The Crossing

Written by Matt Brolly

Narrated by Danielle Cohen

An Amazon Charts bestseller.

In a small town full of secrets, everyone’s a suspect.

When a body is discovered, bled dry on a beach, the sleepy seaside town of Weston-super-Mare wakes up to a nightmare. For Detective Inspector Louise Blackwell, recently transferred to the town she last saw as a child, it’s her first case on the job.

The victim—Veronica Lloyd, an elderly volunteer at a local church—has puncture wounds to her hands. When a priest is found killed in a nearby church in a similarly grisly condition, it becomes clear that Blackwell is dealing with a righteous and bloody murderer. But the victims aren’t random. The killer has a vendetta and is hell-bent on exacting twisted revenge for a dark secret dating back years—and there are more murders planned.

As the body count rises, Blackwell faces a race against time to solve the mystery of the murderer’s identity and put an end to the carnage. She thought she knew Weston, but the town holds more secrets than she’d ever have imagined. Who can she trust and who knows more than they are letting on?

She must discover the crimes that unite the victims—before it’s too late.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Feb 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799749912

Matt Brolly

Following his law degree, where he developed an interest in criminal law, Matt Brolly completed his master’s in creative writing at Glasgow University. He is the bestselling author of the DCI Lambert crime novels Dead Water, Dead Eyed, Dead Lucky, Dead Embers and Dead Time; the acclaimed near-future crime novel Zero; and the US-based thriller The Controller. Matt also writes children’s books as M. J. Brolly. His first is The Sleeping Bug. Matt lives in London with his wife and their two young children. You can find out more about Matt at www.mattbrolly.co.uk or by following him on Twitter: @MattBrollyUK.

Reviews for The Crossing

[edwardsgt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good use of authentic locations in and around Weston, including Birnbeck Island old ferry terminal, which we saw from Brean Down a couple of years ago. The author captures well life in a rather faded seaside town, especially for a detective moved sideways from Bristol's Major Incident Team and living on their own. Be worth reading more in the series.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are elements in this first-in-a-series novel that have been common to a number of crime fiction novels recently: female detective, life made more difficult for her by male colleagues than it need be, appears to make a mistake, penalised by her superiors; misses out on promotion, relocated to a position now seen as a demotion, has to step straight up to the plate, with a very puzzling case.This novel has a well thought out and intriguing plot, with a central character who is at the same time likeable and has potential. 

[dokfintong · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

GrimThis is a grim story of serial killers, stalkers, and a host of unpleasant people that is presented through far too much interior dialog. Detective Louise Blackwell does not register as real to me. I did not like the book and did not finish.I received a review copy of "The Crossing: Detective Louise Blackwell" by Matt Brolly from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley.com.

[kimkimkim-7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Crossing is a British crime drama which is not badly done, just not great. The story could be interesting but I was distracted by the inner voice of DI Louise Blackwell. She has so many problems, not the least her inability to effectively deal with her former partner. Here’s the deal, she was stabbed in the back by him and savaged by her superiors. Well you had to believe one or the other and why not the Alpha male. Bottom line the guy makes DCI and the female gets booted to the boonies, the outer environs. Now what would a righteous woman, who happens to be a wrongly accused police officer, do? In my story she subscribes to the position that is is pointless to get even, she needs to get ahead and she has to do it from the strongest feminine perspective. That was the issue - her voice and thoughts never rang true - It felt as if she was written by a man who wasn’t fully able to get into the mind of a this female. Brolly never gave her the uppercut she deserved to throw.Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy.