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Brian L. Porter

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Purple Death Kindle Edition

by Brian L. Porter (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.0 371 ratings

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A series of murders leads Detective Inspector Sean Connor and his team into a labyrinthine investigation. The victims are dispatched using a poison previously associated with the notorious Borgia family.

As the murders multiply at an alarming rate, Connor finds clues hard to come by, and every lead takes him down yet another blind alley. The killer seems to be one step ahead of him at every turn.

Together with Sergeant Lucy Clay, they must piece together the shreds of evidence and find the mastermind behind the murders that become known as Purple Death.

Praise:

★★★★★ - "Another spellbinding book from the master of misdirection."

★★★★★ - "A nicely crafted mystery that kept me guessing right to the end."

★★★★★ - "The twists and turns that Sean Conner negotiates to solve this curious thriller will keep you flipping pages. The characters are well drawn and believable. Porter knows his craft."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author of A Study in Red - The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00JNEIGWI
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Creativia; 4th edition (April 11, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 11, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1221 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 285 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,782,683 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #449 in British Contemporary Literature
- #4,917 in Crime Action Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #9,220 in Traditional Detective Mysteries (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.0 371 ratings

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Brian L. Porter

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Winner - The Critters.org Best Mystery Novel Award 2021, The Mersey Ferry Murders

Winner - The Readfree.ly Best Indie Book, 2021 Award, Muffin, Digby and Petal, Together Forever

Winner - The Readfree.ly 'Best Book We've Read all Year, 2021 Award, June 2021 (Pestilence)

Winner - The Readfree.ly 'Best Book We've Read all Year, 2018 Award, June 2018 (A Mersey Maiden)

Writing under three different names, Brian L Porter is an Amazon best selling author, with numerous best sellers to his name, so far, titles as follows:

Sasha (As Brian L Porter), the illustrated true-life story of the author's own, very special 'Miracle Dog'. Winner of The Preditors & Editors Best Fiction Book Award, 2016, and also a 7th place finish in the 50 Best Indie Books of 2016 Awards. #1 bestseller in the UK, Australia and Italy. Sasha has also been a Top Ten bestseller in its category at Amazon in Canada and France.

Sheba, From Hell to Happiness, sequel to Sasha, the true-life story of a dog rescued from a life of hell as a bait dog for dog fighters, then left to die on a rubbish tip.

Remembering Dexter is the winner of 3 literary awards

After Armageddon (As Brian L Porter), A Post-Apocalyptic short story anthology. #1 in the USA and UK.

The Italian translated version of After Armageddon, Dopo L'Armageddon, e Altri Raccontri was a #1 Amazon bestseller in Italy.

Lest We Forget, (As Brian L Porter), an evocative collection of remembrance poetry.

Alistair the Alligator, (As Harry Porter), a pre-school children’s book, illustrated by Sharon Lewis.

Charlie the Caterpillar, (As Harry Porter), also for pre-school readers, illustrated by Bonnie Pelton.

Wolf, (As Harry Porter), a young adult/teens adventure story.

Of Aztecs and Conquistadors, (As Juan Pablo Jalisco), a superb collection of romantic poetry with a Latin American theme.

He was the winner of The Preditors & Editors readers poll for Best Author Award, 2009, and a number of his books have also received awards as follows:

A Study in Red – The Secret Journal of Jack the Ripper, Preditors & Editors Best Thriller Novel Award, 2008.

Requiem for the Ripper, Preditors & Editors Best Thriller Novel Award, 2010.

Glastonbury, Preditors & Editors Best Mystery Novel Award, 2010

You can find information on the works of Harry Porter and Juan Pablo Jalisco on their individual book pages.

He is a dedicated dog lover and rescuer and he and his wife share their home with a number of rescued dogs.

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4 out of 5

371 global ratings

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Kindle Customer

Good Book

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2024

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I enjoyed reading this book. The storyline was excellent. All of the characters were amazing. This will be one of the stories that I did not guess who the bad guy was until it was revealed in the end. I loved the way the really bad guy went out by his own hands.

