One by One by Sam Frances review

About The Book

Book: One by One
Author: Sam Frances
Standalone or Series: Book 2 in the DS Alice Washington series
Publisher: Headline Accent
Publication Date (UK): 4th December 2025

My Review

2025 sure is being kind to us old punk rock kids, isn’t it? All the bands I loved at 15 are suddenly touring again. On top of that we’ve been gifted Lucy Nichol’s Girls to the Front, M.L. Rio’s Hot Wax, Sally Wainwright’s Riot Women tele series and now One by One by Sam Frances.

The premise is that the infamous rock band The Dolls are performing for the first time in years since the former lead singer was pushed to her death. As if I wasn’t already sold on the rock band meets crime drama combo, I was 100% invested the moment I met DS Alice Washington, who is a woman after my own heart. She’s absolutely hilarious, instantly likeable and if you don’t warm to her… well, let’s not be friends. The good news is that if you’re new to Frances’ work, then you are in for a treat as this is actually the second in the series.

As if I wasn’t already sold on the rock band meets crime drama combo, I was 100% invested the moment I met DS Alice Washington, who is a woman after my own heart. She’s absolutely hilarious, instantly likeable and if you don’t warm to her… well, let’s not be friends. The good news is that if you’re new to Frances’ work, then you are in for a treat as this is actually the second in the series.I adored how working-class, Northern and genuinely authentic Alice felt. It’s honestly such a joy to read characters and dialogue that sound so local and familiar to me personally. I was hooked on her repertoire of phrases, which include classics such as: “fannied around”, “gannet” and “twattish”. As mentioned she’s funny too, one of my favourite lines being: “At ease, Geppetto, the wooden man hasn’t become a real boy just yet.”

I adored how working-class, Northern and genuinely authentic Alice felt. It’s honestly such a joy to read characters and dialogue that sound so local and familiar to me personally. I was hooked on her repertoire of phrases, which include classics such as: “fannied around“, “gannet” and “twattish“. As mentioned she’s funny too, one of my favourite lines being: “At ease, Geppetto, the wooden man hasn’t become a real boy just yet.“

One by One is sharp and funny, with a protagonist I’d happily follow through many more cases. Punk spirit, Northern grit and crime drama chaos. Yes!

Thank you to Random Things Tours for including me on the tour and Headline Accent for the ARC.