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Michael Patterson
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Playing at Murder (Tom Stone Mystery Murder Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Michael Patterson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 268 ratings
Detective Chief Inspector Tom Stone was contemplating taking early retirement. His face just didn't fit any more and he was sure he was being deliberately excluded from bigger operations. His health was starting to suffer. His doctor said it was stress-related but he had always thrived on stress - hadn't he? Tom Stone's life was about to change. Soon he would not only find himself falling in love but also trying to solve a bizarre series of murders: murders that bore a chilling resemblance to those in a new TV series. With the media playing up the connection, the entire nation was gripped and tuning in to watch each episode in record numbers. If he couldn't stop the killer, then the decision on his retirement might well be taken out of his hands.
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  1. Book 1 of 6
    Tom Stone Mystery Murder
  2. Print length
    290 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    3 Aug. 2012
  6. File size
    387 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 6 books in this series.

Product description

About the Author

Michael Patterson was born and educated in Barnsley,Yorkshire. After 35 years working in Marketing and Senior Management, redundancy gave him the opportunity to set up his own on line business, selling lamination machines and consumables, as well as finding time to write crime novels. Married with two children, he now lives in Frimley Green.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008STQJ0U
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crescent Books Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 3 Aug. 2012
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 387 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 290 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0956979827
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 6 ‏ : ‎ Tom Stone Mystery Murder
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 268 ratings

About the author

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Michael Patterson

Michael Patterson

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
268 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and thoroughly enjoyable, with a good storyline that's not too complicated to follow. They appreciate the believable characters.

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22 customers mention ‘Readability’22 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and easy to read, with one customer describing it as a definite page turner.

"...Leaving this aside the story itself was solid enough with likeable and believable characters...." Read more

"I loved this. It's a first of a series and what a debut. It was very good indeed and certainly an author I'll be sticking with...." Read more

"I liked the book and the story line was very good, I certainly didn't see the culprit coming, so a nice plot twist...." Read more

"Michael Patterson's first book Playing at Murder is thoroughly enjoyable with believable characters. I loved Tom Stone...." Read more

15 customers mention ‘Plot quality’15 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as a good murder/detective story with a solid storyline that's not too complicated to follow.

"...It ticked all of my boxes in that the storyline was not too complicated to follow, I could keep track of all the characters, and I was happy with..." Read more

"...Leaving this aside the story itself was solid enough with likeable and believable characters...." Read more

"I liked the book and the story line was very good, I certainly didn't see the culprit coming, so a nice plot twist...." Read more

"...The ending is suitably dramatic. I can't wait for the next book." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Believable characters’13 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters believable, with one mentioning they keep track of all the characters throughout the story.

"...the storyline was not too complicated to follow, I could keep track of all the characters, and I was happy with the writing style...." Read more

"...this aside the story itself was solid enough with likeable and believable characters. Suffice it to say that I just bought the second instalment!" Read more

"...'s first book Playing at Murder is thoroughly enjoyable with believable characters. I loved Tom Stone...." Read more