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Amalter (a Brum in Oz)

A good read.

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2014

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Enjoyed this one, a new team to follow. Guessed the identity of the serial killer, but this didn't spoil the story. Next, the Ripper book, I think.

One person found this helpful

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Danielle Bradley

Definitely Need a Better Editor/Proofreader

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2023

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There were SO many spelling/grammar/typographical errors in the edition that I read that it distracted from the story. The plot was good though and I wasn't able to figure out who the killer was until the very end.

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Berk Rourke

Aconite? What in world is Aconite?

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2016

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Murder, murder by poison, murder by aconite, creating a horrible, rending death not for one but for seven victims. As the series of crimes unfold Detective Inspector Sean Connor and Sgt. Lucy Clay, along with DI Carrick and Sgt. Cole struggle with why, who and even, in the first two deaths, how. But Sean's friend, the forensic pathologist, finds the why, that being aconite. Then, slowly Sean and the others begin to fathom out how the first several murders are committed. The Chocolate Lady surfaces. She is the purveyor of a number of deaths. But who is she? And then a thirty five year old murder surfaces and the speed of the investigation takes on the nature of an unchecked run-away freight train.
Do you enjoy a finely written British investigatory novel? Then this one is for you. Do you enjoy a mystery that unravels in front of you which has twists and turns of who is involved and why they are involved? Then this one is for you. Do you enjoy the chase, the pursuit of a murderer most foul and the confusion of not being able to step in front of the murderer in the investigation? Then this one is for you. Do you enjoy a book with an explosive ending? Then this one is for you.
Brian L. Porter is a consummate writer of mysteries. His style and usage of the language is nonpareil. His creation of characters and the flesh he gives them in pursuit of his story lines is excellent. The intermingling of male and female characters that he presents as a part of his view of the criminal world is wonderfully done. The by-play, the respect and recognition that each of the characters give to one another is at times humorous, at times provoking, at times a major contributor to the fabulous nature of his story telling ability.
I give this book five stars without regard to any of the editing errors mentioned by another reviewer. I think those who center their reading on whether a book has editing errors are making a huge mistake and missing the entire point of the reading which is the story itself. This story is exciting, compelling and demands your attention. Five stars is well earned.

2 people found this helpful

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pkrallis...

A well turned plot

Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2016

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The twists and turns that Sean Conner negotiates to solve this curious thriller will keep you flipping pages. The characters are well drawn and believable. Porter knows his craft.

pkrallis...

One person found this helpful

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Martha A. Cheves

A real page turner!

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2010

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'Sam tried to move his legs and instead fell in a crumpled heap on his office floor. He felt more than just 'ill' now. Fear gripped Sam while the sweat on his brow began to run down into his eyes. He felt a constriction in his chest, as if someone had suddenly placed an iron barrel ring around him and was tightening it by the second. The life was rapidly being crushed out of his body, but with nothing and no one there to offer help. Sam Gabriel had never felt so frightened and alone.'

Sam Gabriel will become just one of several to die a gruesome death by poisoning. The poison 'aconite' is being administered by what Detective Inspector Shawn Connor has decided is a serial killer. D.I. Connor, who heads up a team of investigators, is baffled as to how the poison is being induced. This question is finally answered after the third victim is killed. Now Connor must determine if there is a connection between the victims and follow what few clues he has to determine who will be next.

DI Connor has determined that a woman is involved but doesn't feel that she's alone. Due to the timing of the deaths and the locations of the victims, there has to be more than one person involved.

Connor and his team finally come up with a clue which seems to connect most of the victims. The clue pertains to events that happened over 30 years earlier with most of those involved being deceased. To Conner, it appears that with each clue that surfaces, another victim turns up poisoned. He seems to hit nothing but dead ends.

