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Health of Strangers #4
Murder at the Music Factory
The body of Paul Shore toppled onto him, a stream of blood pooling around them on the concrete. Bernard lay back and waited to see if he too was going to die.
An undercover agent gone rogue is threatening to shoot a civil servant a day. As panic reigns, the Health Enforcement Team race against time to track him down – before someone turns the gun on them.
An undercover agent gone rogue is threatening to shoot a civil servant a day. As panic reigns, the Health Enforcement Team race against time to track him down – before someone turns the gun on them.
336 pages, Paperback
First published April 23, 2020
About the author
Lesley Kelly
7 books37 followersLesley has worked in the public and voluntary sector for the past twenty years, dabbling in poetry and stand-up comedy along the way.
She has won a number of writing competitions, including the Scotsman's Short Story award in 2008. 'A Fine House in Trinity' was long-listed for the McIlvanney Award for the best Scottish crime novel in 2016.
Her next novel, 'The Health of Strangers' will be published by Sandstone Press in June 207.
She lives in Edinburgh with her husband and two sons.
She has won a number of writing competitions, including the Scotsman's Short Story award in 2008. 'A Fine House in Trinity' was long-listed for the McIlvanney Award for the best Scottish crime novel in 2016.
Her next novel, 'The Health of Strangers' will be published by Sandstone Press in June 207.
She lives in Edinburgh with her husband and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 9, 2020
Usually I see reading as a form of escapism, not quite so much with this book…
You see, it’s set in Edinburgh – where I live – and it’s set in the aftermath of a pandemic which has swept across the world. There are restrictions on people’s movements and scientists are still working on a way to stop the continued spread of The Virus as it’s known. Sound familiar? Well, don’t worry if you are thinking that this is all too close to home right now and you don’t fancy reading about a fictional pandemic while there’s a real one happening in real life. This book doesn’t focus on the Virus but on the work of North Edinburgh Health Enforcement Team. The team become caught up in an investigation where it seems that they, and all public servants, are at risk from an undercover agent who is threatening to shoot a civil servant each day. With a reclusive former prog-rock musician and two students with rather strange views all missing and in the sights in the team, this shapes up into a engaging thriller.
This is the 4th book in the series (5th if you include an e-book only short story) but you can easily read it as a standalone. Each book focuses on a different crime but features the same characters. There is enough back story for you to learn a bit about the characters. I have to say that it was a delight to read more about Bernard and Mona and their colleagues again. They are such an entertaining group of people to read about. Lesley Kelly’s wit shines through the book. Even though, as the title suggests, there is murder, there is plenty to make you laugh in the book as well, not least the office politics. As a crime novel, it is well plotted, perfectly paced and a gripping read.
Putting aside the crime aspect of the novel, the main work of the HET is tracking down people who have missed their mandatory monthly health check. It was interesting to read this book now not purely as fiction but as, to an extent, reality. There were so many things which now ring true and many things which you can imagine will become the norm of the future. Mona notes, like many of us do now, that “some people were so cavalier with their own health that she wondered if they had actually noticed that a million people had died in Britain from the Virus.” There are also conspiracy theories some of which I’ve certainly come across on the internet such as the Virus being man-made and deliberately released. No mention of toilet roll and flour shortages though… 😀
I do hope that book 5 is the one with the happy ending where the Virus is completely under control, people can meet with and hug friends and family again, it’s not a stressful situation to go shopping and the Health Enforcement Team is disbanded. Then again, I’m rather fond of Bernard and Mona so I’d be sad not to read about them again. Lesley Kelly certainly put them in some dangerous situations again in this book which had my heart in my mouth! I was fearful for Mona’s safety and Bernard has a very interesting personal situation to deal with. I do hope the author is a littler gentler on them in the next book. Murder at the Music Factory is another excellent, entertaining addition to the Health of Strangers series and I can’t wait to read the next one!
You see, it’s set in Edinburgh – where I live – and it’s set in the aftermath of a pandemic which has swept across the world. There are restrictions on people’s movements and scientists are still working on a way to stop the continued spread of The Virus as it’s known. Sound familiar? Well, don’t worry if you are thinking that this is all too close to home right now and you don’t fancy reading about a fictional pandemic while there’s a real one happening in real life. This book doesn’t focus on the Virus but on the work of North Edinburgh Health Enforcement Team. The team become caught up in an investigation where it seems that they, and all public servants, are at risk from an undercover agent who is threatening to shoot a civil servant each day. With a reclusive former prog-rock musician and two students with rather strange views all missing and in the sights in the team, this shapes up into a engaging thriller.