"...introspective contemplations, it is deftly plotted, with believable characters, and an ending which leaves the possibility - or probability - of..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Jane
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasure to read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 March 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I've read a few novels recently with plots that are rather convoluted/complex so I was pleased to read Michael Patterson's Playing at Murder. It ticked all of my boxes in that the storyline was not too complicated to follow, I could keep track of all the characters, and I was happy with the writing style. I read this book for pleasure rather than a challenge.
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  • BookWorm
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 January 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book. I struggled a little at first because a lot of names were introduced in the first few chapters only some of which turned out to be important to the story. Leaving this aside the story itself was solid enough with likeable and believable characters. Suffice it to say that I just bought the second instalment!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Lynda Kelly
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Impressed
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 May 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this. It's a first of a series and what a debut. It was very good indeed and certainly an author I'll be sticking with. In many reviews readers really seemed to like Tom Stone whereas I thought he was a bit of a rude sod !! He has a good heart but can be pretty short with people at times. He always made a big deal of his rank when being introduced to a layperson who wouldn't care less what his exact title is, I'm sure. A lot of the reveals in the story I guessed at but that doesn't spoil it in the least. The reality TV show was an interesting idea, I thought. The fact the press kept learning about the police investigation bothered me as we never got to hear how that was happening, though.
    I was highly impressed that I got 44% in before spotting a mistake (dropped speechmarks) which is very good indeed. I even made a note some way in where apostrophes were used correctly with correct grammar and correct spelling......blissful. I did spot though was used instead of thought at one point and I'd have added an extra hyphen in Billy-NoMates but that was it. Even paid-for bestsellers have had more mistakes in including the author's namesake-the other Mr Patterson !!
    So I was highly impressed. Great job.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Ok
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 January 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I liked the book and the story line was very good, I certainly didn't see the culprit coming, so a nice plot twist.
    I did feel that the book was let down by somewhat stilted and unrealistic dialogue between characters.
    I will be reading more Tom Stone books though
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  • Tracy B
    5.0 out of 5 stars Playing at Murder - book review
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 April 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Michael Patterson's first book Playing at Murder is thoroughly enjoyable with believable characters. I loved Tom Stone. I won't say too much so as not to give the plot away - except to say it is full of intrigue. The ending is suitably dramatic. I can't wait for the next book.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • avid reader
    4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh take on the traditional theatre murder genre
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 May 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Here, the murders take place not in a theatre but are linked to a tv mini-series that hasn't even been screened yet. The action moves along at an increasing pace, as detectives build up a picture of what might be happening, piece by piece. Though some passages consist of long-winded, introspective contemplations, it is deftly plotted, with believable characters, and an ending which leaves the possibility - or probability - of more in the series. Let's hope so!
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  • Susan Coleman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very engaging
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Really enjoyed this book. It had me interested from the first page and, unlike many books, held my attention throughout. Good plot, interesting story, well paced and an ending which tied up all the ends. I liked the main character and appreciated the minimal use of bad language and blasphemy. I look forward to reading more of this series.
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  • Mrs. Bruce
    3.0 out of 5 stars An easy read, but a bit slow paced for me
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 August 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I thought this book was a bit slow and repetitive in places, but then I do like my thrillers,
    mysteries, etc. to be action packed. I could have done with less of DCI Tom Stone's budding
    romance with Mary and the affair between the Producer of the TV series and his lover, but that
    is a personal preference. Other readers obviously like the more gentle pace of this book.

    I did like the way that DCI Stone gave credit to his DC and wasn't "prissy" with a DCI colleague
    over who should be in charge of an investigation. He just wanted to pitch in and be helpful - which of
    course he was!

    Although there were several murders, there were no gory details and no explicit sex.
    It was an easy read and no glaring typos either, which is a nice change.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Lorraine
    5.0 out of 5 stars Playing at Murder
    Reviewed in the United States on 7 August 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this story very much. I like Tom and Milner. Even though the killer was obvious early on it was still interesting to see the investigation unfold.
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  • KindleCustomer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining British Murder Mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on 20 June 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Good mystery overall. There could have been a little less telling and a little more showing for the first part of the book. I didn't really notice that issue after a while though. It was actually fairly easy to figure out who the killer was early on. Watching the characters reach that conclusion was interesting though. The logic behind the killer's motivations was believable enough for the story. I liked that the hero is older, as was his love interest. It made for a nice variation from most books I've read recently. He was imperfect, but likeable.

    The author does not provide much detail about himself, so I don't know if he has experience in either law enforcement or television. He was knowledgeable enough about both to make the world-building effective. The editing was almost flawless. I think the story can stand alone, but there is a pretty big loose end that leads to the next book. I think the ending could have felt a bit more satisfying.

    I can't recall any real violence in the story. All the deaths happen off-screen. There were no gory descriptions and the language was pretty tame. The limited sexual content is never explicitly described. If this were a film, I believe it would probably be rated PG.
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  • tracy crocker
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on 16 February 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Very good read..really enjoyed it.
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  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars A reasonable read
    Reviewed in the United States on 12 October 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Not bad but I get a bit fed up with the premise that a good police detective can't have a happy stable marriage and most are divorced or never married because the job gets in the way of their personal lives, it just does not ring true. Of the policemen I have met, for the most part their wives are very understanding and very proud of the job that their husbands do but authors persist in presenting good detectives in the police force as unable to have good marriages or relationships because of the job, it gets old. There were some editing issues and some of the dialogue between the different characters was stilted and wooden, it just didn't seem natural and was a detraction from the story line. Nevertheless I was able to read the book to the end, even though I had worked out who the killer was half way through. A light easy read and the author shows promise. I would read other books by this author but if I was going to pay for them I would expect that they be a bit more polished than this book.
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