BOOK REVIEW: "CARNIVAL BLUES" by Damien Boyd

Damien Boyd is a former solicitor turned crime writer and indeed he has made a considerable success of his writing. Carnival Blues is book 12 in a series involving the exploits of Detective Chief Inspector Nick Dixon whose patch is in south west England. This time, Dixon attends the Bridgwater winter carnival, primarily to see the firework display -- known as squibbing -- which brings the carnival to a close. The explosion that occurs when the display is lit, is not quite what the crowd was expecting – Richard Webb, president of the Avalon Carnival Club is engulfed in flames and subsequently dies. Dixon’s gut feeling is that the killer who set the explosives is sending a message and that there may be more to come. His suspicions are confirmed when a mere two days later, at the Burnham-on-Sea carnival, there is a repeat performance. The perpetrator needs to be caught. And quickly. Carnivals of this type are a feature of this area of England and more lives are going to be lost if the killer is not brought to justice.

For readers who love the slow pace of plodding police investigations Carnival Blues is a winner. The characters are well developed and those familiar with the D.C.I. Dixon books will be very familiar with him and some of the other characters that have appeared throughout the series. The author will be very familiar with police and court procedure from his days as a solicitor so scenes of this nature are vividly real. As expected, the dialogue too is realistic and believable. For those, however, who prefer a fast-paced thriller Carnival Blues doesn’t quite make the grade. The only time the pace does pick up a little is when Dixon faces a rather serious personal problem but the reader is quickly taken back to the slow-burning investigation. A great whodunnit but only for ardent fans of that genre.