I’m pleased to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for The Dentist, first in a new series of books written by Tim Sullivan. Thank you to Emma Welton and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
About the book:
A homeless man. Violently strangled. No leads. Except his past.
An outsider himself, DS George Cross is drawn to this case. The discovery of the dead man’s connection to an old cold case then pulls Cross in further. Convinced this is where the answer to the murder lies, he sets about solving another that someone has spent the past fifteen years thinking they’ve got away with.
Cross’ relentless obsession with logic, detail and patterns is what makes him so irritatingly brilliant. It doesn’t exactly make him popular with colleagues or his superiors, though. He has numerous enemies in the force wanting to see him fail.
Red flags are soon raised as suspicious inconsistencies and errors in the original detective’s investigation come to light. Now retired, this ex-cop has powerful friends in the force and a long-standing dislike of Cross.
Set in picturesque Bristol in the Southwest of England, it’s not long before the city reveals its dark underbelly, in a case of intriguing twists and turns whose result astonishes even those involved.
Difficult and awkward, maybe. But Cross has the best conviction rate in Avon & Somerset Police. By far. Will this case put an end to that?
About Tim Sullivan:
TIM SULLIVAN made his first short film before graduating from Cambridge University. His ambition to become a screenwriter was formed not so much by this experience but as an attempt to foil his father’s determination to turn him into a lawyer.
Within weeks of leaving university armed with a law degree he had met the film maker Derek Jarman and persuaded him to commission an original screenplay from him entitled BOB UPADOWN and so a career was born.
A few months later he joined Granada Television as a researcher. Here he was commissioned to write the first of many television scripts for the company. Two sitcoms entitled THE TRAIN NOW LEAVING and THE GREASY SPOON followed by the crime dramas MYSTERIOUS WAYS and MAIGRET.
Upon leaving the bosom of Granada and venturing into the wild wide world of the freelance film maker he wrote and directed the movie JACK AND SARAH starring Richard E Grant, Samantha Mathis, Ian Mckellen, Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins. This led to a commission from New Line Pictures to write the screenplay WALKING PAPERS based on the Jay Cronley novel of the same name..
He recently wrote the screenplay for LETTERS TO JULIET starring Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave.
Oscar winning producers of The King’s Speech, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman then commissioned an original screenplay from him entitled THE WEDDING DRESS.
He has now embarked on a series of crime novels featuring the eccentric and socially-awkward, but brilliantly persistent DS George Cross. Set in Bristol in the south west of England, Cross’ methods often infuriate his colleagues and superiors “not so much a thorn in my side as a pain in my arse,” according to his boss DCI Carson. But his conviction rate, thanks to his dogged persistence and attention to detail, is the best in the force. The DENTIST is in the first of a series.
Tim lives in North London with his wife Rachel, the Emmy award-winning producer of THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA and PIONEER WOMAN.
He is currently the UK chair of the Writers’ Guild of America (West).
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimJRSullivan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timjrsullivan/
Website: https://timsullivan.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timsullivannovelist/
Purchase Links:
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3ginNGt
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3gjS7AB
Waterstones: https://bit.ly/3hnLO0b
Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/2QksVPQ
Book Depository: https://bit.ly/2Ewm2IQ
Publishing Information:
Published in paperback and digital formats on 15th June 2020
The Cyclist (DS George Cross #2) was published on 2ndSeptember 2020 and is available to purchase NOW!
My Review:
The Dentist by Tim Sullivan is the first in a new series of books featuring DS George Cross. This first book in the series is as much about introducing the socially inept but brilliant detective as it is about the actual case. George is not your every day run of the mill police detective, he is an awkward man who often finds working with others difficult, but he also has the best conviction rate in Avon & Somerset Police by far. But will his latest case of a violently murdered homeless man put an end to that?
I was drawn to George from the outset. He’s a unique character who has obviously been incredibly well researched by the author, making him a fascinating character and one I enjoyed getting to know. His relationship with work partner DS Josie Ottey is a wonderful one, as she tries her hardest to overcome her frustrations and understand who George is as a person.
It soon becomes apparent that George has been treated badly by colleagues in the past, especially in his early days when he was mercilessly bullied by some. So it doesn’t help when his investigation into the murder of the homeless man brings him face to face with his former nemesis, DCI Macdonald. There is certainly no love lost between the pair, which all adds to the tension as George and Josie try to solve the mystery of the murdered man.
Tim Sullivan has written a well plotted and interesting police procedural that kept me guessing throughout. The Dentist isn’t a fast moving read by any means, but with its strong cast of supporting characters and a very real and fascinating lead character who is brought vividly to life by the author, I found this book to be a thoroughly entertaining read.
Highly recommended.
The Dentist by Tim Sullivan is available to purchase now.
The Cyclist (DS George Cross 2) is also available to purchase now. I can’t wait to read it!
Check out what these other bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 
Thanks so much x
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You’re very welcome. 😊
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