Jo Bannister > Reviews > Requiem for a dealer by Jo Bannister

Author's product rating:   

Listenability

Pretty compelling but not addictive

Advantages:	Good plot, very well written and good characterization
Disadvantages:	Brodie indicision with her two men

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Jo Bannister has written 20 acclaimed novels.

Her specialism is crime thrillers, of which this is a good example of her work.

This novel features Brodie Farrell, Daniel Hood and Jack Deacon.
Her writing is always crisp and very descriptive. Allowing you to feel you are involved in the mystery and feel empathy with some of the characters.(Certainly the 3 main ones anyway!)

Through her writing you could clearly understand and see the key characters point of view and you were constantly wondering how they would react to the new developments in the case.

The story starts with Daniel Hood being given a driving lesson from his good friend Brodie Farrell. When a girl dashes out across the road and is stuck by their vehicle.

The hysterical girl Alison Barker claims he is trying to kill her.Much to their utter disbelief. And then runs into the night seemingly unharmed but very confused by the experience.

Due to the author's great story telling ability, I continually felt for Alison and the situation she found herself in. Hoping for a happy ending for her and a solution to the case.

Brodie turns to the other man in her life her boyfriend DS Jack Deacon for help. However he has his problems of his own with a new designer drug called Scram hitting the streets of their home town Dimmock. His number one priority is to find the factory producing this and catch the guilty parties.

However, he is forced to take an interest in Daniel's accident when the girl turns up unconscious in the local hospital having taken an overdose of Scram.

Daniel visit her in hospital after she regains consciousness. She tells him about her father's death after his bloodstock dealership went bust. And the fact the Police were not interested in investigating this. Believing he either comitted suicide or accidently drowned.

Alison is convinced he was murdered and convinces Daniel to help her find his murderer. As he is the only person who will listen to her and believe her story.
She also denies she took an overdose and believes someone is trying to kill her to shut her up.

Brodie is now torn between the two men in he life. As Daniel believes Alison and Deacon clearly doesn't. The only way she can settle the issue is to discover the truth herself.

This involves her purchasing a horse in Germany and then asking the transport firm that Alison belives were responsible for destroying her fathers business and ultimately killed him to transport the animal back to Dimmock.

Brodie convinces Deacon that the deadly drug Scram is being imported by Windham transportation firm inside the horses so they can set up a sting.

Of course nothing quite goes to plan as the horse is swopped on route and instead of travelling with the transport firm she arrives separately with the vet in his horse box.

As a result of this Daniel gets kidnapped with the horse as the Vet becomes suspicious and Brodie ultimately now blames herself for Daniel's disappearance. She must now work with Deacon to save Daniel, and catch the Scam Team.

The book moved quickly and I found it very easy to read and I had read and enjoyed it in no time at all.
Bannister's writing is excellent, very descriptive and occasionally witty.
Her insight into human nature is excellent.

The only frustrating point was the relationship between the two men. They respected eachother but both seemed to want and need to be the only man in Brodie's life.
And Brodie couldn't see this need for this.

A very good read.

Recommended to all fans of crime novels.