In This Bright Future: DC Smith Investigation Series, Book 5

These are detective stories of originality and great character and star DS Smith, often known by his initials - “DC”.In this novel we gain an insight into DC’s past and his undercover military service in Northern Ireland, which has suddenly caught up with him. Even with the passing of the years danger still lurks, old hatreds still fester - and the sadness of a lost love lingers on.It is the sheer credibility of these books’ main character, and those of his colleagues and other participants, that makes them so grippingly readable. Indeed, the same could be said of the plot in all of the books as Mr Grainger never puts a foot wrong.The books are also beautifully written, with a complete lack of the many grammatical horrors and greengrocers’ apostrophes that seem to litter so many novels these days. Veritable masterpieces, all of them. When reading these books I have been so engrossed with the flow of the stories that I’ve suddenly come round and found that time had flown by without me noticing.Thank you Mr Grainger, and I look forward to reading more about the exploits of DC.

I've greatly enjoyed the first four in this series and would probably have read them all by now but for the subject matter of this one. I've read many books about The Troubles and being old enough to have lived through it, albeit on the mainland , it's a subject I tend to avoid these days. There's something about the brutality and desperation and the sheer bleakness of it all that I find too depressing to willingly revisit. However I did want to read the rest of the series and felt I couldn't skip this one without missing part of Smith's story. I'm very glad I didn't as this is a wonderful book, there's still the bleakness of course but some colour now comes in to relieve the monochrome that was Belfast and the central character is more rounded and understandable.

A nice tangent from the usual setting and some interesting insights into the Troubles.

I love these books! So well written and with such engaging characters, but I was worried that I might missall the other familiar characters and the ststion banter. I needn’t have worried- this is excellent with a rich and vivid portrayal of Belfast and new engaging characters. This story really fleshes out Smith’s background and was a joy to read.

it was just as good as all the other DC Smith books. I thought that The Troubles might be an uncomfortable settling for a detective story but, not so. There was enough information to set the scene, without it becoming a history lesson. Well worth reading, as usual, for Peter Grainger books.

I have enjoyed the D C Smith series from the first chapter of book 1. But this one takes the series to a whole new level and I really loved it. It was a real page turner and dealt with some delicate situations with great sensitivity.

This is a slow moving but extremely engrossing case for D.C. Smith when he returns to Belfast, under an alias, after an absence of 30 years. Against his better judgment, he becomes involved investigating a missing person, a case which has personal memories for him and the reason he fled the country all those years ago. I am not sure I quite understood all the nuances at the end, having not read the previous books in this series, which I now intend to rectify. Great stuff.

Really enjoyed this book. It is somewhat different form others in the series but good. The only issue I have with it are the names he gave to the ‘very Republican’ Irish family. As an Irish reader I have never heard the names Brann, Barran or Lia as “Irish” names. It grated with me every time I read them

I’m something between an avid and compulsive reader is the best I can use to describe my reading. I frequently read a couple books daily. Fiction, Non-Fiction. I do not remember the last time a book, an author’s talent, made me laugh out loud, made me cry, gave me goosebumps & was astonishingly accurate whether it be landscapes, police procedure or human nature. I’m sorry to discover Peter Grainger hasn’t written dozens of books because this means the experience of reading his books -- will have an end, soon.

I love this series. I love the characters. I am torn between the desire to read all the books, one after another, as fast as I can, and hating to get to the end.

Please don't give up writing this series Mr Grainger. DC Smith is a wonderful character and unlike some of the modern day detectives he is not a thug but rather uses his brains and those of his staff to solve a mystery. Each time I open up my Kindle and start reading one of your books I get a better look at the man you have created - and he certainly has a very different past to that of the average country bobby. Your books are written with thought and an ability to keep the reader wanting morning, even if it is after midnight. Keep them up. If I could give you 10 stars I would. Thanks you for the entertainment.

Peter Grainger writes another good mystery but this one has the extra dimension of a thoughtful take on "the troubles" in Ulster. His protagonist Sgt. Smith is an especially good creation .

I do love this series. The aging DC Smith has a good perspective on life and a wry sense of humor. He has seen a lot in his time with the police and with the army in Belfast during "the troubles". I did not like this book as much as the others, although it is thought-provoking and interesting. I missed the connection with the other members of his time since this was about a personal quest back to Belfast. I also missed him being on the trail of a killer and solving a complex mystery. Although he went to Belfast to solve a mystery that relates back to his time there in British Intelligence, it is a little flat. Definitely a cod case. At times it was even cryptic where the reader is left scratching their heads over what statements mean. This is an important part of Smith's character and his life, so don't skip it, just be prepared for a different kind of story, including a bittersweet reunion with his old flame in Belfast.