Dead North cover art

Dead North

Sam Williams, Book 1

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Dead North

By: Joel Hames
Narrated by: Andrew Calverley
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About this listen

Two dead cops and a suspect who won’t talk....

Once the brightest star in the legal firmament, Sam Williams has hit rock bottom, with barely a client to his name and a short-term cash problem that's looking longer by the minute. So when he's summoned to Manchester to help a friend crack a case involving the murder of two unarmed police officers and a suspect who won't say a word, he jumps at the chance to resurrect his career.

In Manchester, he'll struggle against resentful locals, an enigmatic defense lawyer who thinks he's stepping on her toes, beatings, corrupt cops, and people who'll do anything to protect their secrets. On its streets, he’ll see people die. But it's in the hills and valleys further north that Sam will face the biggest challenge of all: learning who he really is and facing down the ghosts of his past.

He’s working someone else’s case, and he’s in way over his head. But sometimes, you need the wrong man in the right place.

©2018 Joel Hames (P)2019 Joel Hames Crime Fiction Thriller & Suspense Thriller Fiction Exciting Witty

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Critic reviews

“In Dead North, Hames’ lawyer turned accidental sleuth, Sam Williams, finds himself far from home and neck deep in Manchester’s seamy gangster scene. But what stands out in this intelligent, intricately woven crime procedural - with a plot to make your brain hurt - is the undercurrent of slick and highly enjoyable humour reminiscent of Raymond Chandler, updated for the 21st century. Loved it.” (S.E. Lynes, author of Mother, Valentina, and The Pact)

“I really enjoyed it. The characters spring of the page with such natural ease. I was gripped by the story - I love a book that takes turns where you least expect. It's going to leave me with a thriller hangover for some time.” (John Marrs, author of The One, The Good Samaritan, and When You Disappeared)

“Hames is such a talent that he has created a white-knuckle, breathlessly-paced read that also has heart. Beautifully written and thrilling, Dead North deserves to go to the top of any chart.” (Louise Beech, author of Maria in the Moon, How to Be Brave, and The Mountain in My Shoe)

All stars
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Acquired this audio from the Facebook Audio club and was thrilled when I was also given bk2, I would say you can read/listen as standalone but with book 2 the main characters are the same. Starts off with Sam Williams down on his luck was once an up and coming lawyer but things did not go well, He receives a call from an old friend D I Roakes and he does not seem very well-liked but insisted Sam get himself to Manchester, as 2 of their own police have been murdered, and as yet nobody has been arrested Roakes and Sam hopes to solve it. Sam does seem to get himself into all sorts of trouble and towards the end, he was deemed to be working alone. Good pace the characters are solid well described, and the narrator was well voiced and clear.all in all a clever story.

Wow

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Full disclosure here, I am a Joel Hames virgin; this is our very first date. Despite having heard great things about his writing from other people, for some reason I still hadn't got around to reading his work. Then Mr Hames goes down the audio route and I'm in heaven. Nothing draws me to an author more than the production of their work in audio format. So, with his recently released on Audible book, Dead North, I plunged head first into the world of Sam Williams, lawyer, investigator, occasional psychological adviser and the hero of our tale. Mr Hames writes in the first person narrative, which obviously lends itself perfectly to audio. Andrew Calverley does a star turn as the narrator, switching back and forth between London and Mancunian accents effortlessly. The action maintains a brisk pace throughout and the plot is most onion-like, in that it is multi-layered and removal of each layer reveals something new. Before I knew it I was at the end, or was I? No spoilers here but the ending is carefully constructed to make sure, (as if I'd entertained any doubt), I immediately purchase book 2! All in all a clever and captivating chronicle which I highly recommend.

Quite the revelation

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Listener received this title free

I was instantly hooked in this story from the beginning. This is a new author for me but can't wait to read more books from him. The narrator is always so important to me and this Andrew Calverley did a great job. I thoroughly recommend this book for any crime fiction lover you won't regret it 📚📖.

Great book

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I love this series but hadn’t actually read the first volume before so when I had the chance to pick this up on audio I happily went for it.
As the events from this book get referenced later on I already knew roughly what to expect from the plot but it was great to fill in the gaps in Sam’s background and the pace, plotting and page-turning quality are just as good as with books two and three. The narration by Andrew Calverley was absolutely excellent - in fact his voice made the main character immediately likeable from the start (it took me a little to warm to him in book two) and brought out the wry humour in Joel Hames’ writing wonderfully. A real treat to listen and may there be many more!

A real treat

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Dead North by Joel Hames
I listened to this book on audio, I think I got a bit lost along the way, I persevered and the story did come together by the end.
I have the next book in the series on audio too, and if I am feeling lost during next book I will switch to reading it. I did enjoy the narrator though, so will give book 2 a chance.

good narrator

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Listener received this title free

Sam Williams is a struggling London lawyer, down on his luck financially and relying on his girlfriend to pay the rent. When Sam receives a call from his old friend DI Roakes he agrees to go to Manchester assist with a case. Two unarmed police officers have been shot dead and the suspect, Thomas Carson, is refusing to speak to anyone. The story is clever, if convoluted but I found the first person narrative very off putting as it made Sam came across as rather whiney. Despite this it was a good read.

Convoluted storyline

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I enjoyed listening to this book which was very well narrated. It has a good storyline, is action packed & well paced. If you haven’t tried any of Joel Hames books before give this one a go, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed

A gritty police thriller

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Listener received this title free

This starts slowly, and to be honest it's easy to give up in the early stages, however it is worth sticking with. As it progresses it becomes engaging, more listenable and becomes something that you want to know how it will end. A gritty thriller, and great , quirky lead character who has humour and appeal, despite being a lawyer. Although he isn't doing so well so maybe that helped! I liked the style and after the first bit, the pace seemed to pick up and work well.
Sam Williams is not always a nice man, but he is mostly well meaning.
He trundles up to Manchester at the behest of a friend, a DI, to help out in the investigation of a double shooting of local police officers.
As the story unfolds we meet several interesting and diverse people, some of them are not very nice, others not what they seem. With good and bad cops, good and bad criminals and blurred boundaries of right and wrong.
The story is full of wit and dry humour that doesn't diminish the beatings and the grittiness but somehow enhances the credibility.
The narration was very good and Andrew Calverley's voice and accents were not distracting as many are when doing different voices and I found it brought the story to life.
A solid and worthy 4.5 stars.

Slow at first but worth sticking with.

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I really enjoyed this audio book. The story kept me gripped and I loved the fact it wasn’t a typical police led crime drama. After a man gets arrested for killing a cop the story tosses and turns in all kinds of directions as we try to get to the bottom of what’s actually happened and why the suspect won’t talk. I really enjoyed the story and the narration and I can’t wait to listen to the next book now.

Great start to a trilogy

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Really enjoyed listening to this. A down on his luck solicitor ends up embroiled in a murder mystery in Manchester. He is a bit hapless and gets himself into a lot of trouble but his questioning nature eventually leads him to a whole other world of intrigue

spoiler alert

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