Deceiver On The Levels by David Hodges

🌟 Review Note:

This review is provided as part of the Virtual Book Tour hosted by Zooloo’s Book Tours which runs 24 September until 30 September 2025. Follow along with the Book Tour Schedule.

My sincere thanks to Joffe Books and Zooloo’s Book Tours for inviting me to be part of this book tour and for providing a digital copy of Deceiver on the Levels, the 15th Detective Kate Hamblin novel by David Hodges.

As always, this review reflects my honest thoughts.

About the book

A missing schoolgirl. A body in the woods. A killer who’s only just begun.

Newly promoted to Detective Inspector, Kate is back on her old patch at Highbridge CID.

But there’s no time to settle in. Early Monday morning, Kate gets a call. Fourteen-year-old schoolgirl Tammy Robinson is missing.

She hasn’t been seen since Friday afternoon when she told her mother she was going to her best friend’s to revise. She never made it.

Kate discovers that Tammy wasn’t going to her friend’s house at all. She was planning to meet a mysterious boyfriend she called Gerry. She’d met him in an online chatroom – who is he really?

The following day, a body is discovered in the woods. It’s not Tammy.

Kate is in a race against time to unmask the most dangerous killer she’s encountered yet. Before more young women die.

Deceiver on the Levels by David Hodges
Published 24 September 2025 by Joffe Books

You can find the book on Amazon and Goodreads

Who is David Hodges?

A former superintendent with Thames Valley Police, with thirty years experience in the force, David Hodges is a prolific crime writer and author of eighteen crime novels plus an autobiography on his life in the police service.

His debut crime novel received critical media acclaim and a welcome accolade from Inspector Morse’s creator, the late great Colin Dexter, and since then he has become the author of several successful stand-alone thrillers, including FLASHPOINT (now out of print) BURNOUT, SLICE, BLAST and TARGET.

In particular, his Somerset murder novel series, published by Joffe Books, which is set on the mist-shrouded Somerset Levels in England and features the exploits of feisty detective, Kate, and her easy-going partner, Hayden, has gone from strength to strength. It has attracted keen interest in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia as well as in Britain. The first six previously published thrillers in the series are also available on Audible for sight challenged readers and those who prefer the spoken word, though all Joffe Books are available on amazon in paperback and Kindle format.

David’s last novel in the Somerset Murder Series, DIAMONDS ON THE LEVELS, (Book 13) was published by Joffe Books on 21 March 2024.

This has just been followed with the re-publication by Joffe of the first 8 novels in the series, produced as a box set in November 2024 and available only on Kindle, providing Kindle readers with the opportunity to read all the earlier novels in sequence.

David has two married daughters and four grandchildren and lives in the UK with his wife, Elizabeth, where he continues to indulge his passion for thriller writing and to pursue his keen interest in wild life and the countryside.

He is a member of the Society of Authors, the Crime Writers and Crime Readers Associations and International Thriller Writers Inc.

My Review

This is only the second novel in David Hodge’s Detective Kate Hamblin series that I have read, and I was hooked from the very start. The story flows smoothly, drawing you in deeper with each chapter, and the way Hodges constructs the mystery makes it hard to put down. He’s brilliant at creating scenarios that nudge the reader towards one conclusion, only to shift the perspective and leave you questioning yourself.

One of the strongest aspects of this book is the way suspicion is layered. From the kidnapper’s point of view we know certain details, and then when the narrative shifts to Kate’s perspective, she encounters people who could easily match that picture. Each time, you’re left thinking “this must be the one”… only for the possibility to be thrown into doubt when another character fits the same clue. It’s a clever use of misdirection, and it means you’re never quite sure whose story to trust. I loved being steered down different paths, second-guessing myself at every turn.

That said, there were two things that kept this from being a five-star read for me. The first is the way Hayden is described, supposedly through Kate’s eyes. I found the tone unnecessarily derogatory — rather than giving a rounded or affectionate view of her husband, it came across as belittling. It jarred with me, and instead of adding depth to their relationship, it made it feel uncomfortable.

The other issue was the use of certain words that felt out of place. While they’re technically correct, words like reconnoitre, obviating, quere, and insensible interrupted the natural rhythm of the story. On Kindle you can quickly tap for a definition, but in print it risks pulling the reader out of the moment. For me, when there are perfectly good everyday alternatives, these choices just broke the flow unnecessarily.

Despite these frustrations, the book remains a gripping read. The plot is clever, the tension builds well, and the red herrings are particularly well done. It’s a solid 4-star story that kept me turning the pages — and it’s made me want to go back and catch up on more of the Detective Kate Hamblin series.

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DISCLOSURE: I received an advance or review copy of this book. As always, my thoughts are honest and my own.
DISCLOSURE: I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley/Zooloo’s Book Tours. As always, my thoughts are honest and my own.
DISCLOSURE: I purchased this book myself. As always, my thoughts are honest and my own.

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