The Editor by Simon Hall

A Bloodhound Book Review

About the Book:

A mysterious advert in a newspaper promising to restore hope to the hopeless brings together four strangers. 

None realising they will end up investigating a twisted and troubling crime that threatens their very futures.

Mitch, a former Crime Scene Investigator, Olivia, a brilliant PhD student, and Florence, a middle-aged solicitor, find themselves working with an enigmatic newspaper editor who refers to himself only as Ed.

But when Maddie, a teenage girl, disappears in sinister circumstances, the team are drawn into the hunt for her. And when a neighbour’s body is discovered in a pool of blood, they realise they must use their unique skills in a race against time. 

But can they solve the mystery before it’s too late? And before Ed’s shadowy past overcomes them all?

My Review:

Hope. Hope is the driving force and theme of this book. A weird advert pulls together a group of people in desperate need of hope. Something to hold onto before they lose it all. Out of this group, a little core of four forms and becomes a tiny online "newspaper". These four folks are a lawyer, a crime scene investigator, a Ph.D., and an Editor. Toss in a missing teen girl, and it's on! But what is that current underneath I keep sensing? The current that keeps me flipping pages is what exactly? Is it that they will solve the crime, yes, but it's more. Will they find hope, will they be something bigger than they are, or is this group doomed to be sucked into something that will crush their hopes for life? I liked the small twists, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book that works from start to finish to bring hope. Thus, I hope to read more of this author's books. 

5 Stars 

About the Author:

Simon Hall is an author, journalist, communications consultant, and business coach. 

He was a broadcaster for twenty five years, mostly as a BBC Television, Radio and Online News Correspondent, covering some of the biggest stories Britain has seen.

He now lectures, and coaches companies at the Judge Business School, part of the University of Cambridge, working on presentation skills, branding, pitching, websites, and media profile, both conventional and social. 

Simon has had seven books in his tvdetectiveseries published. They focus on a television reporter who covers crimes and gets so involved in the cases he helps the police to solve them. 

He has also contributed articles and short stories to a range of newspapers and magazines, written plays, and even a pantomime. 

Alongside his novels and stories, Simon is a tutor in media skills and creative writing, teaching at popular Writers’ Summer Schools such as Swanwick and Winchester, for the National Association of Writers’ Groups, at universities including Cambridge and Exeter, on cruise ships and overseas. 

Simon has also become sought after as a speaker, appearing at a variety of prestigious literary festivals. His talks combine an insight into his writing work, along with some extraordinary anecdotes from the life of a television reporter, including the now notorious story of What to do when you really need a dead otter.

He began a broadcasting career as a DJ on the radio and in nightclubs, then moved into radio and TV news. He worked in Europe, London, Ireland, and the south west of England, before settling in Cambridge. 

Simon is married to Jess, Director of Libraries at the University of Cambridge, and has an adopted daughter, Niamh. She’s an army officer, which makes her father both very proud and very nervous. 

Simon also lectures on careers in the media at Cambridge University, and in schools and colleges. Amongst his proudest achievements, he includes the number of young people he has helped into higher education and jobs in broadcasting, and aspiring writers into publication.

As for his likes, Simon lists beer – he judges at real ale festivals – running, cycling, solving cryptic crosswords, composing curious Tweets (find him @SimonHallNews) and studying pop lyrics.

For more on Simon, see his website – www.thetvdetective.com