Apr 19, 20239 min read

End Game by Liz Mistry. Review

Book Description

Four dead bodies. One missing person. Let the game begin.

When an anonymous tip-off leads Detective Nikki Parekh and DS Sajid Malik to the sprawling Salinger estate, Nikki’s senses are on high alert. The brutal murder of all four members of the Salinger family has shocked the sleepy Bradford village to the core.

A mother, father, daughter, and son. . . all killed in exactly the same way – whilst sat around the coffee table, playing a game of monopoly.

But Nikki notices that there are five pieces on the board. One of the players is missing… Did they manage to escape the killer, or was the killer part of the game

Blog Tour Review

Review for 'End Game' by Liz Mistry.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for T. A. Williams, HQ Digital publishers and Rachel's Random Tours.

Publication date 14th April 2023.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the sixth book in the 'Detective Nikki Parekh' series but can be read as a standalone.

I was originally drawn to this book by its gorgeous eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated 'Don’t miss the next utterly gripping thriller from the Queen of Northern Noir! Fans of Angela Marsons, Patricia Gibney and JD Kirk will love this heart-stopping read.' . I am a huge fan of Angela Marsons and Patricia Gibney so am looking forward to seeing if it lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being HQ Digital. I have yet to read a book published by HQ that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

'End Game' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Liz discusses child kidnapping and child abuse.

This novel consists of a prologue and 61 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.

This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists are Detective Nikki Parekh, an unsub and Marnie. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.

OMG!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK and LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK AND CANNOT WAIT TO GET STUCK IN TO THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THIS EPIC SERIES!!! This book is fantastically written and had me hooked from the first page until the last. Liz's way of writing is perfectly evocative and she has such a creative imagination!! The descriptions were so vivid and realistic I felt myself feeling the cold and damp and reaching for a blanket to warm me up. This has got to be one of the best storylines I have ever read!!!! I haven't read any of the previous books in this series so for me it was an absolutely explosive way to begin a new series and I cannot wait to go back to the first book in this series and work my way back up to this one to get to know more about Nikki and the rest of the character's histories, backgrounds and how they got to be where they are now! Needless to say I absolutely LOVED the storyline. This book is absolutely perfect for any crime lovers as you are literally reading about crime, twists and murder!!! It just does not get better than that!!! Just seriously, I cannot say how brilliant all this book was!!! The storyline is packed with tension, suspense, murder, horror, kidnapping, tension and filled with twists and turns. I was absolutely shocked when everything was revealed and was not expecting it at all!!! I genuinely thought for once I had actually worked out who it was in this amazing series but Liz proved me wrong!! A HUGE congratulations to Liz, it is getting harder and harder to shock me but you did it well!!! Liz has obviously done her research on police procedurals which is yet another bonus as I've read many crime novels where the authors make massive mistakes due to not doing enough research. This is an absolutely epic police procedural and psychological thriller that will keep you on the end of your seat, biting your nails and keep you awake until you have got to the last page! I just could not put it down and was walking around with my kindle glued in my hands and each time I told myself one last chapter something happened to stop me from closing the book and this happened over and over until I had completely devoured it in one sitting!! Liz manages to weave the two storylines and timelines together perfectly ensuring there is enough information for the reader to slowly start gathering information but not too fast to confuse them or allow them to work too much out until Liz is ready for them to! It is an absolutely gritty, gripping and addictive book and regardless of whether you have read any of the books in this series or haven't read a single one like myself it will keep you wanting more!! There were some parts of this book that were quite hard to read, mainly the chapters from Marnie's perspective as we delve into the abuse she suffers after being kidnapped as a child. I am a mum myself so this is definitely one of my worst nightmares but Liz ensures she sprinkles humour into several of the present scenes to lighten up the mood at just the right times to put some light in the darkness. The ending ensured everything was tied up with no forgotten loose endings which is another pet hate of mine, when an author mentions something in their book and then seems to forget about it half way through as it is never mentioned or explained again afterwards. This book really is a super fast, chilling, addictive, gripping, multi layered MUST READ!!!! Clear your schedules and grab your copy today!!

