The First Cut

Author: Trevor Negus
Genre: Police Procedural, Mystery
375 pages
Publisher: Inkubator Books, 2024

Synopsis
The First Cut by Trevor Negus in the 12th installment in the DCI Danny Flint series. The story begins when Flint returns from his honeymoon to find two murders in Nottinghamshire. A seventy-year-old man, Lionel Wickes, is murdered outside his own home as he tries to stop a thief stealing his car. A second body is discovered in the center of Nottingham and again there are suspicious circumstances. The victim, Randall Clements, has died of head injuries.

A wealth of forensic evidence found at the scene of the second murder quickly leads DCI Flint and the MCIU to a suspect. Craig Stevens, a man with a long history of violence, is arrested and charged with the murder of Randall Clements. Danny is then free to concentrate all his efforts into finding the killer of Lionel Wickes. Until a possible link between the two murders comes to light which leads him to have serious doubts about the guilt of Craig Stevens.

Danny finds himself facing a solitary battle to prevent a horrifying miscarriage of justice which he himself may have caused. But nothing is at it seems as Danny desperately fights to uncover the truth in what may be the most complex and shocking case of his entire career.

My review
The First Cut by Trevor Negus is the 12th installment in the DCI Danny Flint series. This police procedural is quite robust in its use of dialogue, and swiftly drew me into its setting through the interactions between characters. It’s the first book in the series I’ve delved into, and the dialogue captured my interest right from the start.

An intriguing aspect of this novel is its resemblance to an episode from a long-running police procedural series rather than a typical British crime thriller. Negus’ thirty years in the police force, including twelve years as a detective, shine through in the book. His reliance on this extensive experience is evident in the meticulous details and the incredibly authentic and believable dialogue.

One aspect that didn’t fully meet my expectations was the sentence structure and the lack of atmospheric setting. I believe that some of the writing could benefit from more polish, and Negus could improve the descriptions of the atmosphere to create greater tension and intrigue within the narrative.

Overall, The First Cut was an enjoyable read, and I found the details to be entirely believable. The narrative of this story strongly evokes the experience of watching a long-running weekly police procedural television series— it feels familiar, comforting, and highly entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for allowing me to read this book for review. All opinions are my own.

My recommendation: read it if you’re looking for a straight forward police procedural heavy on dialogue.