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TACKLING DEATH: a gripping crime thriller (Gus Keane PI Series Book 1) Kindle Edition
Ex-rugby football player turned social worker Gus Keane is getting ready for retirement when his boss gets murdered. Finding himself under suspicion, Keane turns private detective to find out the truth. But when he closes in on the killer will Keane come out on top or fall victim to the murderer’s desperate moves?
With great characters, a clever plot, and a subtle humorous edge, it is difficult to put TACKLING DEATH down. Readers will immediately warm to everyman hero Gus Keane who is very easy to relate to.
This is the first in a five-book series by Bud Craig. The full list is as follows:
1. TACKLING DEATH
2. DEAD CERTAINTY
3. FALLING FOUL
4. MAKING A KILLING
5. STEALING TIME
If you wish to read the first three books in a single volume, they have been published as SALFORD MURDERS available on Kindle and in paperback. The fourth and fifth titles are available on Kindle and in paperback.
All these books are FREE with Kindle Unlimited.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date24 July 2014
- File size2.9 MB
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See full series- Kindle Price:£5.97By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of UseSold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
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This option includes 3 books.
This option includes 5 books.
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From the Publisher

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BOOK ONE
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Customer Reviews |
4.0 out of 5 stars 358
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3.9 out of 5 stars 322
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3.9 out of 5 stars 185
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4.0 out of 5 stars 90
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4.2 out of 5 stars 47
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4.2 out of 5 stars 585
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Price | £1.99£1.99 | £1.99£1.99 | £1.99£1.99 | £1.99£1.99 | £1.99£1.99 | £2.99£2.99 |
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Kindle Unlimited | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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Product details
- ASIN : B00GFAKJ3C
- Publisher : The Book Folks Crime and Murder Mystery Thriller Publisher
- Publication date : 24 July 2014
- Edition : 2nd
- Language : English
- File size : 2.9 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 247 pages
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Book 1 of 5 : Gus Keane PI Series
- Best Sellers Rank: 800,424 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 1,884 in Heist Crime
- 3,209 in Vigilante Justice
- 5,846 in Private Investigator Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- Customer reviews:
About the author

Welcome to the Author’s page of British writer, Bud Craig. He is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA). Bud was born and bred in the English city of Salford. He has, however, lived for many years in a picturesque village in the North East of England, where he sometimes imagines Miss Marple (played by Joan Hickson of course) shuffling around solving mysteries.
His series featuring Salford private investigator Gus Keane (5 books so far) is published by The Book Folks (TBF). TBF have also published Salford Murders, the Gus Keane trilogy; High Profile, a collection of award winning short stories; and a stand alone novel, A Dangerous Time, set in an area similar to where he lives.
Bud’s one act play, The Scottish Play, was performed at Darlington Arts Centre. He has written articles for Wooster Sauce (magazine of the PG Wodehouse Society) and Red Herrings (the CWA magazine). Bud won first prize in the National Association of Writers’ Groups Novella Competition in 2018 with Working to Rule. His dystopian story, A State of Grace, was published in an anthology called Trouble in March 2019 after being entered in a competition supported by Huddersfield University. In 2021 his short story, Hats Off to Larry, was commended in the Elmbridge Literary Competition. Also in 2021, he was interviewed via Zoom about crime writing, in particular sense of place. Bud’s most recent book is Stealing Time, the latest instalment of the adventures of Gus Keane.
He fits in his writing in between trying to keep up with his 5 grandchildren, attending medical appointments and cooking his wife’s dinner. Then there’s reading, listening to music, watching cricket and walking in the North East countryside. Oh, and Bud spends a lot of time fantasising about murdering politicians he doesn’t like without being found out.
In the middle of all this, his family keeps him sane and he would like it known that his daughter, Claire Moss, is also a published novelist.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book well-written and easy to read, appreciating the twists and turns in the plot and the down-to-earth characters. Moreover, the first-person narrative personalizes the characters effectively, and several customers mention laughing out loud while reading. Additionally, they like the book's appearance.
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Customers find the book well-written and entertaining, particularly enjoying the descriptions of different areas.
"This is a must read. An enjoyable style written in first person narrative, it introduces the reader to a main character who is a refreshing change..." Read more
"...Very enjoyable." Read more
"enjoyed reading about areas that I am familiar with but was not fully convinced by the story in this case although I did like the characters in this..." Read more
"...The characters were down to earth and believable...." Read more
Customers enjoy the plot of the book, praising its twists and turns and well-crafted suspense.
"...Excellent plotting with interesting characters and sub story-lines, that engaged me making me eager to learn the outcomes...." Read more
"...The character of Gus is well drawn, as are the others. Story development rolls along, and there's a good dose of suspense...." Read more
"...The characters were down to earth and believable. I liked the twists and turns of the plot and the fact that middle aged people can still have an..." Read more
"...Everyone in the plot seems to have an amazingly complex love life. Add the threads drew together I felt the ending was rushed and formulaic...." Read more
Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting that the characters are down to earth and well-drawn, with a first-person narrative that personalizes them.
"...style written in first person narrative, it introduces the reader to a main character who is a refreshing change from the usual crime investigator...." Read more
"...The character of Gus is well drawn, as are the others. Story development rolls along, and there's a good dose of suspense...." Read more
"...The characters were down to earth and believable...." Read more
"...The main character is a basically nice guy, and as a recently retired social worker he has a way of putting people at ease and getting them to chat...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor, with several mentioning it made them laugh out loud.
