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Lesley Thomson
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The Dog Walker (The Detective's Daughter Book 5) Kindle Edition

by Lesley Thomson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 1,352 ratings
Brand new from the #1 bestselling author of The Detective's Daughter.

Stella and Jack must reawaken the secrets of the past in order to solve the mysteries of the present.

January, 1987. In the depths of winter, only joggers and dog walkers brave the Thames towpath after dark. Helen Honeysett, a young newlywed, sets off for an evening run from her riverside cottage and disappears.

Twenty-nine years later, Helen's body has never been found. Her husband has asked Stella Darnell, a private detective, and her side-kick Jack Harmon, to find out what happened all those years ago. But when the five households on that desolate stretch of towpath refuse to give up their secrets, Stella and Jack find themselves hunting a killer whose trail has long gone cold.
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  1. Book 5 of 9
    The Detective's Daughter
  2. Print length
    496 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Head of Zeus
  5. Accessibility
    Learn more
  6. Publication date
    6 April 2017
  7. File size
    17.1 MB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 9 books in this series.

From the Publisher

The Detective's Daughter Series

Sunday Times Review

Ian Rankin Endorsement

Elly Griffiths Endorsement

The Detective's Daughter
Ghost Girl
The Detective's Secret
The House With No Rooms
The Dog Walker
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Customer Reviews
3.7 out of 5 stars 5,474
3.8 out of 5 stars 2,101
4.1 out of 5 stars 1,596
4.4 out of 5 stars 1,100
4.2 out of 5 stars 1,352
Price £4.31 £5.03 £5.03 £5.03 £4.68
The Detective's Daughter Series As winter closes its grip on snow-bound London, a cleaner determines to solve the case that her detective father never could. Seven cryptic photographs. A decades-old case. Can one woman find a killer? They will learn the city's secrets. They will learn who plans to kill... A woman lies dead on the ground. A girl watches from the shadows. What did she really see? Stella and Jack must reawaken the secrets of the past in order to solve the mysteries of the present.
The Death Chamber
The Playground Murders
The Distant Dead
The Mystery of Yew Tree House
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Customer Reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars 649
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,006
4.4 out of 5 stars 890
4.1 out of 5 stars 741
Price £4.68 £4.68 £4.68 £0.99
The Detective's Daughter Series For forty years, someone has got away with murder... Forty years ago, in the dark of the playground, two children's lives were changed for ever. A woman lies dead in a bombed-out house. A tragic casualty of the Blitz? Or something more sinister? Sixty years later, the detective's daughter unearths the truth... Eighty years of secrets. A body that reveals them all.
The Detective's Daughter Series from Lesley Thomson

Product description

Review

"A clever mystery plot . . . its excellence is in the characters, all credible and memorable." --Literary Review

"A haunting novel about loss and reconciliation, driven by a simple but clever plot." --Sunday Times

"A wonderfully eerie London setting and a chilling plot . . . Lesley Thomson is one of our leading crime writers." --Elly Griffiths, author, The Ghost Fields

From the Inside Flap

January, 1987.
In the depths of winter, only joggers and dog walkers brave the Thames towpath after dark. Helen Honeysett, a young newlywed, sets off for an evening run from her riverside cottage.
Only her dog returns.
Twenty-nine years later, her husband has asked Stella Darnell, a private detective, and her side-kick Jack Harmon, to find out what happened all those years ago.
But when the five households on that desolate stretch of towpath refuse to give up their secrets, Stella and Jack find themselves hunting a killer whose trail has long gone cold...

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01LQE9H8O
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Head of Zeus
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 6 April 2017
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 17.1 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1784972240
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 5 of 9 ‏ : ‎ The Detective's Daughter
  • Customer reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 1,352 ratings

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Lesley Thomson

Lesley Thomson

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
1,352 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a great addition to the series, with a well-crafted plot full of twists and turns that keeps readers guessing. The writing receives praise for its wonderful style, and customers appreciate the nicely drawn characters. However, some customers find the book confusing.

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92 customers mention ‘Readability’81 positive11 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable, with one mentioning it kept them guessing throughout.

