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David Menon
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Sorcerer: A Detective Jeff Barton Manchester Crime Thriller (Detective Superintendent Jeff Barton Book 1) Kindle Edition

by David Menon (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 out of 5 stars 757 ratings
AUTHOR'S NOTE - This is a revised and re-edited version with a new cover.

REVIEWS
'A chilling yet humane thriller'

'Loved it!'

'A harrowing tale skilfully told'

'A compelling page turner'.

'A cracking good read! Couldn't put it down'.

DESCRIPTION
The remains of three bodies are found in an old house close to Manchester University. The house used to be a care home for teenage boys and Detective Superintendent Jeff Barton and his team uncover a horrific period of brutality and abuse that took place there. Their investigations lead to the former manager of the care home and his wife who are traced to a villa in Spain. The secrets and lies of the family are exposed and the line of victims starts very close to home but Jeff, who is a single Dad following the death of his wife and balances a demanding job with the care of his five year-old son Toby, begins to see what nobody else can. A determined and audacious plot by a former resident of the home, a former victim of the abuse, who is now hellbent on revenge. And if he's right then Jeff and his team have to act quickly before justice is taken out of their hands.
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  1. Book 1 of 15
    Detective Superintendent Jeff Barton
  2. Print length
    239 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    7 Dec. 2013
  5. File size
    392 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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 See full series
There are 15 books in this series.

In this series (15 books)

Kindle Edition

Product description

About the Author

David was born in Derby, England and has lived all over the UK. He now divides his time between Paris and the northwest of England. In 2009 he left a long career in the airline industry to concentrate on establishing his writing career. He's now published seven books and 'Sorceror' is the first in a series featuring Detective Superintendent Jeff Barton. David also teaches English to foreign students and is an activist for the Labour party. He's an avid fan of American singer and poet Stevie Nicks who he calls his 'voice of my inner being' and loves Indian food.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00GIVDB7E
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Shadow Publishing
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 7 Dec. 2013
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 392 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 239 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 15 ‏ : ‎ Detective Superintendent Jeff Barton
  • Customer reviews:
    3.7 out of 5 stars 757 ratings

About the author

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David Menon

David Menon

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Hey there! I'm David Menon and welcome to my Amazon home where I publish all of my crime fiction.

There are the Blackpool Crime thrillers, 'In the Shadow of the Tower' and 'Murder of the Unwanted' featuring DI Layla Khan.

Then there are the Australian Crime thrillers featuring Detective Jason Farrell and set in the fictional New South Wales town of Kingsbrook. These include 'The Final Hours', 'Destined for Murder', 'The Darkness in Him', and 'Don't Answer the Phone'.

There are also the stand alone Manchester Crime thrillers. 'Who Are the Bad Guys?' is a very much contemporary story with a sharp international political edge, whilst 'The Wild Heart' is a love story set against the gravest danger as someone's past catches up with them.

I've also published the series of Manchester set Crime thrillers featuring Detective Jeff Barton.

I like to give you a good entertaining read that will leave you guessing with twists and turns until the very end.

When I'm not writing I love my music and I'm mainly into soft rock. My favourite songwriter and performer is Stevie Nicks. I love to watch a good drama on TV and my favourite food is Indian, closely followed by French. I've travelled extensively and hope to do more in the future. I currently live on the Fylde coast in the UK and I'm of mixed English/Indian heritage. Oh and I once made a cheese sandwich for the actress Julia Roberts.

Thank you for taking an interest in me and my work.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
757 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable to read, with one describing it as a page-turner. The story receives mixed feedback, with some praising its riveting plot while others criticize its bad language and grammar. Character development also gets mixed reviews, with some finding them believable while others note that the main character is not well-developed.

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42 customers mention ‘Readability’35 positive7 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and brilliant, with one describing it as a page-turner.

