Fear No Evil – Spooky Thriller

Fear No Evil by Debbie Johnson is the latest addition to the Scouse Noir genre bringing together the great scouse names of Lennon and McCartney fortunately we do not have to suffer them singing. This is a mixture of murder and ghouls and a quick lesson in Scouse history. Well written and a tour round the posh bits of Liverpool (I didn’t know there were any) as well as the rough and tumble of living in the city.

Jayne McCartney is a former police detective now a private investigator working out a small office in Liverpool not far from her docklands home, when she is asked to investigate what the police and coroner have deemed a suicide. Joy Middlemass had fallen out of a window at the Student Halls called Hart House and when she read Joy’s diary she found that she was being taunted by ghosts. Like any normal person she is quite sceptical to the idea of ghost and ghouls let alone the type that would commit murder.

She needs help from someone who has experience with dealing with the other side and she finds former Catholic Priest Dan Lennon who specialises in investigating the paranormal. They team up and while they investigate the paranormal demons and ghosts they stumble across and investigate a previous murder of a student in Hart Hall that was made to look like the ghost had sent her to her death.

As the book races across Liverpool trying to find the answers and Jayne’s best friend since school Tish ends up being murdered while investigating a story for her newspaper that crosses the Lennon & McCartney investigation. Jayne besides trying to get to the bottom of her investigation finds that Tish was investigating the Deerborne clan – Liverpool old money.

As Jayne and Dan head towards facing down the paranormal world of Hart Hall they find the answers to Tish’s murder and to that of Geneva Connelly. The Middlemass’ finally get their answers to their questions about Joy’s death and able to let her rest in peace.

This is a fun and interesting thriller that dances through the paranormal which also shines a light in to some of Liverpool’s darker history. The Lennon and McCartney partnership works well and they do not punish us with their singing, and this looks like their first of many outings. We get an interesting addition to the scouse noir genre and this is an interesting and fun addition. ( )