I've read all but 2 books written by Brian Porter and I have to say that if you've never read his writings, you're losing out. Purple Death has taken me on a road with many curves, most of them sharp. Porter grabs your attention in the beginning of the book with his Welcome message and your reading experience goes up from there. He has got to be one of the best mystery writers I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

12 people found this helpful

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PR

Took to long to get started

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2015

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I gave this book 3 stars as I was 50 percent finished before any suspense was really in the book! It seemed to just go on and on and I finally got to the end. Did not keep my attention. I like a fast moving suspense and more character development.

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2014

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This was a first time author for me to read. It was a good mystery and sure kept you guessing till the last page. I would probably read more by this author.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

John Broughton

Gardeners beware!

Reviewed in Italy on January 26, 2022

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Brian L Porter, author of the successful Mersey Murder mysteries, evidently sharpened his quill first with this novel Purple Death. But don’t be deceived into thinking that this tale is nothing more than a prototype for the subsequent series. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This tale involves more twists and turns than a B-road in the Scottish glens. The elusive serial killer, a poisoner, is always one step ahead of the worthy Richmond detectives, floundering along the wrong trail until the final gripping denouement. The Purple Death - aconite the substance from a common garden plant - stands high among the best of this productive author’s works. I have no hesitation awarding it 5 stars.

N Welburn

A magnificent book that will have you tangled up in knots!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2014

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Another spellbinding book from the master of misdirection; 'Purple Death' grabs your attention from the first couple of pages and it never lets go. As a series of unrelated victims of an unknown poison are mounting up, police forces up and down the country are trying to figure out who is responsible and why these events are taking place, and are searching unsuccessfully for a very clever murderer. The stage is set once again for this amazing writer's intricately woven plot, that will turn you inside out and leave you gasping for breath. Such is this writer's talent for red herrings, I had no idea who the killer could be or why he or she was murdering these victims in such an insidious manner. The horrific and painful deaths of these seemingly random victims, leaves the reader as desperate as the detectives in the story to uncover the murderer before any more lives are snuffed out in such a brutal way. I was fascinated by the clever use of a rare poison as the murder weapon. Added to that you have a family with a secret past and some carefully hidden clues; it certainly keeps you guessing all the way through this scintillating story. The final devastating pages will leave you aghast, wow, what a twist, and you will not see it coming.... A magnificent book that will have you tangled up in knots - wonderful!!

One person found this helpful

Colin M. Willmott

Intelligent and intriguing!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2015

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This is a good crime thriller with interesting twists, although some of the phrases used seem slightly dated. However, overall, a good read!

Amazon Customer

Another masterclass in crime thriller writing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2021

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I have read so many of Porter’s books I lose track, but I do know I have never been disappointed. Porter is a consummate, crime thriller writer, and Purple Death is right up there with the others I have read.
In Purple Death, we are presented with a series of apparently unconnected poisonings, on the same day, and across the country - how can this be, especially as the poison is a rare choice – Aconite, and this presents with a painful and violent death.
After a while, and more geographically distant deaths, the investigation centres on a team of detectives in Richmond-upon-Thames and Birmingham.
No plot spoilers here but I found the book thoroughly engaging with twists and turns especially at the end; didn’t see that coming.
Porter has an ease about his writing that whatever his subject matter, the reader can relax in the hands of a master – recommended – 5 stars.

One person found this helpful

Sarah Hague

Nice tale of aconite poisoning

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2018

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This is a page-turner, but there are some strange stylistic features which I can't say I appreciated.

The story is good, gripping and well told, the characters are interesting and the love interest is really well done. However, we are constantly reminded what a genius the murderer is, what a mastermind, and how impossible it is for the detectives to solve the mystery.

I thought the murderer clever, yes, but genius? A mastermind? I don't like being told what to think, I'd rather work it out for myself. So, on the one hand there's a good story and bags of suspense plus some gruesome murders, and on the other a sometimes annoying style of writing (plus several surprising typos).

All in all, I liked the book and would recommend it for those who like their murders a bit different.

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