"This was a brilliant, gripping story with more twist than a "twisty thing". Just when you think the story can't get any darker - it does...." Read more

"...Better proof reader needed ? Having had a moan , it is a good read , and i've got the second to start soon." Read more

"...in all its connotations is a disgusting perversion and this book dealt with it very well...." Read more

"A few tiny mistakes but otherwise an enjoyable read. I like the characters and have bought the next book. Hope it's as good." Read more

79 customers mention ‘Story quality’44 positive35 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the story quality of the book, with some praising its riveting plot and compelling nature, while others find it badly written with bad grammar and a childish writing style.

"Good story , just a shame about the typing errors !..." Read more

"Story was ok but main character not really developed. He's lost his wife recently - how? His main partner in the police was killed - how?..." Read more

"...The only thing that lets this book down is the really poor grammar & sentence structure where full stops have been placed in the middle of a sentence..." Read more

"...That said, the story moves at a fast pace and is good light reading, but there is long way to go before moving into DCI Banks or DS Grace country,..." Read more

19 customers mention ‘Character development’10 positive9 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development in the book, with some finding them believable and brilliant, while others note that the main character is not well-developed and changes sex occasionally.

"...Characters are believable and you do invest in them (some more than others - I'm looking at you George & Mary!!)..." Read more

"Story was ok but main character not really developed. He's lost his wife recently - how? His main partner in the police was killed - how?..." Read more

"A few tiny mistakes but otherwise an enjoyable read. I like the characters and have bought the next book. Hope it's as good." Read more

"...Lots of typos which did spoil it a bit and the main character changed sex a few times, but you can get past...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Carl Dixon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, gripping story
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This was a brilliant, gripping story with more twist than a "twisty thing". Just when you think the story can't get any darker - it does.
    Characters are believable and you do invest in them (some more than others - I'm looking at you George & Mary!!)
    The only thing that lets this book down is the really poor grammar & sentence structure where full stops have been placed in the middle of a sentence, words are misspelled or missing, paragraphs are inserted for no reason and chapters seem to "jump" because they're not broken down into sub-chapters.
    Overall a brilliant first book and well worth investing time in.
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  • minimog
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read shame about the typo's
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Good story , just a shame about the typing errors !
    One minute it was Rebecca talking , then her name changes to Sara , and at one point even Tim !!
    Better proof reader needed ?
    Having had a moan , it is a good read , and i've got the second to start soon.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Alan O
    3.0 out of 5 stars And as for the typo's - really annoying - character names changing within the same page - ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 November 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Story was ok but main character not really developed. He's lost his wife recently - how? His main partner in the police was killed - how? Then there is the plot line - we get to know the baddie very quickly but nothing of how this person got to his position of power.
    And as for the typo's - really annoying - character names changing within the same page - gender errors regularly. Although as the book progressed they seemed to disappear (or maybe I got used to them and blanked them out!).
    Having bought this, I got his second book which I've also just finished - better proof reading, but I still didn't get to know the main characters very well.
    But the books were both cheap - so maybe they were good value for money - and I did read them both to the end!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • S. Ivory
    5.0 out of 5 stars very good book with a very disturbing subject matter as its ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 October 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Bought this on a whim and it sat for a while until i decided to give it a go. Why did I wait so long??? Very, very good book with a very disturbing subject matter as its core. Paedophilia in all its connotations is a disgusting perversion and this book dealt with it very well. Starting with finding skeletons on a new building site which led to a whole new ball game this book built and built to its conclusion. Lots of typos which did spoil it a bit and the main character changed sex a few times, but you can get past. I will be looking out for the next in the series.
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  • Peter Alan Matthews
    1.0 out of 5 stars Oh Dear!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 October 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book was very disappointing. I am a dedicated reader of crime fiction, both P.I. and Police Procedural, having read all of the works of Dashiel Hammet, Edgar Allan Poe, Conan Doyle, Robert B Parker, Ed McBain and Michael Connelly, their early works were far better than this. In case you are thinking I am too harsh you can compare this book to the firsr e-books of M J Arlidge, Damien Boyd, Sean & Daniel Campbell,Geraldine Evans, Keith Houghton,Wonny Lea,Torquil MacLeod, Leigh Russell, Mark Sennen, Lesley Thompson, and Kerry Wilkinson. All writers inspired and challenged by the oportunities offered by e-books, I've enjoyed their works.