This is the 4th book in the series (5th if you include an e-book only short story) but you can easily read it as a standalone. Each book focuses on a different crime but features the same characters. There is enough back story for you to learn a bit about the characters. I have to say that it was a delight to read more about Bernard and Mona and their colleagues again. They are such an entertaining group of people to read about. Lesley Kelly’s wit shines through the book. Even though, as the title suggests, there is murder, there is plenty to make you laugh in the book as well, not least the office politics. As a crime novel, it is well plotted, perfectly paced and a gripping read.
Putting aside the crime aspect of the novel, the main work of the HET is tracking down people who have missed their mandatory monthly health check. It was interesting to read this book now not purely as fiction but as, to an extent, reality. There were so many things which now ring true and many things which you can imagine will become the norm of the future. Mona notes, like many of us do now, that “some people were so cavalier with their own health that she wondered if they had actually noticed that a million people had died in Britain from the Virus.” There are also conspiracy theories some of which I’ve certainly come across on the internet such as the Virus being man-made and deliberately released. No mention of toilet roll and flour shortages though… 😀
I do hope that book 5 is the one with the happy ending where the Virus is completely under control, people can meet with and hug friends and family again, it’s not a stressful situation to go shopping and the Health Enforcement Team is disbanded. Then again, I’m rather fond of Bernard and Mona so I’d be sad not to read about them again. Lesley Kelly certainly put them in some dangerous situations again in this book which had my heart in my mouth! I was fearful for Mona’s safety and Bernard has a very interesting personal situation to deal with. I do hope the author is a littler gentler on them in the next book. Murder at the Music Factory is another excellent, entertaining addition to the Health of Strangers series and I can’t wait to read the next one!
September 13, 2020
A pandemic has caused a huge loss of life. The Health Enforcement Team (HET) was established in the aftermath of the virus to ensure people continued to be checked for possible infection – it is a thankless job and the HET does not attract elite applicants. However, the HET are our principle characters in Lesley Kelly’s Health of Strangers series; crime stories all set in post viral outbreak Edinburgh. Murder at the Music Factory is the 4th book in the series – it can be read as a stand alone thriller.
When I encountered the HET in the first Health of Strangers book it was June 2017 the idea of a pandemic sweeping through the world and changing life as we know it just seemed a clever piece of fictional world creation by Lesley Kelly. Then 2020 happened and…well, you know how that has turned out.
In Murder at the Music Factory the virus is under control and life has returned to a new normal. This means I may need to stop referring to the series as dystopian, perhaps idyllic would be more appropriate? For the Health Enforcement Team there is a more pressing issue confronting them – someone has shot a civil servant and poor Bernard, HET’s perpetual unlucky sod, was on the scene as it happened. It transpires nobody in the HET or any civil servant is safe as the shooter has threatened to target one of their number each day. A manhunt ensues but what could be behind these attacks?
As more incidents occur a pattern is established, the victims are not being selected randomly and the common link ties back to the Scottish Government and one high profile MSP. Is the shooter trying to ensure something remains a secret? Is there any link between the shootings and the disappearance of a legendary musician? The alternative pop-star is an obscure figure on the music scene but it appears he may also have held some obsure and unwelcome opinions which border on the fantatical. If the shooter and the musician are not connected then Mona, Bernard and the HET team have twice as many problems to contend with.
I hold my hand up to confessing my love for this series. I have enjoyed all the previous Health of Strangers books and Murder at the Music Factory was no exception. The new title is one of the few I actively watch out for each year. The characters are developing with each new instalment and I long to read more about them. Each book is engaging, funny, thought provoking and there is now a suspicion of a political conspiracy theory to keep me hooked. Honestly, if you are not reading these books you are missing a treat. More please.
When I encountered the HET in the first Health of Strangers book it was June 2017 the idea of a pandemic sweeping through the world and changing life as we know it just seemed a clever piece of fictional world creation by Lesley Kelly. Then 2020 happened and…well, you know how that has turned out.
In Murder at the Music Factory the virus is under control and life has returned to a new normal. This means I may need to stop referring to the series as dystopian, perhaps idyllic would be more appropriate? For the Health Enforcement Team there is a more pressing issue confronting them – someone has shot a civil servant and poor Bernard, HET’s perpetual unlucky sod, was on the scene as it happened. It transpires nobody in the HET or any civil servant is safe as the shooter has threatened to target one of their number each day. A manhunt ensues but what could be behind these attacks?
