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Release date: April 11, 2017

Publisher: Bloodhound Books 

Genre: Crime Fiction 

Blurb: 

Game Point: an explosive new crime thriller from a critically acclaimed and best-selling author

DCI Bennett faces the most harrowing case of his career. A psychopath, who escaped capture, is hell bent on revenge and executes a series of events that will not only impact on Bennett physically, but will have emotional and professional consequences.         

A body is found with its fingers amputated, then an investigative journalist, embroiled in the pornography and drugs scene, is murdered.

Bennett’s team is faced with some baffling evidence. Hatpins and bicycle spokes become pivotal to the inquiry but the police struggle to connect the evidence.

It is only when a Detective Sergeant from the team is kidnapped that Bennett realises that he is the true target.

Can Bennett solve the case before it’s too late? How many people will he lose in the process?

Discover your new favourite crime series today. Also available:

Only The Dead

Hell’s Gate

Flesh Evidence

I’m so pleased to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for Game Point today. 

Review: 

I’ve participated in two blog tours for this series in the past, but unfortunately I didn’t have time in my schedule to review them, I was only able to post extracts, but from the minute I read those teasers, I knew I was missing out and man was I right! I used to be against jumping into a series in the middle but as my TBR has grown sky high, I’ve learned to get over it and just do it. I’m so glad I did as I’ve read some fantastic books that I may have otherwise overlooked based solely on the fact that they were tenth in a series. All of that to say, you can read this as a standalone, I wasn’t bothered by starting with book four, BUT I do feel like I missed out on forming a deeper connection with the characters and I’m kicking myself for not making the time for the first three books. My point is that you should read this, but you should also start at the beginning so you’re not kicking yourself like I am. 

Cyril was a complex character, one that comes off as rather reserved but on the inside there’s a lot going on. He has some quirks, but those type of things always make me like a person more and it made him stand out in a sea of other detectives from crime novels. What really drew me into this book, and to him as a character especially was the emotional turmoil he was experiencing. The case he’s working is brutal and when a member of the team is kidnapped, all hell breaks loose. Things are obviously deeply personal for Cyril and the added pressure made me feel all the more profoundly for him and his team. 

While the characterization was complex the plot was equally intricate and had me struggling to fit all the puzzle pieces together myself. Hollingdrake’s writing was descriptive and very gritty, this is a grim, gruesome case and things are extremely graphically detailed, so beware if you’re faint hearted. I really liked this one and I’m excited to see where the author takes this series and Cyril next, the possibilities are endless and exciting. 

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy. 

About the Author: 

You could say that the writing was clearly written on the wall for anyone born in a library that they might aspire to be an author but to get to that point Malcolm Hollingdrake has travelled a circuitous route.

Malcolm worked in education for many years, even teaching for a period in Cairo before he started writing, a challenge he had longed to tackle for more years than he cares to remember. 

Malcolm has written a number of successful short stories and has four books now available. Presently he is concentrating on a series of crime novels set in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. 

Born in Bradford and spending three years in Ripon, Malcolm has never lost his love for his home county, a passion that is reflected in the settings for all three novels.

Malcolm has enjoyed many hobbies including collecting works by Northern artists; the art auctions offer a degree of excitement when both buying and certainly when selling. It’s a hobby he has bestowed on DCI Cyril Bennett, the main character in his latest novel.

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