Today it is my great pleasure to be taking part in the blog tour for Truth or Die, the latest book in the Grey and Miles series from Katerina Diamond. A big thank you to Sabah Khan at Avon Books for inviting me to join the tour. Here’s what the book is about:
About the Book
Their darkest secrets won’t stay buried forever…
The butchered body of a professor is found in a private office of Exeter University. It is the first in a spate of horrific murders that shakes the city to its core.
Who would target a seemingly innocent man, and why? DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles turn to his students for answers, but their investigation turns up no leads. Someone must know more than they’re letting on…
As the body count rises, the police have to look into the past to uncover the person responsible before it’s too late.
But are they brave enough to face up to the truth?
Available from Amazon | Waterstones | Kobo | Google Play | Apple Books
My Thoughts
I was late coming to the Grey and Miles series but have had immense pleasure in catching up with all that I missed. To me, it is the combination of the setting, fantastic characters that you are rooting for – flaws and all – and stories which keep you hooked with their blend of the dark and, sometimes, disturbing. There is a real tension about them, a feeling of being kept on the edge, and the author isn’t afraid to challenge the reader with murders that stop short of gratuitous violence but do leave you with enough detail to make you grimace.
Truth or Die is no different, and what may start out as a seemingly simple (by Katerina Diamond standards) murder of a college professor, taking a very unexpected turn, leaving the Detecting duo of Imogen Grey and Adrian Miles with a trail of bodies and series of ever more perplexing clues to unravel. Speaking of unraveling, a serious allegation threatens to derail both the investigation and possibly even Miles’ career. With the relationship between the two Detectives heading into uncharted waters, this book will have fans well and truly hooked.
I don’t want to say too much about the story itself as I think that you need to read to appreciate it. It’s a very complex tale, with many threads being skilfully woven into a slowly emerging picture, one which may not catch you completely unawares but is still absolutely fascinating to watch. I had an inkling as to what might be at stake, but not who was behind it, and it took a while to see how the opening chapter fit into the whole story. It seemed almost completely unrelated, a bit like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle that you sit staring at, unable to tell from the lid where it’s meant to fit. It’s not until you nearly finish that it all makes sense and that final piece slots in, right where it belongs.
The murder in this range from the simple to the grotesque, and the victims from the manipulative to the spineless. It certainly makes me thankful that my University Professors all seemed relatively normal in comparison. the book also explores the idea of how easy it might be to manipulate young minds, those who have a fractured past or underprivileged upbringing, something which is, regrettably, believable.
I loved the way in which the author explored the ever more complicated relationship between Miles and Grey. It took somewhat of a turn in the last book, both of them seeking solace in each others company, albeit completely platonically. But with the chemistry between them, it makes for a heady mix and it is almost inevitable that a lot of this book is spent examining this dynamic.
It’s a kind of coupling that both makes sense but also instills dread in me as a reader as Katerina Diamond isn’t the kind of author who seems to do light and fluffy, so a happy ending cannot be on the cards even if they are both due a break. What that would then mean for our intrepid duo I wouldn’t like to guess but no doubt it will make the reading very interesting. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to find out!
About the Author
Katerina Diamond was born in Weston in the seventies. She moved to Thessaloniki in Greece and attended Greek school where she learnt Greek in just 6 months. After her parents’ divorce, they relocated to Devon. After school, and working in her uncle’s fish and chip shop, she went (briefly) to university at Derby, where she met her husband and had two children. Katerina now lives in the East Kent Coast with her husband and children. She is a Sunday Times and Kindle bestseller.
Author Links: Twitter | Website
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