Exciting & Gripping

Dead Heat by Luke Eden is an exciting contemporary murder suspense that gripped me from the start. I read it in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep. It is the first book in The Speedway Series which promises to be fabulous.

Dead Heat is a wonderful novel for the speedway fan (I have supported Coventry for 49 years) but even if you do not watch speedway, you will enjoy the book. However, for the speedway fan, we meet many familiar names and teams from the 2016 season – I actually remember seeing the Chris Harris crash at Poole.

Putting the speedway setting aside, Dead Heat is a fast-paced thriller. As the suspense rose, so did my heartrate and my hands grew clammy. I truly ‘lived’ the novel.

All the characters were well drawn and realistic. I can definitely echo the sentiment of a character: “nature can’t compete with the deliriously intoxicating smell of methanol as it leaves the exhaust of a speedway bike.” There is nothing quite like it, and no better smell.

We see the dangers of being eaten up with grief and bitterness. There is a rapid decline in the morals of a character.

Dead Heat would make a fabulous early evening television drama. It is an exciting and entertaining read.

JULIA WILSON