Judith D Collins
- Sep 29, 2015
- 4 min read

The Blissfully Dead

A Detective Lennon Thriller (Book 2)

ISBN: 9781503947474

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publication Date: 9/29/2015

Format: Other

My Rating: 4 Stars

She couldn’t believe that he wanted to meet her. He was famous. She was a nobody. Finally, someone could see how special she was…

When the body of a teenage girl is found in a London hotel, DI Patrick Lennon is mystified. Nobody saw her or her killer enter the hotel, and there is no apparent motive—until a second teenager is found and Lennon realises somebody is targeting fans of the world’s biggest boy band.

As Lennon struggles with both his home life and his rivals on the force, the pressure to catch the killer before he strikes again reaches fever pitch. And when Lennon makes a terrible mistake that ends in disaster, he finds himself in a race to save not only the lives of more teenage girls but also his own career.

My Review

A special thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The dynamic duo, partners in crime, Louise Voss & Mark Edwards return following the thrilling From the Cradle, with their second DI Patrick Lennon Thriller, THE BLISSFULLY DEAD —dead girls, fans, obsessions, pop icons, social media madness, and suspense. DI Patrick, mid-thirties is back, with all the problems we discovered in his personal and business life in book one. (adds lots of spice) His wife, Gill, returns after her two year stint following her mental illness breakdown, when attempting to kill their young daughter Bonnie. In The Blissfully Dead, a group of girls, all huge fans of an English boy band, OnTarget. The girls start turning up dead, the first in a London hotel room and the second in a deserted photo studio. The only thing they seem to have in common is their fascination and obsession of the band. A woman was beaten to death at home. A youth knifed in the street. A young girl murdered in a hotel room. Patrick liked indie and rock music, even though he does not watch much TV, and being he does not read the tabloids or entertainment magazines, he did not know much about OnTarget. Who is targeting the fans, and why? When the body is examined it appears there are small cuts similar to another case from three months earlier, and perfume? It was Winkler’s case. (lot of history here). Lennon’s wife has been out of the mental hospital for six months. He may never forget Gill’s purple fingermarks on their baby’s neck, her tiny limp body within seconds of eternal lifelessness. How can he go back to sharing his bed, his heart, and his life with someone he wasn’t sure he even loves her any more. Bonnie was now a normal two-and-a-half-year old. Years ago his wife had been in the grip of a devastating bout of postnatal psychosis. Got to love the guy! His colleague DS Carmella Masiello of three years, can read him, and the traumatic events of their last case had served only to strengthen their bond. Patrick and his young daughter are cooped up in his parent’s house, while Gill has the entire house. At least he knows Bonnie is safe with him. His mom and dad had been great to help out with the childcare. DI Winkler, still continues to be a perennial thorn in his side at work. Of course there is the attraction to Suzanne. Two girls, both fifteen, living close to one another. White, middle-class, both massive fans of OnTarget. Attended the vigil for Rose. Had the killer been there too? The cuts, the perfume, the fact that their clothes had been taken. The girls were active on Twitter, and social media so it appeared more visible and amplified than in years past— when teenage girls (in my day in the sixties of Elvis, and the Beatles)--American Bandstand--wrote in their diaries, of their secret obsessions of idols, celebrities, and crushes, without thousands of eyeballs, as in social media today. (except nosy little sisters, who like to blackmail you). Pop culture, that loose blend of books, music, fashion and other daily ephemera that contributes to the identity of a society at a particular point in time. After the third teen slaying . . . the pressure is on. When Lennon makes a terrible mistake that ends in disaster, he finds himself in a race to save not only the lives of more teenage girls but also his own career. Mystery, suspense, intrigue – action, twists, turns, and juicy secrets. Very timely, trendy, modern, and well-developed. From online social media drama, internet bullying, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, to the darker world of entertainment business, and the disturbing consequences. Am always amazed at the successful collaboration, (six published novels) the process, and how two authors form a partnership, and facilitate such a project. Readers will be excited to discover not only the inspiration behind the book, and as an added bonus, —tidbits of how the two started co-authoring, their strategy, and how it flows, living hundreds of miles apart in separate households, while not killing one another. I am loving DI Lennon! Can’t wait for round three.

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About the Authors

Mark Edwards and Louise Voss are the co-authors of psychological thrillers Killing Cupid and Forward Slash and two medical thrillers, Catch Your Death and All Fall Down, as well as From the Cradle, the first in the DI Patrick Lennon series.

They met in 1999 after Mark appeared on a BBC documentary about aspiring writers. They were the first British ‘indie’ writers to reach #1 on the Kindle chart and have sold over 650,000 books, including Mark’s solo novel, The Magpies.

Louise lives in Surrey with her daughter, and Mark lives in Wolverhampton with his wife and their children. Mark and Louise love hearing from readers. Website

Twitter (Mark) Twitter (Louise)