Robert lives in North East England. He works in Recruitment by day, and is usually to be found knee deep in a pile of books as a reader and reviewer by night. He has recently signed with The Blair Partnership, and his debut crime novel, What Falls Between the Cracks was released in Spring 2018.
Local crime boss Richard Goodwin had more enemies than friends, so when his body is fished out of the water, there is no shortage of suspects.
In the aftermath of his death, his wife Tatty is determined not to let the family business crumble, but soon realises how little she actually knew about her husband; and the dark underbelly of Yarmouth that he dealt with.
Billed as The Sopranos on the Norfolk coast, Harry Brett takes us into the murky underworld of Great Yarmouth, throwing together an eclectic pool of characters in an atmospheric setting. I struggled to get behind Tatty and her transformation from housewife to head of the family business, warming instead to some of the supporting cast, like Frank – Goodwin’s right hand man (loyal and as tenacious as the Godfather’s Luca Brasi) who has a sense of humour drier than the Sahara.
There are plenty of suspects for the reader to point their finger at, including Rich’s mistress Jess, and the ambitious business partner Simon. Added to the mix are rumours of a mysterious American in town with links to a new casino Goodwin wanted to build.
Overall an intriguing premise with a lot of potential but the ending lacked enough clout to make me rave about it, though interest piqued sufficiently to see what transpires in the next instalment.
