I have to confess that the mystery at the heart of this novel is quite well done. But Sergeant McAvoy as a character is not growing on me. I don't need my heroes to always be stalwart and brave, but McAvoy is a case study in low self esteem and self-loathing. Please get over it, Sergeant.

This is especially true since he has interesting colleagues and a fascinating wife, who could easily be the center of the story.

All that being said, I am only giving this book 3 stars because of two factors:
1. It ends on a cliff-hanger, which I think is unfair.
2. It doesn't try to solve the other mystery in the book and insufficient time is spent on this second mystery. ( )

Sorrow Bound, the third in the McAvoy series, is another fine effort by David Mark. It's not without its blemishes, though. I liked the main plot of the investigation of the gruesome murders, McAvoy's character continues to be a source of superb police work and quirky personal contradictions, the writing is rock solid, the conclusion makes sense, and the characters are all well-developed along the way. This series is getting better and better, except for.....

There were a few things that bothered me.
- The sub-plot involving the drug group, continued from his previous novel, is strong enough to stand on its own but seems to muddle things up a bit in the main story line. Indeed, the 'cliffhanger' ending leaves a number of questions related to the sub-plot unanswered.
- I don't particularly like cliffhangers to begin with, but if they're subtle I can accept them. This one isn't.
- A key scene early in the story related to the drug group, the encounter in the sewing shop, had its significance 'telegraphed'. You knew when it happened that it would be important, but it seemed to be delivered in a ham-handed way.

Those are not massive criticisms, but I believe they held this novel back a bit. McAvoy has become one of my favorite characters in this genre- I love his strange personality and how his character is being developed, the descriptions of the environment and other characters is wonderful, and it looks like we, the readers, are being set up for another exciting addition to this series. I just wish it hadn't been so obvious. ( )

"Philippa Longman will do anything for her family.

Roisin McAvoy will do anything for her friends.

DS Aector McAvoy will do anything for his wife.

Yet each has an unknown enemy – one that will do anything to destroy them.

Sorrow Bound is a powerful police procedural thriller about how those with the biggest hearts make the easiest targets; and how the corrosive venom of evil can dissolve the bonds between good people, until all they are bound by is grief"


When David Mark’s debut thriller The Dark Winter was published I was keen to read it, mainly I will admit because it was set in Hull. As an exiled Hullensian I was curious to see how he’d portrayed the place. However the location became an incidental as I was taken in by the plot and the character of DS McAvoy. I enjoyed this book and was looking forward to reading future releases.

When I got the opportunity to review his third novel Sorrow Bound, I was delighted to be reacquainted with Aector McAvoy, (not to mention somewhat taken aback to discover I’d somehow managed to miss Original Sin – No 2 in the series).

As with the first book I was not disappointed, in fact I think in the intervening period David Mark has been honing his writing skills as this I felt was even better. What I enjoyed about this book was the clever way he switches the action between the police procedural aspects of searching for a serial killer, to the menacing grooming and blackmailing of one of the female officers. The two strands have a major impact on Aector and his family as the tension is gradually ratcheted up. The plot had twists and turns that really did keep me turning the pages, as unlike some novels the who and why is not apparent until the reveal. It is gritty and dark and the murders are not for the faint-hearted, but thankfully they are not too gratuitously described.

In addition to the clever plotting I really like the characterisation. It is not just Aector that is well drawn but also his wife and his police colleagues. His boss Trish Pharoah in particular, brings some light relief into darkness and reminds me of Stuart McBride’s DI Steele (in the Logan McRae series) albeit with a few more manners and a better awareness of political correctness.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next instalment. At least in the meantime I can catch up with Original Sin without having to worry about what happens.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review
( )

It’s a sweltering summer in Hull: grey storm clouds gather ominously over this small English city, yet refuse to break.

Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy and the rest of the Serious and Organized Crime Unit are being pushed to the brink by the local drug trade as a sadistic new boss takes over and violent crime escalates.

But it’s not long before McAvoy and DS Trish Pharaoh are distracted by something deadlier: a serial murderer with a taste for the grisly and macabre. McAvoy comes to suspect these are actually copycat murders, committed as revenge for mishandled police investigations conducted years ago.

But when one of McAvoy’s fellow police officers is blackmailed by the local drug kingpin, McAvoy’s life—and that of his wife, Roisin, and of the couple’s two young children—is suddenly in fearful jeopardy.

The third instalment in David Mark’s critically acclaimed series, Sorrow Bound brings us deeper into Aector McAvoy’s dark, suspenseful world. As the vicious monster lurking in the shadows creep closer and closer to home, our imposing, stoic hero must figure out a way to protect his family at all costs.


Reading this book I reached a point when I didn't think I could read on, I did of course... and was left with a cliffhanger of an ending that left me drained. Nooooooo!

Grim, gritty, definitely not for the weak hearted the development of this series is excellent. The partnership of McAvoy and the wonderful feisty Pharoah getting better with each installment.

Write faster Mr Mark! ( )

See my reviews of the previous two McAvoy books, The Dark Winter and Original Skin, here: https://www.librarything.com/work/12101497/reviews/118314406 and https://www.librarything.com/work/13510529/reviews/118316031.

Oh, no, he didn't!

Sorrow Bound, the third DS Aector McAvoy police procedural/thriller, has a cliffhanger ending. If you haven't read it yet, wait until the fourth book in the series, Taking Pity, comes out in July, so you don't have to sit on pins and needles.

As I've noted in my reviews of the previous books in this series, Mark's strength is in his plotting, not his characterization. This is, perhaps, not surprising given that he is writing with an eye toward TV adaptation, as he might expect the actor chosen to play McAvoy to really bring his character to life. On the page, however, McAvoy continues to behave in ways that just don't make sense.

On the other hand, Mark's plots, with respect to both the series of murders of immediate interest in Sorrow Bound and the ongoing drug cartel storyline, continue to get stronger. I still wish we knew more about McAvoy's exposure of Roper, as that seems to be the pivotal point in his development as a police officer, but I am nevertheless enjoying the ride.

I received a free copy of Sorrow Bound from publisher Blue Rider Press in exchange for an honest review. ( )