"...Enjoyed the musical references throughout, and the Northern humour...." Read more
"...things to offer - murder, romance, and it even made me laugh out loud on several occasions. A brilliant book all round, five stars." Read more
"A heady cocktail of murder,love, laughter and inner city tragedy, add a slice of Harry Lime and a Dash iel Hammett - Delicious!" Read more
Customers like the look of the book, with one mentioning that the imagery was good throughout.
"I liked the look of this book and the fact it was based in Salford, having been born in Manchester myself...." Read more
"...A fashionable page turner that I was interested in finishing...." Read more
"...The lead character was well-drawn, imagery was good throughout, and the suspense from early on was maintained...." Read more
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 November 2013This is a must read. An enjoyable style written in first person narrative, it introduces the reader to a main character who is a refreshing change from the usual crime investigator. Excellent plotting with interesting characters and sub story-lines, that engaged me making me eager to learn the outcomes. Enjoyed the musical references throughout, and the Northern humour. The author has brought Gus Keane alive on the page, I hope we will hear much more of him in the future.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 April 2015I enjoyed the original take on detecting: social worker turned amateurish PI in a northern town who has no particular fatal flaws (except being a Guardian reader... jk), and has a sound humanity that draws people to talk to him.
The character of Gus is well drawn, as are the others. Story development rolls along, and there's a good dose of suspense. Gus is a good bloke who finds himself in trouble on the eve of his retirement - a suspect in the murder of his boss - and decides to be proactive in solving the case. His background in social work, his training, and his former career as a rugby player help him in different ways to put the case together.
Very enjoyable.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2014enjoyed reading about areas that I am familiar with but was not fully convinced by the story in this case although I did like the characters in this story
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 February 2015I liked the look of this book and the fact it was based in Salford, having been born in Manchester myself.
The characters were down to earth and believable. I liked the twists and turns of the plot and the fact that middle aged people can still have an interesting life after retirement. Loved the sporting angle too particularly since my grandfather was a big Salford Rugby League Team fan.
I would recommend that people who like crime thrillers to give this a go.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 April 2015Different yes, in terms of the occupation of the pi. No idea where the cover image came from, though he did play rugby before his knees have out. A fashionable page turner that I was interested in finishing. The main character is a basically nice guy, and as a recently retired social worker he has a way of putting people at ease and getting them to chat. Sounds ideal for private investigations, and it is.
Everyone in the plot seems to have an amazingly complex love life.
Add the threads drew together I felt the ending was rushed and formulaic. Going to talk to the bad guy alone and tell him why he's guilty is never going to go without incident.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 November 2013Really gripping all the way through with characters you could really start to love and care about what happens to. An unlikely hero who is a retired social worker turned PI but one that just somehow works really well and is a character you can believe in. Whilst billed as a crime thriller this book has plenty of other things to offer - murder, romance, and it even made me laugh out loud on several occasions. A brilliant book all round, five stars.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 November 2013First and foremost my review is about the story which I enjoyed. The lead character was well-drawn, imagery was good throughout, and the suspense from early on was maintained. A believable plot in an easily imagined backdrop of a northern English town. It is an entertaining read.
My rating is based on the story, but I was distracted, because I felt the actual book was let down by a few typos and inconsistent formatting.
Having said that, I'm left like other readers, wondering if Gus will tackle another case in the future.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2014Enjoyed this book very much could not put it down not to much swearing and sex I'm keeping it on my kindle fire HD for my husband to read it.
Top reviews from other countries
- OmnimancerReviewed in Canada on 16 February 2015
3.0 out of 5 stars Competent, but not a gripping read, just - interesting
At least there were no grammar, spelling and other basic mistakes to jar the reader, and only two or three confusing sentences.
It was a pleasant read, and the main character becomes a pleasantly filled in character. There is a mystery, and the transformation from social worker to private eye is credible. My problem with the story was the lack of drama, and the somewhat magical way the story unfolded without much drama, or even sense of urgency to solve the murder.
At the end of the book I enjoyed it enough to consider the next one, but my enthusiasm for another is mild to say the least.
- hschwie1Reviewed in Germany on 15 August 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed following the unrolling
It is quite easy and enjoyable to follow the main person’s going through life, while experience the ups and downs plus a murder right at his workplace.
I can honestly recommend reading this book to anyone who is not in for fast-pace action but a gradually unfolding crime story
- Christine WestwoodReviewed in Australia on 6 July 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars To author of Tackling Death
thought your structure of using a series of conversations and interactions between Gus and other characters to build and follow plot thread worked very well, and the pace was really good. I also liked the use of the social worker world, that was interesting and believable and a good backbone for human drama and crime to hang off. I remember being told that an audience wants to be taken into a very specific world that they don't know, and then experience archetypal human drama within that world . This ticked those boxes well and I think most people are curious about what social workers encounter etc. Would work well as TV drama
- rlptwoReviewed in the United States on 3 November 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a Romp in Merry Old England
I'm sad to admit that British English is sometimes very difficult to read and comprehend but I did get through this thriller without getting completely "buggered"! The plot was sufficiently complex to necessitate referring back to previous pages to keep timelines, characters and actions in proper order. The characters were developed enough to be interesting and multifaceted. The conclusion was a surprise, I admit, because I like to solve the mystery before the ending. This time I feel far short. But, on the whole, a delight to read and rating 5 of 5 for your consideration.
- b.f.b.Reviewed in the United States on 10 May 2016
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun read.
I enjoyed reading this even though the story type isn't my favored type.
If you like this sort, you'll enjoy it, i presume.
Added 8/28/18
The author did a very fine job of character construction, and there were few holes n the plot.
Didn't realize i'd already reviewed this and so read it twice (a rare happening) due to it showing as "new" on my list.