It is my stop on the blog tour for ‘A Cut for a Cut’, the second book in the series to feature DI Kate Young. I loved the first book and so couldn’t wait to read this one!
Thanks to Damp Pebbles for inviting me on the blog tour and for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is out now! It was published on 29th June, 2021 by Thomas & Mercer.
From the Publisher:
DI Kate Young can’t trust anybody. Not even herself.
In the bleak countryside around Blithfield Reservoir, a serial murderer and rapist is leaving a trail of bloodshed. His savage calling card: the word ‘MINE’ carved into each of his victims.
DI Kate Young struggles to get the case moving—even when one of the team’s own investigators is found dead in a dumpster. But Kate is battling her own demons. Obsessed with exposing Superintendent John Dickson and convinced there’s a conspiracy running deep in the force, she no longer knows who to trust. Kate’s crusade has already cost her dearly. What will she lose next?
When her stepsister spills a long-buried secret, Kate realises she’s found the missing link—now she must prove it before the killer strikes again. With enemies closing in on all sides, she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to bring them down. But time is running out, and Kate’s past has pushed her to the very edge. Can she stop herself from falling?
My Review:
I loved the first book in this series – ‘An Eye for an Eye’ – and so jumped at the chance to join the blog tour for the second book. It was an absolute pleasure to be back in the world of DI Kate Young and her (familiar to me) Staffordshire stomping ground. Many thanks to Damp Pebbles and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In this instalment, DI Kate Young is still trying to prove her competency at work after the events leading up to and included in the first novel. She has been side-lined professionally and is working with a limited team when they are called in to investigate a brutal rape and murder. As the body count rises, she is forced to confront her past and the fact that someone within Staffordshire Police seems to be trying to undermine her.
Although this would work as a stand alone novel, I think it would be best enjoyed after ‘An Eye for an Eye’. This gives so much background to Kate’s personal situation and the reasons she is struggling at work – most of which isn’t her own fault and is more down to the secret investigations she is undertaking away from the main case.
This is a deeply satisfying police procedural – although Kate’s investigative tactics are often unconventional! The crimes in this case are horrifying – rape, murder and disfigurement – and the brutality can be hard to read about, but Wyer keeps the pace moving quickly and it doesn’t feel unnecessarily voyeuristic (as is often the case with crime novels that focus on young women as the victims). Indeed, the pacing is well-judged and the crimes stack up quickly, giving Kate and her team a lot to do – and giving Wyer the chance to feed the reader lots of red herrings!
Although I did see the final denouement coming (only slightly ahead of the end), I loved that the tension continued to mount with a kind of inevitability about the events to come. As it became clear who the final victim was intended to be, I was rooting for Kate to work it out too! I also liked the fact that there is a thread from the first novel still not resolved (despite Kate’s ongoing investigations) so that leads us – hopefully – into book three.
DI Kate Young is a compelling character and it is impossible to read this without wanting her to succeed – she has faced considerable personal trauma and seems to have the odds stacked against her professionally, yet on she goes. The only thing I’m not wholly sold on is the ‘conversations’ she has with a dead figure in the novel – although this is posited as part of the grieving process, it feels a bit strange at times.
Overall, I’d thorougly recommend this book to lovers of good quality, well-plotted crime fiction. It’s even better if you’ve read the first book in the series – but, either way, it’s time you picked up a DI Kate Young book!
About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.
A move from humour to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol had found her true niche.
To date, her crime novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.
Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.
She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy… who is very, very grumpy.
When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.
Social Media:
Website www.carolwyer.co.uk
Blog www.carolwyer.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolEWyer/
Twitter https://twitter.com/carolewyer
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carolwyer
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/carolewyer
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-wyer-407b1032
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14925467.Carol_Wyer
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5O-lvkAYO19S0AMW8VqJQ
Purchase Links:
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3pCnXyX
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2TXmOGn
Publishing Information:
Published by Thomas & Mercer in paperback, audio and digital formats on 29th June 2021
Thanks so much for being part of the blog tour x
I think I remember your review of the first book and I’m glad you enjoyed this one too. Kate seems like such a great character to follow!