DCI Mark Lapslie has struggled with his synaesthesia in the past few years, and after a rather public collapse there have been concerns about his ability to do his job - especially from some of his fellow officers. It has been a struggle, but thanks to cognitive therapy and a new drug regime the negative symptoms of his synaesthesia have become more bearable. The timing couldn't be more perfect because while he is overseas preparing to deliver a presentation at a conference he receives a sound file - a woman screaming in absolute pain and terror. Sending the file off for analysis, Lapslie jumps on the first available flight so he can follow the case - expecting to get in trouble for abandoning his presentation, but not really caring.
Back home DS Emma Bradbury has picked up a murder case, taking the lead in the absence of more senior staff. It is a chance for her to prove what she can do, especially in a quiet little town where they don't see murder victims who appear to have been tortured very often. The victim is a woman who appears to have suffered for some time before her death, and once they identify the victim she realises that the case is more complex than she first thought. When it becomes clear that there is a link between the sound recording Lapslie received and the case Bradbury is working it results in an uncomfortable shift of power between DS and DCI as they both want to solve the case in their own way - and because there might be victims out there who are still alive if they can solve the case in time.
I have been thoroughly enjoying this series, more so than I would have expected because McCrery has quite a punchy writing style that at times almost seems a little abrupt, but that keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace. This series is really tricky to review because there are little twists and turns that make the story thoroughly enthralling - but they are the twists and turns that you want other readers to discover rather than have you talk about them! I highly recommend reading this series in order, and I am currently waiting with anticipation for the next book in the series to arrive so I can read it!
This is a great series and with each book we learn more about both Lapslie and Bradbury which makes them even more engaging/endearing as characters, and makes you care about what happens to them just that little bit more (and in contract makes you glare balefully at some of the people who seem to delight in trying to mess things up for them!).
If you like this book then try:
- Mercy killings by Lisa Cutts
- Cut short by Leigh Russell
- Good me bad me by Ali Land
- I hunt killers by Barry Lyga
- The slaughter man by Tony Parsons
- The girl in the ice by Robert Bryndza
- Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
- The edge of normal by Carla Norton
- Swimming in the dark by Paddy Richardson
- City of fear by Alafair Burke
- Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarratano
- What was mine by Helen Klein Ross
- Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
- One step too far by Tina Seskis
Reviewed by Brilla
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