"...But for me, the reason why this is a standout read, is that in common with the rest of the series, the investigation into the crime slowly unravels...." Read more

"...The rest was a really good read. The back story was of a 30 year old missing persons/murder mystery...." Read more

"This is such a great series; the latest Detective's Daughter book, featuring Stella and Jack, is as compelling and enjoyable as the others...." Read more

"I've enjoyed the Detective's Daughter series, and really like Stella and Jack as characters, but there are always bits which are quite difficult to..." Read more

68 customers mention ‘Plot quality’48 positive20 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as a brilliant mystery with twists and turns that keeps readers in suspense.

"...is that in common with the rest of the series, the investigation into the crime slowly unravels. There are no speedy shortcuts...." Read more

"...It had a standard array of suspects and as the tale proceeded each one in turn seemed more and then less likely to be the guilty party...." Read more

"...As ever, the story is well-paced and draws you in, and has a clever plot twist that I never see coming, even though I know there will be one!...." Read more

"...and I did find this one became confusing, with too many re-creations of the fateful night, and where each suspect was that evening...." Read more

30 customers mention ‘Character development’24 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one customer noting the author's descriptive ability, while another describes the author as one of today's most original crime writers.

"...The main characters were excellent. All a bit weird, each with their own internal conflicts...." Read more

"...I also liked the way the supporting cast of characters we have known for the past few years were brought in more, especially Lucie May the..." Read more

"...The characters are very effectively portrayed and you don't get lost when trying to remember who's who...." Read more

"...in time" routine in particular is overplayed and the characters aren't drawn well enough to make them easy to distinguish...." Read more

23 customers mention ‘Writing quality’17 positive6 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, noting its wonderful prose and attention to detail, with one customer particularly appreciating the child's perspective.

"I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thomson’s atmospheric writing this time around has taken us to another obscure corner of London – she seems to..." Read more

"...Something that this author does really well is writing from a child’s perspective, and she does this again in this novel; an innocent yet perceptive..." Read more

"...characters that inhabit Thames Cottages along the towpath are also well drawn and I was able to easily visualise each of them quite separately from..." Read more

"...I didn’t think the story was that strong and was a little over complicated. Felt I needed a spreadsheet of my own...." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Series content’4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy this book as a great addition to the series.

"...A great sequel to the other stories in the group." Read more

"Another excellent instalment in this series...." Read more

"Great addition to the series. I have all Lesley Thomson's books. Well worth a read. If you have not read any of her books, I would recommend them." Read more

"Excellent latest instalment of a very good series..." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Confusion’0 positive4 negative

Customers find the book confusing.

"...common with some other reviewers, I also found the plot convoluted, confusing, repetitive and with lots of extraneous detail which just got in the..." Read more

"...I found confusing, it jumped around all over the place, there were too many unremarkable and unlikable characters and the plot unbelievable...." Read more

"bitty and confusing. Characters didn't come to life .Had difficulty finishing it,it was so boring and far fetched." Read more

"Don't bother, it's hours of your life you'll never get back. Tedium. Muddled. Poorly constructed...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • sjhigbee
    5.0 out of 5 stars A cold case murder mystery a cut above the rest...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 June 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thomson’s atmospheric writing this time around has taken us to another obscure corner of London – she seems to specialise in those – where a crime was committed that shatters one family and blights the lives of others, including the husband of the victim. With two timelines running – one set around the time of the murder and afterwards as the consequences begin to stack up, while the other one is set here and now centred on the investigative efforts of Stella and Jack.

    While there is not much in the way of gore in Thomson’s work, that doesn’t mean it is a particularly cosy read. Murder is not treated as an interesting puzzle here, but an act that has cut short a life and shattered the lives of others caught up in the investigation. Thomson writes particularly well from the pov of children who are involved, trying to make sense of what they see and hear. The sense of damage caused is reinforced by Jack’s own experiences as a child, which means he often imagines he is talking to his long-dead mother and goes on long, nocturnal walks as he has problems sleeping.

    That said, this isn’t overall a gloomy read, either. While Thomson refuses to treat the crime with levity, Stella’s relationship with her mother, Suzie, is often amusing and her efforts to control Stanley, the little poodle she has acquired, are particularly funny if you have ever owned a dog. While Stanley is evidently fond of her, she clearly isn’t someone who is a natural around animals.

