Author: Damien Boyd
Genre: adult, mystery, thriller, crime fiction, suspense, contemporary
Published: January 20, 2015 (first published February 26, 2014)
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
A trainee jockey has been kicked to death by an aggressive stallion at the local stables. Deemed an accidental death, the case is closed. But when the jockey’s brother returns from active service, he sparks an armed siege, demanding the investigation be re-opened and the truth uncovered.
Still recovering from the physical and mental scars of his last case, Detective Inspector Nick Dixon is dragged deep into a murky world of betting scams and murder, where people will do anything to keep their secrets. Even if that means silencing a DI who keeps asking the wrong questions about the wrong dead jockey...
Kickback is the third novel in the highly acclaimed DI Nick Dixon Crime Series.
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you can read my reviews of the first two books in the DI Nick Dixon series here. this review DOES NOT contain any spoilers from the first books so there's nothing to worry about.
As the Crow Flies introduced DI Nick Dixon well. I got hooked. I liked him. I liked Damien Boyd's fast-paced writing. Head in the Sand allowed me to look a bit deeper into DI Nick Dixon. It had a more interesting case, a more thrilling pace, and a more interesting development on Dixon.
The Mystery! Kickback is about the death of a jockey in training, Noel. Noel's death was reported to be an accidental death but his brother does not buy it. He asks DI Nick Dixon to look over Noel's death in a very unlikely way. Dixon later on finds out that Noel's death is nothing really close to an accident but the murderer really tried to make it look like one.
Solving the Case. Kickback really offered some new things to the series. It starts off with the usual look on the eyes on the murdered minutes before he was killed. Then to a recall of the previous case to a start of a new one. This one, unlike the previous two, began in a more intense manner. The first chapter immediately had things rolling. It was an immediate attention grabber. I was instant hooked it.
The pace, as usual, is quick and great. I was immediately absorbed into the investigation but there were times when I'd just find myself lost because of all the explanation regarding horse-race bets which I'm not very familiar with and I find quite confusing to grasp. But setting that aside, everything is really good.
Kickback hasn't really completely backed up Dixon's diabetes problems which was opened up in the previous book but I can still see it here. Perhaps more about his condition will come later on in the series. Aside from his condition, this installment opened up another interesting side on Dixon's line of work which is the involvement of other detectives and how they see Dixon. Detective Constable Jane Winter's part in the investigation kind of disappointed me. I liked Jane in Head in the Sand but in here, I feel that she's just a mere sidekick for Dixon. The introduction of Police Constable Louise Willmott (and more appearances of Dr Roger Poland) occasionally makes me scream for GO TEAM DIXON! LOL.
"Do I look like an Avon lady?" asked Jane.Kickback also became a bit laid back. While it was still suspenseful, there were moments when I'd just smile and maybe stop and laugh a little. There's a bit a simple humor, really. Well serious humor. But I still found them amusing. I can't even believe myself at how much I bought Dixon's rant about his broken television and broken DVDs.
"Do I have to answer that?" replied Dixon.
"The husband answered the door. It was the best I could come up with on the spot..." said Louise.
Revelation. As Dixon uncovers or gets closer to who the murderer is (after what seems like a lot of dangers and wondering what really is the intention), I was really wondering is this for real? They're plainly planning on how to arrest him? That's when Damien Boyd surprises me again.
OVERALL, Kickback is another fast-paced, nicely thought of, thrilling crime fiction by Damien Boyd. There's a bit of complex and maybe confusing things about horse-race betting but aside from that, everything is really great. I enjoyed Team Dixon and would really love to read more of them. I'll definitely go around the 4th book, Swansong, soon. This thrilling crime fiction series is definitely a MUST READ.
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What I Like: (1) Team Dixon (YEAH! LOL), (2) that twist!, (3) that humor - that serious humor, (4) the usual fast and thrilling pace, (5) the beginning, the first chapter, how it immediately grabbed me
What I Didn’t Like: (1) all those talks about betting (was really confused there),
~I received this book in exchange for an honest review~
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