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Ali Gunn
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The Career Killer (DCI Mabey Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Ali Gunn (Author), Claire Selden (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 1,833 ratings

A public body dump, an invisible killer.

When young women are murdered and their bodies posed like marionettes in tourist hotspots around London without a single witness seeing the killer come and go, the case ought to go to a detective with decades of experience investigating serial murder.

Instead, newbie DCI Elsie Mabey lands the case, bringing with her a ragtag team of misfits and rejects. Rather than the Met’s finest, they’re the “not quite fired” of London policing.

She faces an impossible task: finding an invisible killer while fighting her own invisible illness.

What everyone is saying about Ali Gunn:

"What a cracking read!" ★★★★★
"Knox is brilliant!" ★★★★★
"Ali Gunn works her magic to weave a truly plausible and most enjoyable fast paced murder story." ★★★★★
"I truly enjoyed it and would highly recommend you read it for yourself." ★★★★★
"I await Elsie's next murder investigation with anticipation" ★★★★★
"An intelligent police procedural" ★★★★★
"what really got me turning pages was the need to see Elsie succeed" ★★★★★
"A wonderful breath of fresh air" ★★★★★
"This debut novel by Ali Gunn has been quite a discovery." ★★★★★
"The start of a great new series" ★★★★★
"A future classic" ★★★★★
"Rich and well described" ★★★★★
"Grabs you in from the first paragraph" ★★★★★
"Will keep you right on the edge of your seat" ★★★★★
"A wonderful police procedural set in London, full of rich details that help the reader easily visualize the moods and locations of the city" ★★★★★
"It's just a very good book" ★★★★★
"Enjoyable police story" ★★★★★
"A very good first offering from the mysterious Ali Gunn" ★★★★★
"Excellent new series" ★★★★★
"An original and intriguing book. You won’t want to put this one down" ★★★★★
"Well written and kept a good tempo" ★★★★★
"A thriller that keeps going right to the end and keeps you guessing" ★★★★★
"A most enthralling read"

The Career Killer is a stunning debut crime novel which will keep you turning the page until the very end. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Damien Boyd, Cara Hunter and D. S. Butler.

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    DCI Mabey
  2. Print length
    347 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    August 30, 2019
  5. File size
    3.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In The Career Killer by Ali Gunn, when a wealthy young girl is found on a churchyard bench in a wedding dress, there are similarities to an earlier murder. Could the serial killer, nicknamed The Lady Killer, have struck again? The case is given to the newly promoted and daughter of a respected detective, DCI Elsie Mabey, to investigate. Everything seems stacked against Elsie; an arrogant, misogynistic superior, a crippling illness, and an incompetent team. The killer is intelligent and shrewd. They move in and out of London without being seen. Elsie and her team must find the killer's motive and solve the case quickly as The Lady Killer searches for their next victim.

The Career Killer by Ali Gunn is a dark, gripping thriller that I literally could not put down. The range of characters is diverse, unique and believable. Each is flawed but this makes for a much more interesting story. The descriptive narrative builds a terrifying and disturbing profile of the killer. The author clearly has done a lot of research as the detailed investigation process was very realistic, as was Elsie's debilitating illness. I loved Elsie; her strength of character and determination to prove everyone wrong about her ability was enviable. She battled for recognition in a male-dominated profession with complete decorum.

Everyone seemed to be against her, including her inadequate team. There are some shocking twists to the plot that caught me off guard but there are carefully placed clues throughout if you can spot them. I thought the team's relationship with Elsie developed really well as the case progressed. There are some humorous sections scattered throughout which were a welcome relief from the tense nature of the investigation. The climactic ending was faultless and I cannot wait to read the next Elsie Mabey case." - Readers Favorite


"After two young women are murdered in London and their bodies dumped in public spaces, DCI Elsie Mabey is tasked with finding the killer in this pacey new crime novel.

When a body is discovered in St Dunstan, a serene garden retreat near the Tower of London, the newly appointed Detective Chief Inspector Elsie Mabey is called on to investigate. The deceased is found to be Layla Morgan, a beautiful socialite bent on draining her inheritance to maintain her opulent lifestyle. Her corpse is posed in the oddest manner - dressed in a long white wedding dress and reclining on a park bench as though she were sleeping. The crime scene bears an unnerving resemblance to an earlier murder of a young black woman who was stabbed through the heart, dressed in a black lace gown and left on a bench in the Chelsea Physic Garden.

With the press fascinated by "the idea of a sartorially astute killer roaming the streets of central London," DCI Mabey ramps up the high-profile investigation. Her discordant investigation team consists of DS Patricia Knox, demoted for disciplinary issues; DS Georgia Matthews, described as "as green as an officer could be"; and DI Sebastian "Seb" Stryker, who has been mysteriously "dropped like a hot potato" by his previous boss. DCI Mabey has her own problems too, as she battles silently against chronic fatigue syndrome. The city of London provides a gritty backdrop as the hunt for the elusive "lady-killer" intensifies.

