My Review of Rough Diamond by Bill Todd

My Review:

Rough Diamond is Bill Todd's third of his Danny Lancaster series and worked well as a standalone novel. I haven't read the first two yet now look forward to doing so.

Danny Lancaster is a private investigator with a chequered past that illicits sympathy from the reader. He's a good guy who wants to help and as such is an extremely likable character. My favourite scene involved a homeless man, was handled with both humour and sympathy with a healthy dollop of social comment that I applauded.

Todd has crafted a fabulous ensemble cast of characters with Wanda being a particular favourite of mine being both maternal and setting male pulses racing at the same time. 

The narrative is fast paced with lots of twists and turns and seemingly unconnected events that all mesh together in a way that I did not imagine but at the same time were perfectly plausible. The action takes place primarily in Brighton, a place Todd is clearly fond of and is depicted beautifully; I've never been to Brighton but now intend to correct that. Todd's use of dates and place evoke a sense of realism that made the narrative more immersive, just as Danny's family issues make him more believable too. We are all jugglers and and all drop the ball at times. I like Danny more for his imperfections and I'm sure you will too.

Thank you to Emma at damppebbles for inviting me to take part in this tour.