Review: Long Time Dead by T.M. Payne

June 16, 2026

Synopsis:

A cold case that’s no longer cold. A suspect who’s been murdered. A silenced witness. DI Sheridan Holler is used to solving crimes on Liverpool’s streets, but after a decayed corpse turns up in a cemetery, she finds herself reopening not one but two cold cases. Seven years earlier, two women were gunned down and the only suspect, small-time drug dealer John Lively, was never seen again. Case closed. Until the body in the cemetery is identified as his. Holler needs to work out if Lively was killed out of revenge for the murders, or was just a victim of the criminal world he inhabited. When shocking evidence is revealed about the murder weapon, Holler’s cold case starts to look hopeless once more. But defeat is not an option. Driven by the unsolved and traumatic murder of her brother when they were children, DI Holler’s pursuit of justice is relentless. As old wounds are reopened, the police close in on the women’s killer, but the threat of them striking again is all too real. Can DI Holler put the pieces of the puzzle together before anyone else winds up dead?

Review:

The story got me interested immediately and had me glued to the pages from the first to the last. We get a cold case about a shooting, a complex story that unravels bit by bit, and characters that feel believable and make you want to get to know them better. Especially Sheridan Holler is someone you want in your corner, and her backstory was heartbreaking.

I’m a huge fan of crime thrillers that come with a complex story, where I can learn alongside the characters what really happened. And I like them to include a lot of twists and turns that are not just surprising to me, but also to the characters.

What stood out to me is that the author clearly has a background in the field, and the way it was presented made it feel authentic. I believed how everything unfolded, and especially the dynamics between the characters. The trust between them, their experience, and the inner workings of such a case all came across very well. And if you add the right dose of sarcasm to it, you can consider me a new fan. I think I’ve found a new series I instantly fell in love with.

🌙 Recension: Long Time Dead (Detective Sheridan Holler #1) by T.M. Payne
📚 Genre: Mystery, Crime, Thriller
📅 Release Date: April 1, 2024
📖 Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Physical
💸 Bought
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 399
⭐️ 5/5