'The Black Highway' Review: Simon Toyne's Riveting London Mystery

THE BLACK HIGHIGHWAY 

Laughton Rees, #3 

by Simon Toyne 

Wiliam Morrow, 2025 

★★★½✰

Forensic specialist Laughton Rees is not ashamed of her checkered past—after all, her youthful indiscretions led to the birth of her daughter Gracie, the person she loves most in the world—but when Gracie’s father unexpectedly turns up in their lives again, Laughton is automatically wary.

Shelby Facer is a dangerous man, formerly imprisoned for his involvement in an international drug trafficking ring, and no matter what Laughton once felt for him, she doesn’t want him anywhere near Gracie. But when Shelby claims that he has information about an especially difficult murder case she is working, she can’t turn him down.

A body with no head or hands has recently turned up in the river Thames, and the police are at a loss until Shelby identifies the man. The victim was part of a highly secretive smuggling ring Shelby was involved with during his and Laughton’s youth—which Laughton’s father, former commissioner for the Metropolitan police, was investigating before he died.

Laughton throws herself into her father’s old files to try to trace the connections between past and present, but as she and DCI Tannahill Khan circle closer to the truth, the case becomes dangerously personal. When another body turns up, mutilated just like the first, the victim is no stranger to Laughton. She’ll have to face the darkest parts of her past to find the man behind the murders—before he takes away everything she loves.

A few weeks ago, I received an unexpected copy of The Black Highway in the mail from the publisher. When I say "unexpected," I truly mean it—I hadn’t requested the book and had no idea a copy was on its way to me. Normally, I don't tend to review unsolicited books, but something about The Black Highway caught my eye, prompting me to give it a try. 

It's the third installment in the Laughton Rees series by Simon Toyne, an author I had never heard of before this. I can already hear the comments: "You’ve never read Simon Toyne?" But honestly, this was my first introduction to his work. 

So, what’s the book about? It’s a police procedural thriller with a somewhat familiar plot featuring a female protagonist who follows in her parents' footsteps to join law enforcement. Laughton Rees, the main character in The Black Highway, is a forensic specialist whose late father was a commissioner with the Metropolitan Police. 

The novel's title references the River Thames, where a headless body, missing its hands, is discovered floating near Tower Bridge in London. This victim is linked to another character, Shelby Facer, a former drug trafficker who has served time in prison and ends up crossing paths with Laughton once more—and that's not a spoiler since the book's blurb mentions his connection to Laughton’s daughter, Gracie. For those, like me, jumping into the series for the first time, I found this detail unnecessary in the blurb.

 

As for the plot, it's pretty much what you’d expect; if you’ve read one book in this genre, you’ve seen them all. I felt that The Black Highway didn't offer anything particularly new—just the same general story dressed up with different character names and settings. However, compared to other authors, such as James Patterson, Simon Toyne shines with his distinctive writing style and narrative structure. He manages to avoid the clichés and predictability that often plague thrillers. That said, I wasn't a fan of the short chapters—70+ chapters felt excessive and became a bit annoying. 

Initially, I found it to be a flawed yet intriguing read. The early chapters were engaging and truly page-turning, but somewhere along the way, the pacing faltered, and I began to lose interest in the predictably clichéd plot. Had it not been for Toyne’s vivid descriptions, I might have set the book aside. However, I persevered, and I'm glad I did because the pacing picked up significantly in the second half. 

In conclusion, despite my criticisms, The Black Highway turned out to be a solid thriller. While it has its flaws, it's enjoyable enough that I would recommend it to others.

⁓B.J. Burgess

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