Reviews

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"Thought this story utterly fantastic. Kept me hooked until the last word! The best book I have read for a long while. "

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"Simply, a great read. Fans of Michael Connelly and Mark Billingham will enjoy this."

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"Bloodhound Books has done it again! Tony J Forder is a new writer to me and this is a stunning novel to start with. "

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"One of the best of my recent reads, I can hardly wait until next year for the follow-up!"

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"Bliss is one of the most authentic detectives I've come across in a long time."

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"Forder is a talented author, who lent authenticity to every word that was written."

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"I could see Bliss’ character easily transferring to the small screen in a way that would easily equal Robert Galbraith's (AKA JK Rowling) troubled detective Strike in The Cuckoo’s Calling."

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"Thought this story utterly fantastic. Kept me hooked until the last word! The best book I have read for a long while."

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"Surprising me is no easy task and this book was amazing !!!! Deep full believable characters fantastic twisty plots i quite simply lost a day immersed in this reality, to the author therefore, thank you."

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"Brilliant - loved it!"

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"Takes a lot to shock me. This one actually made me exclaim out loud. Excellent. Later on he does it again."

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"Absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. full of twists and plots. "

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"Bent police officers, prostitution, murder, it’s all in this book I really couldn’t put down. The pace is fast, the characterisation superb, and the storyline is full of twists and turns. An excellent book, and I look forward to reading more in this series."

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"I’ve been reading a lot of crime fiction of late and have been incredibly lucky to be gifted some fabulous reads. Bad To The Bone continued that trend with a story that sucked me in and thrilled me throughout.  The writer Tony Forder with great skill led me down a narrative path to where I thought I would figure out the mystery at the heart of this novel, but he wrong footed me. Then he led me through a series of twists and turns, left agape at the final relevation."

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"Its a story about murder, criminals and the police, but its also a story about friendship, jealousy, corruption and secrets.  Murder is portrayed as an act of self protection, a self indulgent act from the belief that one life has more worth than another.  Not all murderers are crazy twisted psychopaths, some are people caught in a moment of madness, otherwise living normal lives.  It’s a complex set of behaviours, that many simply can’t fathom out, Tony Forder can and does in Bad To The Bone.  He will make you look around you at friends, colleagues, the man who fixes your car, even your neighbours and question what they are capable of.  Anyone of the characters in this book could be the killer.  I have met a few killers in my time and some leave you feeling chilled, while others make you take a step back and wonder how they, so friendly, so full of regret, could be guilty of such a crime! Tony Forder brings this across with great skill and an instinctive understanding of a killers motivation for his crime."

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"He has delivered a first class novel, full of characters who are complex, believable and who you want not to be the one capable of killing another.  It is a story full of false turns, edgy and reeking of nerve tingling tension."

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"This is a great debut from Forder, a solid opening book of a new police procedural series. "

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"Forder has created well-rounded main characters – I warmed to Bliss immediately with his non-nonsense approach and also his rapport with his partner, DC Chandler."

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"This is the first book I’ve read by Tony J Forder and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last! This is a Cambridgeshire based police procedural, well written and researched ..."

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"A good solid crime thriller that will keep you guessing till the very end."

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"Written in third-person, past-tense (an inspired choice of narrative for this particular plot), the novel is pacey whilst managing to maintain a suspenseful edge throughout. Forder’s characters display some nicely-timed humour to bring a touch of lightness when it’s needed most. The dialogue in this novel is good, particularly from Bliss, who I liked immediately as a lead character."

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"A pacey, invigorating read that offers plenty of thrills and a solid entry into the genre."

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"Bliss and Chandler have a great working relationship. The bond between them is so enjoyable to read. "

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"A highly enjoyable read and can’t wait for more in the series.!

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"What a first paragraph! How to start a story with such a vivid description."

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"This is a well told tale that has been thought out, several threads coming together with excellent descriptions. A twist here and there and something to make you gasp (or at least it did me!). "

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"Fabulous plot brought to life by excellent writing with a twist you don't see coming. Couldn't put it down and can't wait for DI Bliss to re-appear."

