Definitely Dead is a thrilling crime novel from real CSI Kate Bendelow. It’s the perfect read for fans of authors like Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerritsen.

Can you always trust the evidence?

Maya Barton has just embarked on her dream job as a scene of crime officer. When she attends her first death the post-mortem deems it to be non-suspicious and the case is closed. But despite the lack of evidence, she suspects a crime has been committed.

Meanwhile, the police force focus on a mission to bring a criminal gang to justice.

When Maya is called to another apparent sudden death her reservations resurface. She is convinced a killer is on the loose; a killer who has evaded suspicion until now, but Maya’s series of mistakes alienate those around her.

As she and her colleagues are drawn further into their investigations, they end up putting themselves in grave danger.

Can Maya catch a killer and escape from her troubled past, or will the skeletons from her closet come back to haunt her? Who can Maya really trust? And who will make it out alive…

A Fab Introduction to a New Crime Series!

An excellent and exciting start to a new crime series!

Maya Barton has finally got the career she has coveted for so long and can’t wait to get on with carrying out her job as a Scene of Crime Officer, better known as SOCO. Attending her first few crime scenes, there seems to be something ‘off’ but it’s not showing in the evidence, just more of a feeling. Unfortunately, she also slips up on a couple of occasions and the powers that be are more concerned about her lack of protocol than any ideas she may have about a killer being on the loose. As more bodies and arrests follow, Maya is wary of protecting a secret of her own; who can she trust and just how much danger is she in?

I have the feeling this is one series which is going to go from strength to strength; Maya Barton is a rookie in her chosen field and, as such, makes mistakes – some of which are very amusing. As the newest member of a team, she is on the lowest rung of the ladder and still has a lot to learn. It’s quite obvious that the author is writing about a subject she knows thoroughly and has constructed a well-planned, entertaining read centred around multiple crimes. Did I work out whodunnit? Not a chance! Certainly didn’t she THAT coming! A well-written introduction to a series which will be worth following and a fabulous debut. I’m happy to recommend this one to everyone who enjoys an enigmatic crime thriller, and give it 4*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Tags: women’s crime fiction

• Format: ebook, paperback
• Size: 355 pages
• Publisher: Bloodhound Books
• Publication Date: 24 May 2021
• Book Links:
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57890718
• https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/definitely-dead-kate-bendelow/1139458534
• https://www.foyles.co.uk/witem/fiction-poetry/definitely-dead,kate-bendelow-9781913942571
• https://www.waterstones.com/book/definitely-dead/kate-bendelow/9781913942571
• https://wordery.com/definitely-dead-kate-bendelow-9781913942571
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Definitely-Dead-gripping-thriller-real-ebook/dp/B094JXWDRJ

Author Details

I write am the author of The Real CSI: A Forensic Handbook for Crime Writers. I also deliver presentations on the same subject to crime writers. I hope you find The Real CSI a useful resource. Definitely Dead published by Bloodhound Books, is the first in the SOCO Maya Barton trilogy. Please follow me on Twitter or my author page (links below).

• Twitter: @KateBendelow
• Facebook: @Katebendelowauthor