As more incidents occur a pattern is established, the victims are not being selected randomly and the common link ties back to the Scottish Government and one high profile MSP. Is the shooter trying to ensure something remains a secret? Is there any link between the shootings and the disappearance of a legendary musician? The alternative pop-star is an obscure figure on the music scene but it appears he may also have held some obsure and unwelcome opinions which border on the fantatical. If the shooter and the musician are not connected then Mona, Bernard and the HET team have twice as many problems to contend with.
I hold my hand up to confessing my love for this series. I have enjoyed all the previous Health of Strangers books and Murder at the Music Factory was no exception. The new title is one of the few I actively watch out for each year. The characters are developing with each new instalment and I long to read more about them. Each book is engaging, funny, thought provoking and there is now a suspicion of a political conspiracy theory to keep me hooked. Honestly, if you are not reading these books you are missing a treat. More please.
May 20, 2020
When I reviewed the third book in the Health of Strangers series and said I couldn’t wait for book 4, I was speaking fictionally; I didn’t want the story in my real life. Be careful what you wish for...
The series features Edinburgh’s Health Enforcement Team (HET) who are tasked with seeking out defaulters who fail to attend compulsory health tests during … you guessed it… a virus pandemic.
In this latest outing, their normal duties get abandoned and they are on the hunt for a former colleague. Unbeknown to them, he was a secret government agent embedded in HET while carrying out covert surveillance on subversive targets. Now he’s gone rogue and started shooting civil servants. (And it’s a bit of a worry for the team as they are all civil servants.) His motive is revealed towards the end of the story and it all comes back to the deadly disease.
Despite the scary real-life parallels, these books have become my go-to funny series. Who couldn’t love hapless Bernard, feisty Mora, truculent Carole, cocky Maitland and their frazzled boss Paterson? The team tends to hunt in pairs so we see different dynamics when different characters work together on parts of the investigation. This time a new double-act emerges when Marcus, the IT technician, joins Bernard on their most dangerous mission yet.
To get the full enjoyment of this book, it would be a good idea to read the previous book first, or better still, start at book 1. There’s nothing like a cosy global pandemic series to cheer you up in a global pandemic.
The series features Edinburgh’s Health Enforcement Team (HET) who are tasked with seeking out defaulters who fail to attend compulsory health tests during … you guessed it… a virus pandemic.
In this latest outing, their normal duties get abandoned and they are on the hunt for a former colleague. Unbeknown to them, he was a secret government agent embedded in HET while carrying out covert surveillance on subversive targets. Now he’s gone rogue and started shooting civil servants. (And it’s a bit of a worry for the team as they are all civil servants.) His motive is revealed towards the end of the story and it all comes back to the deadly disease.
Despite the scary real-life parallels, these books have become my go-to funny series. Who couldn’t love hapless Bernard, feisty Mora, truculent Carole, cocky Maitland and their frazzled boss Paterson? The team tends to hunt in pairs so we see different dynamics when different characters work together on parts of the investigation. This time a new double-act emerges when Marcus, the IT technician, joins Bernard on their most dangerous mission yet.
To get the full enjoyment of this book, it would be a good idea to read the previous book first, or better still, start at book 1. There’s nothing like a cosy global pandemic series to cheer you up in a global pandemic.
July 9, 2021
Murder at the Music Factory by Lesley Kelly (The Health of Strangers 4) is one that you need to have read the books that come before it in the series as I did feel unsure of multiple things.
We're following the North Edinburgh Health Enforcement team as this series is set in a world where a pandemic has happened (The Virus), and the team is making sure that people go to their monthly health checks. This series was started in 2017, and so it wasn't one trying to use current events!
There are ex-wives, former music stars, students and a rogue agent who is threatening to shoot a civil servant every day, so lots of action. There's a lot of references to previous events in the series, but the characters were good, and I could see that if I had read the series from the beginning then I would enjoy this book.
Murder at the Music Factory was published on 23 April 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.
You can follow Lesley Kelly on Twitter .
I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Sandstone Press
We're following the North Edinburgh Health Enforcement team as this series is set in a world where a pandemic has happened (The Virus), and the team is making sure that people go to their monthly health checks. This series was started in 2017, and so it wasn't one trying to use current events!
There are ex-wives, former music stars, students and a rogue agent who is threatening to shoot a civil servant every day, so lots of action. There's a lot of references to previous events in the series, but the characters were good, and I could see that if I had read the series from the beginning then I would enjoy this book.
