nothing makes for a great weekend quite like quality time with Jack .
—— Lisa GardnerBusy, bloody and ingenious
—— The TimesOne of the best...hits the mark perfectly.
—— Joanne HarrisThe pace picks up...the action becomes brutal, and we're led to an extremely satisfying conclusion...I'm becoming increasingly understanding of our appetite for fiction that features proper punishment for baddies. It's deeply comforting to escape into an imaginary world where we're all safe in Jack Reacher's gammon-joint sized hands.
—— IndependentChild's writing seems unusually expressive in this novel...a reminder that Child is one writer who should never be taken for granted.
—— New York Times Book ReviewChild is an excellent writer...As ever, the prose is precision-tooled.
—— Evening StandardLee Child shows no signs of slowing down. . . . Reacher is a man for whom the phrase moral compass was invented: His code determines his direction. . . . You need Jack Reacher.
—— AtlanticThe concision, procedural chops and terse, surprising action of Past Tense make it a fantastic read.
—— USA TodayChild at the top of his game
—— Woman & HomeWith fast action, a smart plot and Reacher's laconic wit - as ever, it's pure pleasure
—— Sunday MirrorThe only question is whether it's a superior instalment in the series - and the answer is yes.
—— Mail on SundayLee Child is a very good writer who happens to compose thrillers. He is a first-rate stylist...every landscape, street scene, room and person passing through the story is observed in clean, precise declarative sentences whose elegant simplicity belies the tremendous skill it took to craft them.
—— Times Literary SupplementIf you haven’t read any Jack Reacher, you have a treat in store. He excels at the art of the putdown, followed by a punch. But he is as sensitive as Sherlock Holmes to telling details in the way people present themselves, and to nuances of behaviour that lead him through mazes of lies to the truth...a hitchhiker without a phone, a one-man force for good.
—— The TimesSheens and his team are compassionate, clever, and likeable... The mystery intrigues and twists, offering enough red herrings and moments of police procedural to please fans of the genre. There are already two more DCI Sheens novels in the works - hooray!
—— Kirkus (starred review)Masterful and immersive, told with pace and nuance - totally gripping. The tension wracks up page after page. A fantastic book, a sure-fire bestseller
—— Chris Hammer, No.1 Bestselling author of ScrublandsI thoroughly enjoyed it - a great evocation of being a teenager, and a tense meshing of time lines. I'm very glad it's the start of a series
—— Harriet Tyce, author of Blood OrangeClassic detective fiction at its best! Lodge paints an absorbing tale of murder-and more--involving a cast of superbly drawn characters. Rarely does a book so seamlessly blend the past and the present, building edge-of-the-seat suspense to the very final scene, all the while offering up piercing psychological insight that draws us in as completely as the plot.
—— Jeffery Deaver, author of The Never Game and The Bone CollectorMost enjoyable - Gytha Lodge is a skilled storyteller and she weaves such an intricate plot. The book hooked me early on and kept me up way past my bedtime on several nights! The team of detectives Gytha has put together is top notch. All in all, a very satisfying read
—— James OswaldShe Lies in Wait drew me in from the very first page. Gytha Lodge has created a compulsive crime novel with a heartbreaking story and a complex plot as well as a whole set of brilliant characters, especially the clever and likeable DCI Sheens. Difficult to put down, it kept me guessing until the end
—— Jenny Quintana, bestselling author of The Missing GirlI can't remember a debut I read with such pleasure - a really masterful handling of complex plot and beautiful characterisation
—— Helen Callaghan, bestselling author of Dear AmyA thriller with a chilling psychological edge that explores the bonds of friendship
—— WomanSlow-burning, yet intense ... Ticks all the crime thriller boxes
—— Peterborough Evening TelegraphBrilliant. We predict she is a big name for the future
—— Leamington CourierOnce Upon a River is a delight, just marvellous. I devoured it in gulps.
—— Jo Baker, bestselling author of LongbournOnce Upon A River succeeds in doing what you hope every book will do - pull you in from the first page, hold you captive in the middle, then leave you satisfied and thoughtful at the end. I loved it.
—— Renee Knight, author of bestseller Disclaimer