Voodoo doll by Leah Giarratano

Voodoo doll is the sequel to Vodka doesn't freeze, and while this book can be read on its own with no prior knowledge of what happens there is a massive ***SPOILER*** in this book that will ruin one of the nice twists of Vodka doesn't freeze - so be warned if you like to read series with as few ***SPOILERS*** as possible.

Sergeant Jillian Jackson has just been assigned to a new task force which has the sole goal of stopping a crew who are committing increasingly violent home invasion robberies, a crime spree that eventually includes a gruesome murder.  Far from her old partner Scotty, and in a new environment it is a challenge to be accepted by the team.  The crimes are gruesome, and they quickly come to realise that at least one of the criminals is particularly violent with a tendency to want to see blood drawn - machetes are excellent weapons for that kind of work, and the crew are well versed in using them on their victims. 

The case is complicated enough, but when Jill and her new partner Gabriel reinterview the witnesses to the crimes they discover that things are not quite as they seem.  When they talk to two of the victims they realise that something is not quite right, that they are hiding something that happened that night.  Joss has been keeping his inner demons mostly n check with the help of his wife Isobel and their daughter Charlie, but when he recognised one of the crew that did the home invasion on his wife's boss he realises that things are not as settled as he thought - especially when he realises that he was also recognised by the leader.  In an increasingly complicated game of cat and mouse Jill and Gabriel, along with the rest of the task force, have to sort through the bits and pieces they know and think they know, and stop the crew before someone else gets hurt.  While they work on the side of the law, Joss will take the steps he needs to to protect his family.

Voodoo doll is the sequel to Vodka doesn't freeze and it is just as hard hitting as the first book in the series, tackling some pretty gruesome aspects of the crimes and the motivations of the criminals - something that makes this series both more disturbing and more engrossing.  With this book you are not left to guess what makes the killer the way he is, you know because it comes directly from his mind, you don't have to guess because it is laid out before you.  This book was a little harder for me to read than the first book in the series, but to be fair I have been rather distracted while reading it and I thoroughly enjoyed the ending which I was able to read in one sitting rather than picking at the it like I had to with the rest of the book. 

I am looking forward to ordering the next book in the series to see what happens next with Sergeant Jill Jackson.  The character is continuing to evolve and grow, which is only to be expected in terms of normal development as people age, but also in terms of coming to grips with what happened to her and moving forward.

If you like this book then try:

• Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarratano
• Black ice by Leah Giarratano
• Private Oz by James Patterson and Michael White
• The basement by Stephen Leather
• The surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

 Reviewed by Brilla