Before becoming an author, Ali Gunn was a forensics specialist. Her meticulous attention to detail is evident throughout this crime novel debut. When the formidable pathologist, Dr Valerie Spilsbury, arrives on the crime scene and proceeds to take the temperature of the corpse, an energetic discussion ensues regarding ascertaining a time of death. Dr Spilsbury remarks: "Everything from ambient temperature to the size of the body, air pressure, salinity, and whether a body has been dumped will cause differences...These may be minor variations with no meaningful impact on the forensics or they may throw off the timeline." It becomes increasingly clear that in Gunn's capable hands the familiar serial killer plot will be treated with a lucid and meticulous complexity. Minor details, such as the fact that DI Stryker sets about checking automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to ascertain the killer's possible movements adds a sense of procedural realism, and underscores Gunn's knowledge of the force. The author's examination of gender inequality within the Met adds further depth. She notes: "virtually all the other Murder Investigation Teams were headed up by middle-aged white men." DCI Mabey struggles to gain a foothold in a male dominated profession, with colleagues passing off her achievements as nepotism, given her father's illustrious career in Homicide Command.

This is the first in what the author promises to be a series of DCI Mabey books - the result is an intricate and masterfully paced plot riddled with twists and turns, and a psychologically realistic protagonist that the reader can truly root for.

Accomplished and bursting with further promise, Gunn's is a vibrant new voice in crime fiction." - Platen Review

From the Author

⚠ DCI Elsie Mabey suffers from ME/CFS. This little-known illness is difficult to define and harder still to explain. Elsie can't represent every disabled woman and so she's only intended to represent (loosely) the one woman who inspired her creation. ⚠


The team will return in 2020 for another chilling murder investigation.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07X89QZR3
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gripping Twist Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 30, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.8 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 347 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 2 ‏ : ‎ DCI Mabey
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 1,833 ratings

About the author

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Ali Gunn

Ali Gunn

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Ali Gunn kills people for a living*.

The characters in Ali’s books are the kind of strong, fearless women that every girl dreams of growing up to be.

The first DCI Elsie Mabey novel, The Career Killer, is out now.

Book two in the series, The Psychopath Within, is coming 2022.

The Grifter, a standalone thriller, is out now.

To find out more, visit GunnCrime.com

*fictional people, honest officer!

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
1,833 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's storyline compelling and suspenseful, with well-developed characters and carefully researched content. Moreover, the writing style receives positive feedback, with one customer noting the author's amazing details on crime, while another appreciates the realistic approach without being too graphic. Additionally, the book serves as a great start for a new series, with one review highlighting the gritty police procedural elements. However, the pacing receives mixed reactions, with some finding it fast-paced while others mention a slow start.

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35 customers mention "Storyline"32 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the compelling murder mystery plot of the book, noting that the suspense keeps them engaged throughout.

"...Each character had a distinct persona and made it easy to solve one underlying mystery. All in all, a good book." Read more

"This built up to a really fast paced and exciting mystery. Read It in one go and highly recommend...." Read more

"This is a very good story but I had a very hard time relating to any of the characters...." Read more

"...The characters were well developed and the storyline kept me hooked. It got fairly intense at times...." Read more

30 customers mention "Readability"30 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and fun to read, keeping them interested throughout.

"...I did enjoy the book very much. I will definitely read more from this author." Read more

"...All in all, a good book." Read more

"This built up to a really fast paced and exciting mystery. Read It in one go and highly recommend...." Read more

"...Grabs you in from the first paragraph, written to hold your interest and keeps flowing from start to finish, characters are very relatable ....it..." Read more

20 customers mention "Character development"20 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, with one customer noting the heroine's dedication as a professional detective.

"...Each character had a distinct persona and made it easy to solve one underlying mystery. All in all, a good book." Read more

"...Read It in one go and highly recommend. The characters are very real, no perfection, real people with their warts and beauty marks." Read more

"I enjoyed this book, for the most part. The characters were well developed and the storyline kept me hooked. It got fairly intense at times...." Read more

"...hold your interest and keeps flowing from start to finish, characters are very relatable ....it felt like it built momentum as the book went along..." Read more

5 customers mention "Crime level"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the crime elements of the book, with one review highlighting the gritty police procedural style and another mentioning the detectives' hard work investigating the crime.

"...pace of not being able to put it down til the very end...a gritty police procedural which will keep you right on the edge of your set...Great start..." Read more

"...in charge of investigative teams as well as the frustrations of tracking down elusive criminals. Looking forward to reading the sequels!" Read more

"The career killer was one of the best police procedural crime novels I’ve had the pleasure to read in many months...." Read more

"In this book you see the real life foibles of police in London as a new team tries to catch a serial killer." Read more

5 customers mention "Research quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the thorough research in the book, with one mentioning the investigative team's extraordinary efforts and another highlighting the outstanding hunt for the source.

"I've read many wonderful mysteries that are evocative, intelligent, carefully researched, nuanced and gripping...." Read more

"...The investigative team showed extraordinary efforts in solving the case. A fun read." Read more

"Kept the reader interested and intrigued. Every topic was well researched which showed in the writing...." Read more

"...the end link upon link of evidence layered to create an outstanding hunt for the source!" Read more

3 customers mention "Build up"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the build-up of the book, with one mentioning it's a great start for a new series.

