Christmas with the Conduit by Wes Markin #BookReview #BlogBlitz #BlogTour

Today I’m taking part in the #BlogBlitz for the terrific new book from Wes Markin. Thank you so much to Caroline Vincent for inviting me to take part and for kindly sending me a gifted ebook.

The blurb …

DCI Michael Yorke and Emma Gardner are still plagued by guilt over their failure to catch the murderous psychiatrist known as the Conduit, and the loss of their former colleague to insanity.

On Christmas Day, following a brutal massacre in Leeds, Yorke and Gardner find themselves once again chasing the ruthless puppeteer, believing that they have the initiative.

But as the two investigators draw closer to the Conduit, they quickly discover that they were never truly in control, and completely vulnerable to what comes next.

A rising tide of psychological warfare.

And the horrendous truth behind the fate of their former colleague.

My thoughts …

‘Christmas with the Conduit‘ is book 6 in the DCI Yorke Series, although this is the first that I have read and I found it to be a great standalone novel. There were some references to the characters’ back stories but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book or my ability to follow the plot. But it’s always nice to start at the beginning, so I’ve included some handy purchase links below for the whole series.

In this most recent instalment DCI Mike Yorke has to cut short his much needed Christmas holidays to deal with a dreadful massacre in a care home in Leeds on Christmas day. It soon becomes apparent that a psychopathic serial killer, who so far has managed to escape justice, is back on the scene. Yorke and his partner, Emma Gardner, previously failed to catch the Conduit and their colleague Mark is still missing. The stress of the case became too much for Emma and she left the force, but as soon as she hears that The Conduit is back, she persuades Mike to let her help with the investigation.

With a new identity the Conduit returns to Leeds as a lecturer in Psychology, while at the same time seeing ‘patients’. On the pretence of healing his patients The Conduit abuses his power, and plays on the vulnerable to manipulate their deepest fears and tragic pasts, and by using a combination of drugs and hypnotherapy, he can become a ‘psychological puppeteer’ and they will carry out his horrifying acts of violence, such as the massacre in the care home.

‘My name is the Conduit. I am a channel. I become the piece that is missing from inside people, and I allow the thoughts, feelings and behaviours to move fluidly through me and within them.’

As the snow falls in Leeds at the most wonderful time of the year, DCI Yorke and his team must race to find the Conduit before this psychopathic killer strikes again.

This was a brilliant story, very well written, completely gripping and tense from beginning to end, although I was reading with a grimace on my face for some parts of it because there is a fair bit of sickening detail, violence and evil in this story, which was hard to read at some points.

I also really enjoyed the sub plot of Mike Yorke’s home life as he struggles to balance marriage and children with a demanding and emotionally traumatic job.

I found it very similar to Chris Carter’s books and I definitely got Hannibal Lecter vibes from the Conduit, so if you like dark psychological thrillers you’ll love this one!

(I have included some trigger warnings at the bottom of this post)

The DCI Yorke Series …

Prequel: A Lesson in Crime https://amzn.to/2ZCLW5v
#1 One Last Prayer for the Rays https://amzn.to/32o9KMp
#2 The Repenting Serpent https://amzn.to/3h0UaKK
#3 The Silence of Severance https://amzn.to/393bnQO
#4 Rise of the Rays https://amzn.to/2OxOUSv
#5 Dance with the Reaper https://amzn.to/2B6dgzF
#6 Christmas with the Conduit https://amzn.to/3fDMvl9

About the author …

Wes Markin is a hyperactive English teacher, who loves writing crime fiction with a twist of the macabre.

Having finished ‘Dance with the Reaper,’ he is now working on the sixth instalment of DCI Michael Yorke’s wild ride. He is also the author of ‘A Lesson in Crime,’ a prequel to his DCI Yorke novels, which takes the reader back to his blood-soaked university days.

Born in 1978, Wes grew up in Manchester, UK. After graduating from Leeds University, he spent fifteen years as a teacher of English, and has taught in Thailand, Malaysia and China. Now as a teacher, writer, husband and father, he is currently living in Harrogate, UK.

Twitter twitter.com/MarkinWes
Facebook Author Page www.facebook.com/WesMarkinAuthor
Goodreads Author Page bit.ly/GRtoWesMarkin
Amazon Author Page author.to/WesMarkin