    Sorcerer is not well written, has not been proof read adequately, resulting in dozens of spelling errors, the author is confused by the usage of him and her, his and hers and doesn't seem to realise that they are gender specific. The use of foul language is very much overdone thus loosing its impact.

    This first book is so poor that I will not be reading any more books by this author, Amazon have much better choices on offer.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Sammy.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 August 2021
    Verified Purchase
    A few tiny mistakes but otherwise an enjoyable read. I like the characters and have bought the next book. Hope it's as good.
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  • Ian Quickfall
    2.0 out of 5 stars lacking the magic touch. A review of Sorcerer One.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This is a first novel and though it shows promise there are some rough edges. The theme of historic child abuse is explored quite well but it is the sloppy writing and proof reading which is poor. Barton's assistant is at various times described as a DI and a DS, she is used when he is meant and in the UK people don't address the police as simply "detective". They would use a rank. The episode with a rogue Detective Chief Superintendent also rings false for any such allegations would go to an officer of Chief officer level and then off to an outside organisation.

    That said, the story moves at a fast pace and is good light reading, but there is long way to go before moving into DCI Banks or DS Grace country, let alone Morse or Wexford,
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Melanie SJ Dent
    5.0 out of 5 stars A chilling yet humane thriller
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 December 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I have wanted to read this ever since it came out and I definitely was not disappointed.

    When Superintendent Jeff Barton and his team are called in to investigate human remains found in a former care home for boys they have little idea of the sordid tragedy they will begin to uncover.

    Pembroke House was a place surrounded in mystery and sordid rumours of sexual abuse and maltreatment of the young inmates. An allegation was never filed and a corrupt cop, now suffering a major guilt complex,, helped cover the whole thing up.

    Jeff Barton is a very human down to earth cop and this story strikes a perfect balance between his work and personal life. Through this we get to know him pretty well and can feel his revulsion and anger at what he and his team discover. There was not one moment when I wasn't rooting for Barton and his team to solve the case. The villains haven't got the shred of human decency they were born with and any reader who feels empathy towards these detestable specimens is probably of their depraved and twisted ilk.

    There are many twists and unexpected turns in this beautifully crafted thriller, moments which will make you laugh, cry and be on the edge of your seat. It is an absolute must for crime fiction fans. I wait with baited breath for the next Superintendent Jeff Barton story and the tales of humanity and human tragedy it will undoubtedly unravel. David Menon has created someone very special here, a cop who cares, despite, or perhaps because of, the problems in his own life.

    I can't recommend this book highly enough. I must admit I was puzzled by the title for a crime thriller, but it all comes to make sense without a magic spell or boy wizard in sight. The characters and their stories will stay with you long after you click past the last page.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Janet Scott
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good story
    Reviewed in the United States on 26 April 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Abuse kidnapping and great cops. Worth a read. My only problem was keeping up with the characters. Still kept reading to see how it ended.
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  • Sue Bugler
    5.0 out of 5 stars I've enjoyed the plots of this author
    Reviewed in Australia on 2 June 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I've enjoyed the plots of this author, but find the homosexual emphasis just unnecessary at times. The editing needs to be sharper because there should be breaks in chapters where the scene changes. However, it's worthwhile putting up with these problems because the story lines are good in all of David Menon's books and the plots are really well developed. Do recommend.
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  • Markay Eason
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
    Reviewed in the United States on 12 April 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A relatively

    well told story except for a few typos-in a couple of instances where Hayward is referred to as Hargreaves, and other minor errors. I liked the characters well enough to read the next book in the series to see how they develop.
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  • Bernie Barnwell
    4.0 out of 5 stars Thanks David Menon
    Reviewed in Australia on 9 April 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This was first in the series, a bit gruesome, but enjoyable.
    Me reading all these detective books based in Britain, a friend thinks I am homesick. How could I be I live in Tasmania in Summer and Australia in Winter. Best of both worlds.
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  • kez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Australia on 15 February 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Some infighting a bit much a too intricate.
    But i am hooked on the series
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