"...procedural which will keep you right on the edge of your set...Great start and I look forward to many more in this series....Thank you!" Read more

"It was a slow start, but had a nice build up. Knowing it’s book 1 of a series, the author did a good a job slowly building up the characters...." Read more

"Great start for a new series...." Read more

11 customers mention "Pacing"6 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it fast-paced while others note a slow start.

"This built up to a really fast paced and exciting mystery. Read It in one go and highly recommend...." Read more

"...I’d left out at least 20 (if not more) of them due to a lack of action on several of them...." Read more

"...Excellent character development. Solid foundation for a series. Moved right along, with no "oh please" moments typically found in crime novels." Read more

"It was a slow start, but had a nice build up. Knowing it’s book 1 of a series, the author did a good a job slowly building up the characters...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • JimF
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and a real puzzler
    Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The English slang was very difficult to get some of the meanings in this story. I did enjoy the book very much. I will definitely read more from this author.
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Slow start but a strong finish
    Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    It took a few chapters to get into the characters but it started to gel and then started to flow. Each character had a distinct persona and made it easy to solve one underlying mystery. All in all, a good book.
    Helpful
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  • Mrs. K
    5.0 out of 5 stars DCI Mabey
    Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This built up to a really fast paced and exciting mystery. Read It in one go and highly recommend. The characters are very real, no perfection, real people with their warts and beauty marks.
    Helpful
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  • Teresa Collins
    3.0 out of 5 stars A good story but....
    Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This is a very good story but I had a very hard time relating to any of the characters. I understand that this is the first leadership role DCI Mabey has been given but the lack of professionalism and respect from her team floored me. Two members show up at a crime scene totally drunk, one of her sergeants is verbally disrespectful and goes off on her own to handle another case without notifying anybody, her DI doesn't seem to know his head from a hole in the wall and yet, somehow, they manage to pull it all together? Talk about suspension of disbelief! Also, I had difficulty with some of the terminology. I didn't deduct stars for that because it wouldn't be right, but it did cause me difficulty. Sometimes my Kindle dictionary helped me out; other times I had to resign myself to being lost. I won't completely write off this author without giving another novel a try.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Pamela J.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Mostly a great read
    Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book, for the most part. The characters were well developed and the storyline kept me hooked. It got fairly intense at times. My only gripe is that the book was pretty long--more than 450 pages and after spending so much time reading this book---BAM! It just ended on a dime. It was a little frustrating. I would, however, read the next book in this series.
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  • M. Skala
    5.0 out of 5 stars STUNNING first in new series
    Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Picked this up as a NEW series by Ali Gunn was s great choice and proved not to disappoint in ANY way! Grabs you in from the first paragraph, written to hold your interest and keeps flowing from start to finish, characters are very relatable ....it felt like it built momentum as the book went along to a frantic pace of not being able to put it down til the very end...a gritty police procedural which will keep you right on the edge of your set...Great start and I look forward to many more in this series....Thank you!
    8 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • kfm1966
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gritty and True to Reality
    Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Ali Gunn's characters in this novel are of the most realistic and believable I have ever read. And the crime procedural itself...welk done. Gunn flawlessly conveyed the stresses of those in charge of investigative teams as well as the frustrations of tracking down elusive criminals. Looking forward to reading the sequels!
    Helpful
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  • LisaD
    4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic without being too graphic!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This was an excellent read! Lots of balls for team leader detective Elsie Mabey to juggle throughout this, her first case as a lead detective. Dealing with CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) in a job that often entails no regular schedule and often just short naps makes it difficult, if not impossible for Elsie to handle well, but she manages it. She is a good team leader, respectful and giving her members a break, "once" if they mess up. She is not too proud to ask for help when she needs it. I look forward to reading more of her books.
    I did find a number of typos so editing needs to be done more carefully!
    Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Toots Sullivan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional
    Reviewed in Australia on December 6, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I’m almost at a loss for just how well plotted out this book is. The characters are all well defined and clearly have weaknesses, it’s intense, enthralling and I had to put it down at times to take a break. The descriptive way of writing had me seeing everything clearly. It’s not gruesome at all but it is nail biting and enthralling. An occasional blasphemy, otherwise totally clean.
    Report
  • jlecorre
    5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a winner
    Reviewed in Canada on November 25, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent procedural. Got attached quickly to protagonists (flaws and warts included. Looking forward to the next novel.
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clever cop
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Makes a change to read a British cop story with a strong female lead character that's well written. Add in that she has ME and can still hold down a demanding job! It's a well crafted story with believable characters, and I've already pre ordered the sequel.
    Report
  • eleni
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting new series
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    In the interests of openness, I was sent this as a free copy, to write an honest review. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this is a great read. A good crime procedural, with a strong female lead and an accurate portrayal of chronic illness. I’m looking forward to book 2, although I have some wait ahead!
    Report
  • Ashwini Kabade
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good work
    Reviewed in India on February 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I really liked how the story flows. And also characters are quite interesting. Worth the read. Glod read for fans of crime genre.
    Report

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