    But for me, the reason why this is a standout read, is that in common with the rest of the series, the investigation into the crime slowly unravels. There are no speedy shortcuts. Between them, Stella and Jack piece together snippets of information to help discover who was doing what when the crime was committed. Some of those snippets prove to be wrong, or lead them astray – some we know from the start cannot be right, thanks to the flashbacks which give us, the reader, insights into aspects of the crime and its impact on the bystanders that Stella and Jack cannot have. Thomson’s thorough, precise approach means this book is a joy. In attempting to find out who killed Helen, Stella and Jack need to talk to all the residents in the row of cottages running alongside the towpath – in getting to meet all the potential suspects and witnesses, we also are introduced to a cast of characters who bounce off the page with their vividness.

    One of the bonuses in having read the previous books – though it isn’t necessary to do so in order to enjoy The Dog Walker – is that we also have the pleasure of meeting up again with the likes of Suzie, Stella’s mother, and Lucie May, journalist and former lover of Terry Darnell, Stella’s father. I particularly enjoyed the role that Lucie played in this story and how it gave us a further insight into her character.

    If you enjoy reading books more about the why than the gory deed itself – if you enjoy watching characters’ motivations and secrets unpeeled, then track this one down. While there are many cold case mysteries out there – books of this quality don’t come along all that often.

    10/10
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  • Brambleamble
    4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 December 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Bad points first. It is probably a little too long. During the chapters in the voice of a seven year old girl I could not work out if it was a good representation or not as she came over a little on the dim side. The rest was a really good read. The back story was of a 30 year old missing persons/murder mystery. It had a standard array of suspects and as the tale proceeded each one in turn seemed more and then less likely to be the guilty party. The main characters were excellent. All a bit weird, each with their own internal conflicts. At first it is difficult to warm to any of them but that changes as the story unfolds. There is a bit of ghosts and scary bits in the dark but this is handled brilliantly and does generate (well in me at least) anxiety for the well being of our two unlikely heroes. The ending was satisfactory if a little contrived as we discovered the mystery of the haunted house and of course the guilty. Normally I can pick the baddies early on but in this book I had to read to the end - always a good sign.
    One person found this helpful
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  • J. Eve
    5.0 out of 5 stars another intriguing and engrossing 'Stella and Jack' mystery
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This is such a great series; the latest Detective's Daughter book, featuring Stella and Jack, is as compelling and enjoyable as the others. Once again, Lesley Thomson makes excellent use of place to conjure up an atmosphere that you get totally sucked into - in the previous novel, The House With No Rooms, it was the stiflingly hot Kew Gardens in the summer, and in this one, it is the chilly and incredibly spooky towpath by the river Thames near Kew Bridge. As ever, the story is well-paced and draws you in, and has a clever plot twist that I never see coming, even though I know there will be one!. Thomson writes so convincingly about the complex and secret motivations that cause her characters to behave as they do - her particular strength is the inner world of children. She combines this with a deceptively 'light' approach - much of the book is very witty and quirky (as are her two amateur detectives, Stella who runs a cleaning agency, and Jack, who drives a tube train and is a sometime cleaner for Stella's company, Clean Slate), so I alternate between laughing out loud and almost unbearable tension as these two get more and more involved with the mysterious inhabitants of a small row of cottages by the river (a useful map is included at the beginning).
    Those of us who love Stella and Jack will enjoy the development of their characters and relationship in this book. I also liked the way the supporting cast of characters we have known for the past few years were brought in more, especially Lucie May the journalist who had a key role in the House with No Rooms.
    If you've not read any in this series yet, you can certainly read this as a stand-alone - or start with this one and then read the others. You will definitely want to! Looking forward the next one - it always feels such a long time to wait!
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  • Jadi
    3.0 out of 5 stars Too many trips on the towpath.....
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I've enjoyed the Detective's Daughter series, and really like Stella and Jack as characters, but there are always bits which are quite difficult to follow, and I did find this one became confusing, with too many re-creations of the fateful night, and where each suspect was that evening. There were endless trips up and down the towpath with Stanley, and in the end it rather spoiled the story for me.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • tyranno
    5.0 out of 5 stars noch ein tolles Buch
    Reviewed in Germany on 2 May 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Habe wohl schon alles in den vorhergehenden Rezensionen gesagt. Für mich ist die Reihe nach wie vor eine ganz tolle Serie, in der alle Darsteller eine Weiterentwicklung durchmachen, sich die Lebensumstände ändern- eben wie im wahren Leben. Dazu noch eine spannende Mordermittlung- was will man mehr. Ich finde die ausführlichen Beschreibungen der Ungebung oder der Putztätigkeiten weder langatmig noch langweilig wie der eine oder andere Leser fand. Für mich ist es genau richtig um mich in die Geschichte rein versetzen zu können.
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  • Peter the constant reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Barking good
    Reviewed in Australia on 4 January 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Stella is hired to clean and as it turns out to remove a ghost. She chooses Jack for the job. As result Stella and Jack become involved in a cold case where a woman disappeared 30 years previously. Soon after her assumed killer committed suicide. They are asked separately to find out what happened to the woman and to prove the innocence of the assumed killer.