It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

Although this is the sixth book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

It is always worrying when starting a new series as you have no idea who the characters are. It is very important for me to bond with not only the lead protagonists but also any characters that may make repeat appearances during the series too.

I loved meeting all the characters who were all strong, well defined and unique. Our main protagonist is DC Nikki Parekh who is a strong kick butt woman who I would not want to get on the wrong side of. I always love it when I come across books with such strong female leads being female myself. I loved that Nikki has managed to work out a good work/life balance so we get to know more about her both in and outside of work even though this is just one book in the series it feels like I have got to know her so well already and I cannot wait to read more about her past. I have a feeling she, along with several of the other characters, are going to become like friends and as well liked as some of my favourite fictional detectives and characters. I absolutely loved the close relationship Nikki has with her partner DS Sajid Malik and is even his best woman for his upcoming wedding to Langley. They both have their flaws and unique personalities and watching how close they are and the beautiful friendship they have making sure they each have each others backs and trying to cheer each other up was lovely. Again, I am looking forward to going back to the previous books in this series to see what their friendship was like when they first partnered up in crime. Their ex DCI Archie Hegley made me laugh out loud with his proverbial's and although we don't see an awful lot of him in this book as he is no longer working with them I got to know him enough to know that I cant wait to go back in time with the previous books and see what he was like as their DCI!!! I can guarantee they made a fantastic team although I should also imagine there would have been some kick offs and disagreements between them all too!! I cant say too much about Marnie as I don't want to give too much away but as she is another of our main protagonists I couldn't not mention her. Marnie's perspective is told to us in first person perspective and it absolutely broke my heart what she was going through and I even had tears down my face at one point along with several jaw dropping and sickening moments. This book is definitely not for the faint hearted and I had to continuously remind myself it was fiction as Liz's amazing writing skills made me feel like I was in the room with Marnie on several occasions and I just wanted to wrap her up in my arms! I could not stand journalist Lisa Kane who seems to be determined to break Nikki and her team and I wont give her any more typing time as I am gritting my teeth just thinking about her. However, regardless of whether you love or hate them each of these characters come to life and work perfectly together to create this gripping and addictive book and I was entirely invested in Nikki and her team and cannot wait to get to see the majority of these amazing characters again in previous and future books in this amazing series!!

Overall a chilling, gripping and addictive must read book in what really does promise to be an explosive series!

Genres covered in this novel include Women's New Adult & College Fiction, Traditional Detective Mysteries, Crime Thriller, Detective Fiction, Women Sleuths, Psychological Fiction, Murder, British Detective Stories, Literary Fiction, Crime Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Police Procedural, Women's Psychological Fiction, Sleuth, Women's Detective Fiction, Mystery & Suspense Fiction, Suspense, and Crime amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of T E Kinsey, Beth Byers, Agatha Christie, Angela Marsons, Patricia Gibney, JD Kirk, Lee Strauss and anyone looking for a very easy, page turning and enjoyable read.

363 pages.

This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle and £8.27 on paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Author Bio

Born in Scotland made in Bradford sums up LIZ MISTRY’s life. Over thirty-five years ago she moved from a small village in West Lothian to Yorkshire to get her teaching degree. Once here, Liz fell in love with three things: curries, the rich cultural diversity of the city… and her Indian husband (not necessarily in this order). Now thirty years, three children, Scumpy, the cat, and a huge extended family later, Liz uses her experiences of living and working in the inner city to flavour her writing. Her gritty crime fiction police procedural novels set in Bradford embrace the city she describes as ‘Warm, Rich and Fearless’, whilst exploring the darkness that lurks beneath.

Having struggled with severe clinical depression and anxiety for many years, Liz often includes mental health themes in her writing. She credits the MA in Creative Writing she took at Leeds Trinity University with helping her find a way of using her writing to navigate her ongoing mental health struggles. Liz’s PhD research contributes significantly to debates concerning issues of inclusion and diversity of representation within the most socially engaged genre of contemporary crime fiction Being a debut novelist in her fifties was something Liz had only dreamed of and she counts herself lucky, whilst pinching herself regularly to make sure it’s all real.

You can contact Liz via her website https://www.lizmistry.com/