Cara Hunter is one of my favourite crime writers and a new DCI Adam Fawley book is always exciting! This is the seventh book in a brilliant series – although I think it would work as a standalone. It actually picks up the characters from a previous book in the series, although I didn’t know this until after I’d finished reading as I think it’s the only one of the series I haven’t read!
I was thrilled to be granted an advance copy of the book by NetGalley – opinions are always my own, no matter how the book gets into my hands.
This book begins with the discovery of a body – one that is going to prove a puzzle for the Oxfordshire Police. The identity of the body is unknown – but even more confusing is the DNA evidence that is found on the body. This suggests that a figure from Fawley’s past has come back – a figure who was supposed to be dead, thus throwing the previous investigation into question. As DCI Fawley and his team pick over the past, they are forced to confront the failings in the past investigation and uncover a dangerous killer.
There’s lots to like about this new book – it’s tightly plotted and features a lot of the police team who readers have become familiar with from the previous instalments. DCI Adam Fawley is an appealing lead character too, balancing the pressures of his responsible job with his family life. The format is also clever – bits of the story are told through newspaper articles, emails and a ‘Shadow Journal’ of a key character. It’s an immersive way of telling the story, even though not all of it displayed brilliantly on my Kindle (something I hope they’ll fix before it goes on sale properly).
One slight gripe was that there were so many police officers that I found it quite tricky to keep up with who was who – I think some of the back-stories have been a bit lost because I couldn’t remember them all. I also found that the ending didn’t have the punch that I was expecting, although it did tie up most of the loose ends.
This is another great addition to the series – it is engaging, well-written and will keep you reading as you race from one twist to the next. It’s not my favourite of the series, but it is still a great crime novel.
Header photo by David von Diemar on Unsplash
