DI Liam O’Reilly is waiting for dinner in a busy restaurant at the height of tourist season on the island of Guernsey. A biker strolls in and shoots the bartender twice in the face. Liam confronts him but is lucky to escape with his life. To his horror, the killer murders others in the same way over the next day. Fear controls the island: can Liam catch the killer…?
Fear on the Island was an absolutely gripping read and my only complaint is that it is much too short! The action is fast paced from the opening chapter and the murders happen in quick succession. The events of the whole book take place over only a couple of days.
There are plenty of twists and potential suspects for Liam to investigate. Liam is present at the beginning for the first murder but even with his police experience is unable to gain insight into the killer’s motive or identity. The murders are brutal but swift. There is not a great deal of graphic forensic detail but the stark crimes are described factually through the eyes of witnesses.
There are subplots of enmity with the press and the potential for romance as Liam falls for a possible suspect. This allows for further character development of Liam as well as peripheral characters. His relationships with the others in his police team gives another side to his personality, especially with the man dating Liam’s daughter.
Fear on the Island is the third book in the series but I have not read the previous books. It didn’t matter as there are no spoilers and now I want to catch up as the writing style was so good!
I have reviewed other books from other Stewart Giles series (see the purple links in the list below)
Fear on the Island: A compelling mystery with a dark twist. (Detective Liam O’Reilly book 3)
From bestselling author: Stewart Giles comes book 3 in the brilliant Detective Liam O’Reilly series.
It’s mid-summer on the island of Guernsey and Detective Liam O’Reilly is winding down for the day.
He’s enjoying a quiet drink with his daughter when a man in bike leathers walks inside the pub. O’Reilly doesn’t even register him until he hears the gunshot. The man has taken out a gun and shot the barman twice in the face. O’Reilly takes hold of his daughter and throws her to the floor.
“Not everything is as it seems.” Says the gunman as he leaves the people inside the pub with something to think about before he calmly walks out of the pub.
Then another man is shot dead in broad daylight. A figure in leathers tells the witnesses the same thing: “Not everything is as it seems.”
O’Reilly and his team have no idea what is going on. Even the experienced Irish detective really doesn’t have a clue what this is all about.
When the gunman takes a third victim the people on the island start to panic. Fear is rife and confidence in the police is at an all-time low.
O’Reilly knows it’s only a matter of time before this madman strikes again, but he’s running out of ideas. With his team working around the clock and running on empty, he knows time is running out before the most confusing killer he’s ever come across strikes again.
What readers are saying about Fear on the Island:
The DI Liam O’Reilly series just keeps getting better and better! Fear on The Island is fast-paced and gripping, drawing you in from the start with an interesting plot and likeable characters that are continuing to develop. If you enjoy detective crime thrillers this is a great read set in Guernsey. Can’t wait for the the next one! – Kirsty
Wow what a fantastic read, Liam is starting to grow on me as a very clever copper, it’s the best so far in this series so let’s bring on more of O’Reilly the hero of Guernsey. – Booklover Bev
Each new Detective Liam O’Reilly book just gets better and better. Fear on the Island is fast paced as our DI is faced with a clever killer seen by everyone but identifiable by no one. In between the investigation details we get glimpses into life on the island of Guernsey and our DI’s restricted personal life. A quick, satisfying read.- Alison
Expertly crafted, gripping and unpredictable. – Carol
Another brilliant read from Stewart Giles – Sue
BOOKS BY STEWART GILES
DS JASON SMITH SERIES
Book 0.5 – Phobia
1 – Smith
2 – Boomerang
3 – Ladybird
4 – Occam’s Razor
5 – Harlequin
6 – Selene
7 – Horsemen
8 – Unworthy
9 – Venom
10 – Severed
11 – Demons
12 – Deadeye
13 – Motive
14 – Australia
DI O’REILLY MYSTERIES
Book 1 – Blood on the Island
2 – Lies on the Island
3 – Fear on the Island
4 – Malice on the Island (coming soon)
DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES
Book 1-The Beekeeper
2-The Perfect Murder
3-The Backpacker
Trotterdown a box set of DC Harriet Taylor books 1-3
DS JASON SMITH &DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES
Book 1 – The Enigma
2 – Dropzone
3 – The Raven Girl
Trilogy: The DS Smith & Harriet Taylor box set
THE MIRANDA TRILOGY (psychological thrillers)
Miranda
Mistress
Medusa
STANDALONE HORROR
The Divide
Stewart Giles – Author Bio
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series.
The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brings together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
Miranda is something totally different. A stand-alone psychological thriller, it is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before. This was followed by the sequel Mistress in 2019. Medusa is coming soon
The Detective Jason Smith series continues to grow and there are now 13 books including the introduction: Phobia. Book 12: Deadeye was published in February 2020.
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