    All the action takes place along the Thames and involves the people living in a small community of five houses. They all own dogs and walking the dogs along the tow path forms the major action that connects the community and the crimes. As is usual there are hidden connections between the characters which need to be tracked down with great patience. The different approaches and skills of Stella and Jack. Suzie takes an active part in the investigation and provides some key bits of information. Other employees at Clean Slate are starting to be involved as well.

    The book winds its way to the end with so many possibilities it becomes necessary to have a break from reading to catch up. Jack finds one of his true murderers and this plays a large part in the plot. Stella and Jack put themselves in harm's way and the ending is glorious in havoc.

    The final denouement is far reaching as it is simple. Lesley has given all the clues. There is far more than justice achieved. This is not a spoiler as there are many ways that this is possible. There is poetic justice in the ending. There are revelations of the past both good and bad. And healing of relationships. All very satisfactory.

    Some minor but annoying issues. The map at the beginning cannot be read without a microscope and can't be enlarged. Neither can the initial spreadsheet. There was no larger map to be able to see the relative location of the crematorium and Kew bridge. These are important to understanding the sequence of events so its absence is frustrating. I understand the presence of the digger but not why it is still operational. Surely you have to turn it on otherwise the hydraulics don't work. Or the batteries would run out. Perhaps Jack can see the signs.

    Lesley writes great books and I look forward the her continuing. This book has a better ambience than some previous offerings which became a bit too dark and flirted too far away from believable. For new readers it would be helpful to read "The Detective's Daughter" to understand Stella and Jack.
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  • Phil
    5.0 out of 5 stars Found this book for the first half a bit padded out than the previous books
    Reviewed in France on 29 April 2017
    Verified Purchase
    However, the twists and turns and the ending make up for that. Looking forward to the next adventure of Stella, Jack and Stanley.
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  • marsha l. reid
    2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
    Reviewed in Canada on 21 May 2017
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    I have enjoyed Lesley Thomson's previous mystery series involving Jack, who hunts streets at night for True Hosts - murderers or would be murderer and Stella, a no nonsense middle aged woman who approaches mysteries with the same detail and organization she she does to cleaning. They make a unique team in the mystery genre.

    However, I found this story tedious. Stella is approached by developer who has recently renovated an old house to clean it in order to get rid of ghosts. The house is on little lane where a young woman was murdered while jogging in the mid 1980's. It was a sensation at the time. Her body was never found and the prime suspect, a plumber who lived a few houses down, committed suicide shortly afterwards, which everyone assumed at the time as a confession of guilt. The developer thinks that the rumors of the ghost of the murdered woman are being spread by neigbhours who resent the redevelopment. Stella reluctantly takes the job and Jack is assigned to baby sit the house as well, to stave off any potential ghosts or pranksters.

    Then the widower of the murdered woman, who still lives in the same house, hires Stella to find out who killed his wife. He was also a prime suspect but ultimtately ruled out because he had an alibi. Its never made clear why now, he suddenly wants to find out who killed his wife or why didn't believe it was the plumber who committed suicide.

    The story initially alternates between the present (from Stella's and Jack's perspective) and the past, from the perspective of the plumber's little girl Megan, who made some innocent comments that were later used to implicate him. I found this structure, didn't really work for me, especially as Megan was not a central character in the present.

    In general, I found the plot plodding. There were also alot of coincidences which piled up on top of one another beggared belief.
    By the time, I finished the book, I really didn't care who did it.

    Hopefully, the next book will be better because I do like Stella and Jack.
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  • sandra
    5.0 out of 5 stars Slow start,good read
    Reviewed in the United States on 25 March 2018
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    The beginning of the book was confusing,almost as if the writer wasn’t edited until the third or fourth chapter.The plot was intriguing and the story was unusual enough with plenty of twists and turns to keep me reading till the end.
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