Where the Dead Lay

“Levien is the new must-read thriller writer” – Lee Childs. With a write –up like that how could I turn down an opportunity to read this? This is Levien’s second novel and reading it has made me want to search out the first. Frank Behr is a hardened ex-cop with an attitude to match, but when his friend is found dead at work he has to face up to what could be the most dangerous case of his life. The loss leaves him confused, estranged from his girlfriend (who has a secret of her own) and struggling to cope with the hated he has for the killers.

When I started this I didn’t particularly like Frank. If I’d have met him in real life his abrasive nature and curt manner would have put me off straight away. However, the more I read the more I began to understand this man with a past of his own. Learning martial arts gave the opportunity to grow close to his teacher, so much so that they became friends. It is his teacher’s death that leaves him horrified and determined to exact revenge on the killers. Following two different inquiries, Frank is left wondering if he is in fact working on the same case.

A thrilling, chilling book which is going to passed around my family before I get to read it again. David Levien is one to watch.