Whatever words you choose to categorise, or pigeon-hole, The Dissection Murders, by ex-police officer Steve Packwood, ‘cozy’ is not one of them. This is a hard-hitting, graphic and gritty story of London’s Metropolitan Police, investigating a series of gruesome murders.
Who is drugging middle aged women into conscious paralysis, before dissecting the helpless victims whilst still alive? And why? How is an executive jet plunging into a French field, and an exclusive school, for the sons of the rich and famous, connected to the hollowed out bodies of the victims? The answer is a narrative, littered with numerous twists and turns, surprises and shocks, and not a little humour.
At the heart of the story is Detective Sergeant Grant Maddox; an experienced and much respected officer. He is a man who recognises the value of teamwork, and the nurturing of less knowledgeable officers, such as his young partner, Detective Constable Amber Bennett, new to the CID. As the investigation progresses, the relationship between Maddox and Bennett grows and flourishes. It becomes a friendship, based on respect, humour and not a little affection. Together they must delve into the darkest recesses of the human mind, to find the connections that will provide the answers to solve the case. In the process, we learn of Maddox’s history as a combat veteran of The Falklands War; and his search for the answer to a question which has haunted him for three decades.
The officers of the Major Investigation Task Force are faced with a series of appalling crimes. The only connection seems to be the age and sex of the victims, and the horrifying method of their slaughter. The investigation is further complicated by the arrival of an internationally famous, investigative journalist, Isla Baxter, and her cameraman. They are embedded into the detective team to produce a documentary, at the behest of senior officers, in an attempt to promote transparency, and improve relations, between police and public. The tensions between Maddox and the intrusive journalist are obvious. However, Baxter brings a fresh pair of eyes and an outsider’s objectivity to the investigation, providing Maddox with a new perspective to consider, taking him down a rabbit hole to the blackest depths of what one human being will do to another human being. Prepare to be shocked.
In The Dissection Murders, you will hear the authentic voice of the British police. Profane, irreverent, sarcastic, riddled with excruciating banter, and laced throughout with the black humour that officers, the world over, will recognise as the real voice of cops at work. Every page signals that this book has been written by someone who’s been there. Someone who knows what he is talking about. The detective process described, is meticulous. The mistakes made and the chances missed are only human. The dedication, resolve and stamina to keep working, when long hours and dead ends threaten to sap the will to keep going, is described with commendable realism. The totality leaves the reader with a new understanding of this ‘other world’; in which the police live and work, to fulfil their duty. This is the great strength of The Dissection Murders, and what makes it stand out amongst a crowd of crime thrillers and police procedurals.
Steve Packwood has dared to drag the reader away from the place where overweight, middle-aged detectives, always catch nimble teenagers, in a foot chase. Where all the cops are competent, selfless and dedicated. Or where a single flash of inspiration, or the discovery of what, in reality, is an inadmissible piece evidence, replaces the long, hard, slog of detective work. Here we see a place where sometimes lions are led by donkey’s. Where mistakes are made. Where suspects are lost. Where some officers are as fallible, flawed and fumbling as the rest of us. But, also a place, where intelligence, dedication, hard work, selflessness, devotion to duty and compassion are found, in reassuring abundance. At its core, this story is a proud tribute to the British police officer. In many places the book is laugh out loud funny. In others, you will flinch at the horrors, faced by the few, so that we don’t have too. But you will be cheering on Grant and Amber, as they piece together the jigsaw puzzle which will solve The Dissection Murders, once and for all.
The Dissection Murders is the debut novel of Steve Packwood, a 30 year veteran of London’s Metropolitan Police. Packwood’s career took him to many specialist departments including uniformed emergency response, Crime Squad, CID and ultimately as one of the British Police’s very few firearms officers. He worked in West and Central London, on armed response vehicles and motorcycles. Trained as an Armed Protection Officer he was a bodyguard to such high profile Principals as, Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair. Ultimately Packwood was invited to join the Royalty Protection Branch, working on Prince, (now King) Charles’s team and, eventually, on the late Queen Elizabeth’s Protection Unit, at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral in Scotland. The author draws together all these diverse strands of experiences in this novel, to present a thriller with an authentic difference. Strap yourself in, it’s quite a ride.
Level Best Books (13 Aug 2024) Ebook & Paperback
