The Devil’s Dice (A DI Meg Dalton thriller, Book 1) cover art

The Devil’s Dice (A DI Meg Dalton thriller, Book 1)

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The Devil’s Dice (A DI Meg Dalton thriller, Book 1)

By: Roz Watkins
Narrated by: Caro Clarke
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About this listen

Shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award

The Times Crime Book of the Month, April 2018

‘A fascinating debut’ The Sunday Times

‘A touch of Agatha Christie, a dash of Ann Cleeves’s Vera and a suitably moody setting in the Peaks…bring a formidable newcomer to British crime writing.’ Daily Mail

***

A SHOCKING DEATH

A lawyer is found dead in a Peak District cave, his face ribboned with scratches.

A SINISTER MESSAGE

Amidst rumours of a local curse, DI Meg Dalton is convinced this is cold-blooded murder. There's just one catch – chiselled into the cave wall above the body is an image of the grim reaper and the dead man's initials, and it's been there for over a century.

A DEADLY GAME

As Meg battles to solve the increasingly disturbing case, it's clear someone knows her secrets. The murderer is playing games with Meg – and the dice are loaded…

A white-knuckle crime debut introducing DI Meg Dalton, perfect for fans of Broadchurch and Happy Valley.

Crime Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Murder Exciting Game

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Critic reviews

'The Devil’s Dice is a terrific debut by Roz Watkins; it teems with shivery atmosphere and introduces a cop quietly different from most of the women detectives in British crime fiction today.' The Times Crime Book of the Month.

‘An impressive debut… A touch of Agatha Christie, a dash of Ann Cleeves’s Vera and a suitably moody setting in the Peaks…bring a formidable newcomer to British crime writing.’ Daily Mail

'A fascinating debut… Watkins brilliantly balances superstition and scepticism in this clever first novel.' Sunday Times

‘The setting is dramatic, the characters are convincing and the motive for murder, when eventually uncovered, is interesting… A smart enjoyable debut.’ The Literary Review

‘Gripping… This week’s hot read’ Woman Magazine

‘Clever and compelling…fans of Broadchurch and Happy Valley will enjoy this gripping thriller’ Candis Magazine

‘A fabulous book. I can’t wait to meet DI Meg Dalton again’ B A Paris

‘An outstanding debut. The Devil’s Dice had me gripped from the start’ Stephen Booth

‘Twisty, creepy, funny, and you may shed a tear too. More DI Meg Dalton please!’ Caz Frear

‘A fascinating debut with a deliciously old school mystery at its heart. I can’t wait to see what Watkins does next!’ Angela Clarke

‘A pacy, twisty read that had me on the edge of my seat…what a brilliant debut!’ KL Slater

‘Exceptional debut. Beautifully written and observed crime novel, with such well rounded maturity it was a pleasure to read from start to finish. Glad it is a series so that we all have a lot more to look forward to.’ Amanda Robson

‘Brilliant. I love Meg!’ Lisa Hall

‘A humdinger of a debut – whip-smart and with a protagonist you’re guaranteed to want to get behind’ Mel McGrath

‘A smart, intelligent police procedural and a well-crafted mystery set against a beautiful backdrop. Compelling reading.’ Jane Isaac

‘The plot instantly seizes the reader… A great start to a new series.’ Vaseem Khan

All stars
Most relevant
Absolutely loved it! Got my interest from the first minute. Gripping story, beautifully narrated, real pleasure to listen.

Very good

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Narration was very good and probably enabled me to get to the end of a very silly storyline. I got this book based on the reviews and am now of the firm belief that I must have been listening to something totally different from most other reviewers. Meg Dalton is a DI in the police force. I am not, but any, or indeed all mention of her job and how she does it seemed to show a definite lack of understanding of the job description or how the police work. Other snippets of information we are fed (probability theory, genetic disease, dark web, assisted suicide etc etc) seemed to be integrated into the plot line in a way that could have been so, so much better. I kept thinking the author had a potentially great idea but couldn't be bothered to undertake anything but the most basic research, and I use that term very loosely, to inform the reader and, of course, herself to write the book. Very disappointing.

A generous 3 stars

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Not your usual police procedural so if that's what you're expecting then maybe pass on this one, it's marvellous, do not get me wrong, but Meg is a flawed character (like most of us) and the characters in the story are all flawed characters too so it reflects reality far more than some tales of ex SAS turned Police Inspector I could mention but won't.

The story is a convoluted minefield revolving around around curses, sickness and assisted dying, it has a strong hold on reality at the end of the day, it's depressing but a great story, I love Meg as a character, flaws and all.

I had fun listening to this just now for the second time, after writing my review of Meg's second adventure which is just as great, so get them both if the above sounds interesting to you.

An entertaining tale.

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a gripping story, with the sparky DI Meg Dalton as the very likeable lead character.

Superb - looking forward to more in this series

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Too drawn out for me, had to skip to last few chapters, I did not find it a page turner.

Had to skip chapters with this one

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