Murder at the Music Factory was published on 23 April 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.
You can follow Lesley Kelly on Twitter .
I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Sandstone Press
April 14, 2020
In “Murder at the Music Factory” Lesley Kelly continues the story of the Edinburgh-based HET team as they search out people who are not in compliance with the government-imposed testing regime following a major virus epidemic. I hadn’t read the preceding books but was easily able to follow the story whilst perhaps not being entirely sure why one “baddie” was feared so intensely.
The action starts dramatically with an assassination attempt in the opening chapter on a Monday morning and leads to an investigation by the most unlikely of characters in the team. As the week progresses, the HET team-members follow up on a number of leads to identify the most likely suspects. By the end of the week, after some clever detective work the criminals are identified and ready to be taken into custody - or are they?
Murder at the Music Factory is an entertaining and amusing thriller!!
The action starts dramatically with an assassination attempt in the opening chapter on a Monday morning and leads to an investigation by the most unlikely of characters in the team. As the week progresses, the HET team-members follow up on a number of leads to identify the most likely suspects. By the end of the week, after some clever detective work the criminals are identified and ready to be taken into custody - or are they?
Murder at the Music Factory is an entertaining and amusing thriller!!
May 1, 2020
Starting on the 4th book of the series was probably not a good idea, although it is a stand-alone story.
‘The virus’ gets a mention, and is the raisin d’etre of the health enforcement team , but it doesn’t feature much in the story and the team’s role seems more detection than health enforcement.
I’m not keen on serials and this clearly pathes the way for the next book, making the ending, for me anyway, unsatisfactory.
I wasn’t enamoured of any of the characters, which meant I didn’t engage with the story, especially at the beginning. I got into the story about half way through and enjoyed the plot and action.
I’m not sure if I’ll read the first three books though....
If you like near-future crime drama with plenty of plot, you’ll probably enjoy this.
‘The virus’ gets a mention, and is the raisin d’etre of the health enforcement team , but it doesn’t feature much in the story and the team’s role seems more detection than health enforcement.
I’m not keen on serials and this clearly pathes the way for the next book, making the ending, for me anyway, unsatisfactory.
I wasn’t enamoured of any of the characters, which meant I didn’t engage with the story, especially at the beginning. I got into the story about half way through and enjoyed the plot and action.
I’m not sure if I’ll read the first three books though....
If you like near-future crime drama with plenty of plot, you’ll probably enjoy this.
October 7, 2023
I’m swiftly moving through this delightful series and book 4 is another good addition to it.
Following the same formula as the other books, a post pandemic Scotland is coming to terms with a new way of life.
This 4th book though feels very much like you need to have read the rest and for the first time I just felt a small stagnation as I read this one. Don’t get me wrong it’s a good read , it maybe that I’m reading them in to close order.
All that aside , if you enjoy a fast paced mystery thriller, full of humour set in a world very similar to what we live in now then get stuck in at book 1 and enjoy!
Following the same formula as the other books, a post pandemic Scotland is coming to terms with a new way of life.
This 4th book though feels very much like you need to have read the rest and for the first time I just felt a small stagnation as I read this one. Don’t get me wrong it’s a good read , it maybe that I’m reading them in to close order.
All that aside , if you enjoy a fast paced mystery thriller, full of humour set in a world very similar to what we live in now then get stuck in at book 1 and enjoy!
April 23, 2020
I don't know if this is a dystopian or a description of our future but I know I liked it.
It's a gripping and entertaining novel with a well crafted plot and an interesting cast of characters.
I think it's better to read the series in order even if I had no great issues with the characters or the plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's a gripping and entertaining novel with a well crafted plot and an interesting cast of characters.
I think it's better to read the series in order even if I had no great issues with the characters or the plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
May 4, 2020
I enjoyed this book, although from reviews I gather it's one in a series! Can be read standalone and I enjoyed it but think knowing a bit about the back story would help.
Seems quite prophetic given the circumstances the world is in at the moment but 'the virus' underlies the whole book rather than being its main focus.
The characters were a gang of misfits and I enjoyed reading about them. Would read more!
Seems quite prophetic given the circumstances the world is in at the moment but 'the virus' underlies the whole book rather than being its main focus.
The characters were a gang of misfits and I enjoyed reading about them. Would read more!
April 28, 2020
I love this series SO MUCH. It just keeps getting better and better. Already desperate to read the next one.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews