Dead and Buried by Michael Dylan

Timy reviews Dead and Buried, the sixth book in Michael Dylan‘s thriller series, DI Simon Wise.

Reivew(s) of previous book(s): Rich Men, Dead Men, The Killing Game, Talking of the Dead, Into the River Dead, Drop Down Dead

About the Book
The Sound of Madness
Book Blurb
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Possible fit for The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2026 prompts:

Joker prompt that goes with anything: Freefall

Some secrets won’t stay buried no matter how hard you try.
Twenty years ago, Suzy Latimer vanished without a trace.
No body was ever found. No one was ever charged. Over time, her disappearance became just another cold case buried in the past.
Until now.
When Detective Inspector Simon Wise arrests the man behind a series of brutal murders, his team uncover a link to Suzy’s disappearance.
Suddenly, a case that has haunted London for twenty years is back in the headlines.
As the pressure mounts and the media closes in, Wise and his team must untangle a web of lies stretching back decades. But the deeper they dig, the more uncertain the truth becomes.
Because whoever is behind this has been one step ahead from the very beginning.
And they’re not finished yet.

DEAD AND BURIED is the sixth book in the DI Simon Wise Crime Thriller series, set on the streets of London. If you like gripping police procedurals, dark characters, and shocking twists, then you’ll love Michael Dylan’s latest thriller.

The DI Simon Wise series had become one of my absolute favorites in recent years, so it’s always a happy surprise when one drops into my lap. The sixth installment, Dead and Buried came out on May 14th, and of course I jumped on it as soon as I was able to. I may or may not stayed up way too late to finish reading it…

Now, since this is book six, my review will contain mild spoilers for the previous books, especially since some of the plot refers back to earlier books. I’ll do my best, but anyway, a fair warning. It also will be probably on the short side, because reviews for later books in a series are always the hardest to write…

Dead and Buried picks up the plot right after we left it in Drop Down Dead. A key character is arrested for murder, that turns Wise’s life even more upside down than it already is. But crime never sleeps, and after the team successfully solved baby Kate’s case (read Drop Down Dead for details), they are back to a serial killer’s case (for previous context, read Into the River Dead, as this book continues the investigation after that case was solved) that may or may not link to a cold case that remained unsolved for decades. A case everyone remembers from the media frenzy it caused. So really, it’s just a day that ends in y for Wise and the team.

This time, the team has a number of new and old faces – Millie becomes a permanent team member and Hicksy returns from his break, to Wise’s relief. There is also a woman they worked with in the previous book who got moved over, and two brand new character – a woman, and a young man. We didn’t get to know them a lot this time around, but I’m fairly certain we definitely will sooner or later. Especially based on some hints. As usual, most of the book focuses on Wise, but a couple of secondary characters also get their POV chapters. This time it’s Millie and DI Murray mostly, as well as a mysterious person whose identity gets revealed at some point, so that’s all I’m saying about them. All great choices, though!

Millie feels insecure about her decision to remain, especially only after 10 days knowing these people. And now there are new and more seasoned people than she is, that also makes her question whether she will be trusted with any important jobs. I like that we always get into the heads of different characters, making to get to know them easier. I absolutely do appreciate that. DI Murray, who is part of SCO10, investigating organised crimes, specifically the person who just got arrested at the beginning of the story. His POV gives us a peek into that investigation, but it’s also interesting, because we get to see a different kind of power play. After his boss gets out of the picture (can’t say more than that, because spoilers), he gets a new boss and that means new ways of doing things, new people involved, and more importantly, a new pecking order. Which can be quite disconcerting, all things said and done.

Dead and Buried is the meeting point of several plotlines, some of which have been there from the beginning, some new, and some from previous books I honestly didn’t see coming. And I’m absolutely delighted how the DI Simon Wise universe gets a little bit more complex with each book. It comes through how much Dylan enjoys playing in this world which makes it just that much more fun to read it. Not that I didn’t love this series already, but still. The only issue I have with Dead and Buried is that now I have to wait indefinitely for the next book, and that’s so unfair.