Roses for the Dead: 3 (DI Erika Piper)

Darkness. It comes from the past. It’s present during our every waking hour. It overspills into the future. Even when you don’t feel it around you, it’s always there. Hidden. Deep inside, skulking around and waiting to pounce.Roses for the Dead is the third book in the DI Erika Piper series by Chris McDonald and it’s as solid and satisfying as its two predecessors, A Wash of Black and Whispers in the Dark. Deliciously noir and painfully authentic.And that authenticity is exactly what I love about McDonald’s series. We have a strong yet vulnerable protagonist who is not tainted by the usual ails of her counterparts so often carbon-copied across other stories within the genre. Erika Piper is human through and through. She loves watching TV after work and wants to keep the world a safer place for the sake of her newborn son. As all of us, really. And that authentic flair of this procedural noir story made me love Chris McDonald’s writing. We haven’t got a nigh-indestructible, gruff, hard-nosed cop who’s driven by determination, revenge, coffee, booze or broken dreams. We haven’t got masses of car chases and explosions. Or convoluted ScoobyDoo-esque twists. Instead, we are served a wholesome, relatable story in which the protagonist has the quality of the next-door neighbour or that young mum we see in the supermarket rushing between aisles, often forgetting what she came here for in the first place, so she ends up picking up a four-pack of baked beans, frozen potato waffles and a loaf of bread.Yet, the gorgeous noir is maintained throughout without fail. The unmistakable ‘noirness’ of Chris McDonald’s storytelling is timeless and works on every level imaginable, to the extent that it could be taken from the modern-day setting and planted in the plumes of cigarette smoke in a 1940s jazz club. It’s economical and pacy, whilst quickly building an unforgettable atmosphere. Roses for the Dead is one of those books that can be easily devoured in one sitting and make you want more.Despite being a third book in the series, the final DI Erika Piper outing works well as a standalone novel. The events from previous instalments are mentioned for context, but they don’t spoil previous novels by giving the story away. Instead, they act as a nice little teaser of what you may experience by immersing yourself in the series. What I would say, however, is that it’s important to know Erika’s backstory to fully appreciate her family dynamic. Especially why her partner Tom can come across as a bit abrasive and why having a baby is such a massive deal.And finally, there’s Chris McDonald – the author. Since reading his debut novel last year, I’ve been following his career with great interest, and by Mr Frankowski’s Beard, hasn’t he grown as an author? His style became more and more pronounced, and so did his character development. The story itself is full of nods to popular culture. The world created by McDonald perfectly captures the atmosphere of modern-day Manchester and surrounding areas, adding that extra flavour of authenticity.Personally, I’m delighted to share this review on the publication day of Roses for the Dead. Many thanks to Chris McDonald and Red Dog Press team for allowing me the first look inside this brilliant novel.Chris, you have done it again! Fantastic work as always.

Now I was fully broken after the events in book 2 - Whispers In The Dark, as anyone else who read it will understand, so went into this one slightly nervous!After the events of the last book, Erika is about to return to work in her new role when an old case is thrown wide open. Soon after a murderer she put away is released, bodies left in similar states to the one he was convicted for start appearing. Her new boss wants her on the case and despite a resolution to take a back seat now, Erika needs very little persuading to ditch the desk job and get back into the thick of it.At home, after getting themselves settled and thinking that Erika was going back to the safety of an office job, her other half Tom is not happy with her putting herself back in the firing line again, especially now they have other responsibilities to think of.This was another excellent story in this stellar series. Very well plotted, twisty and as with the previous two books, I though I had it sussed a few times, but nope! Add in the excellent characters and you will certainly not regret getting stuck into this series, but I definitely recommend starting with book one so you get a full idea of the whole story.I don't want to say to much about the ending, but if this is the last we see from Erika, then what a perfect conclusion or her story.

I was devastated after reading Whispers in the Dark and then even more so when I discovered that Roses for the Dead was to be Erika's last book. It is as excellent as the other two. I love Erika and I love that she's with Tom and they have their little family.The story is completely different from the other two, focusing as it does on a cold case that hots up pretty quickly. Erika is thrust back into the action on her return from maternity leave - well, she was never going to be suited to doing admin a basement! The twists and turns blind you to the real culprit and the secrets that people are hiding as the truth eventually comes out.Erika is someone who I would like to think would be a friend if she were real! Chris has such a knack for drawing characters that we either take to, or dislike, with good reason! I cannot recommend the three books enough, and if Chris were to give Erika another outing, I'd do a little happy dance!

Yet again, twists and turns throughout the book. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Erika's ups and downs. I was so sad to hear that this is the final book.

Set in Manchester and the third and final (?!😱😭) book in the DI Erika Piper series, the reader will come face to face with the past, second guessing decisions made, guilt, consequences, betrayal, revenge and a search for justice.WOW! WOW! OMG WOW! 🤯 An absolutely fantastic opening which first had me wondering what the heck was going on… then it turned really sinister and the chills enveloped me. The storyline is clever and kept me on my toes. Not going lie – I was DEVASTATED to learn it’s the last in the series (so much so, I messaged the author, pleading for him to tell me it wasn’t true) but holy mother of trucker – it was phenomenal. Talk about going out with a bang.I absolutely ADORE the MC in this series. She goes from strength to strength, determined, but also vulnerable at times and this makes her relatable. This was a highly emotive read – I may have had a tear or two. As with the whole series, the author writes believable characters – well drawn out so that the reader is invested 100%.Would I recommend this book? With my very last breath I would! Compelling, complex, explosive, addictive… you name it, this book has it! I urge you to check out the whole series if you love chilling, dark, atmospheric reads. Go! Go! Go!