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"Books like Bad to the Bone breathe new life into a sometimes stale genre and remind me why I’m such a fan of these types of novels. It was full of dark humor, well drawn characters and plenty of surprises to knock me off balance."

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"Bliss and Chandler are partners and they had such a warm, genuine relationship. Forder did an excellent job of developing their friendship and I liked that they had each other’s backs at any cost. Bliss’ backstory was especially well crafted and by the end I felt like I had a true sense of what type of person he is. "

 

"One: it’s well written. Very well written. Forder is clearly a writer, who cares about words and getting them in the right order and using the right word in the right place. And he’s good at painting word pictures too."

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"Tony has brought us a new Police Procedural Series, that has a powerful start and impressive characters. A plot that thickens and lures you within the first few pages and keeps you there. I am looking forward to see what happens next...."

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"Great descriptive writing that gets into the mind of the characters..."

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"This book drew me in fast, and kept me dangling wanting to read it speedily purely to piece together the clues"

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"DI Jimmy Bliss is at times brass with a dry humour and a shady past that some may find difficult to swallow but do stay with him. He is definitely one I shall remember and want to get to know better."

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"This is a cracking police procedural extremely well researched. At times quite technical but wow did it get my interest as a fascinating read."

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"The story itself was brilliant, what begins with a cover up in the past soon becomes clean up in present day. Someone is determined to get away with murder. More please."

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"Holy moly!!!  This is not what I was expecting from this book!  Right from the start I was sucked into the story, and it completely threw me.  The combination of realistic police procedural combined with dark humour, intrigue and suspense literally had me up all night!"

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"The plot has been well planned out and carefully executed, I was wondering where it was going however all the threads are neatly woven together in the last third of the book to give a solid, satisfying ending."

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"The book moves at a steady paces which picks up towards the end, and with every twist along the way it sends you speeding to the end on a rollercoaster ride."

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"Bad to the Bone is a fantastic start to a new series with a great cast of characters.  I’m really looking forward to finding out what happens next for Bliss and Chandler"

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"This is a cracking police procedural extremely well researched. At times quite technical but wow did it get my interest as a fascinating read. The story itself was brilliant..."

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"Really enjoyed this storyline. Liked the characters feel as if I know them personally and can't wait for a sequel."

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"Thoroughly enjoyable read, had me turning the pages to find out what happened next."

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"A new author for me but up there with the best of them - looking forward to the next one."

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"A very good read! Oozes great potential for a TV Drama!!!"

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"I don't normally write reviews but this book is deserving of one. A good storyline with engaging dialogue and interesting characters. Will be keeping an eye out for more by T J Forder."

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"A classy thriller with great characters in the form of DI Bliss and DC Chandler. Well worth the read, and I look forward to more from this author."

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"A truly gritty detective thriller that lays a labyrinth of deception and keeps you guessing to the end. I would love to see this as a series."

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"One of the best books I have read could not put it down spent many a late night let have some more Tony."

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"Really enjoyed this book. Brilliant storyline, well written, couldn't put it down! Loved the characters!"

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"Five stars to Mr.Forder....kept me right on the edge..."

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"A very good read with a twist in the end , I could not put it down."

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"I was taken aback back the ending as it comes as a complete surprise. Yes, would highly recommend this ."

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"This is a really well written police thriller. The twists and turns just kept on coming. Towards the end my head was in a spin in a good way. I just couldn’t believe what was happening."

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"There was never a dull moment in this book! I had everything, murder, nail biting car chases, death threats, even a little romance...I don’t think the author could have squeezed any more action into it."

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"First book from Tony I have read, and boy did I enjoy it. A well crafted story which built to a brilliant ending."

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"Yet another brilliant read by Tony J. Forder. I am an addict of this author and can't wait to dive into the next read. I'll keep reading if you keep writing Tony. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys a very good thriller with twists and turns thats well written with characters that you'll love and love to hate, you won't be disappointed I promise."

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