Review: THE LAST STRAW, Paul Gitsham

• 
  This edition read on Libby (Overdrive) through my local library
  
• Published by Harper Collins 2014
• DCI Collins #1  

Synopsis (Overdrive)

When Professor Alan Tunbridge is discovered in his office with his throat slashed, the suspects start queuing up. The brilliant but unpleasant microbiologist had a genius for making enemies.

 For Warren Jones, newly appointed Detective Chief Inspector to the Middlesbury force, a high-profile murder is the ideal opportunity. He's determined to run a thorough and professional investigation but political pressure to resolve the case quickly and tensions in the office and at home make life anything but easy. 

Everything seems to point to one vengeful man but the financial potential of the professor's pioneering research takes the inquiry in an intriguing and, for Jones and his team, dangerous direction. 

My Take

This title was published 12 years ago, the first in a series, and the author is now well established.

The central character is a newly appointed Detective Chief Inspector, trying to establish himself with a new team. The victim is a high profile professor at the local university. Early investigation reveals that he was extremely unpopular, but who would want to kill him? Which of his actions was the final straw?

This does have the signs of a "first book".  However the characters are well drawn and attractive. One of the drawbacks was the amount of technical/scientific information for the reader to absorb.

But I do intend to read the next in the series. 

My rating: 4.5

About the author
Paul Gitsham started his career as a biologist, working in such exotic locales as Manchester and Toronto. After stints as the world's most over-qualified receptionist and a spell making sure that international terrorists and other ne'er do wells hadn't opened a Junior Savings Account at a major UK bank (a job even less exciting than being a receptionist) he retrained as a Science Teacher. He now spends his time passing on his bad habits and sloppy lab-skills to the next generation of enquiring minds.

Paul has always wanted to be a writer and his final report on leaving primary school predicted he'd be the next Roald Dahl! For the sake of balance it should be pointed out that it also said "he'll never get anywhere in life if his handwriting doesn't improve". Twenty five years later and his handwriting is worse than ever but millions of children around the world love him.*