Long-standing fans of the DS Maeve Kerrigan series can rejoice – the latest instalment (the tenth) is here and it is a good one!
In this book, DS Kerrigan goes undercover with DI Josh Derwent – they move into Jellicoe Close posing as a couple to investigate some shady goings-on around the death of a vulnerable adult. As they get to know their new neighbours, they start to realise that danger lurks in this most perfect-seeming suburban street. Nothing is as it seems, and peril gets increasingly close to Maeve and Josh’s new domestic set-up.
Readers of the series know that there has been a long will-they-won’t-they aspect to Maeve and Josh’s relationship. Well. this is the book where that sexual tension is ratcheted up to maximum! Through the (slightly dubious?) cover story, Maeve and Josh have to pose as lovers and convince those around them of their romance. Cue lots of lingering looks, the intimacy of co-habitation and the breaking down of the boundaries between them… but will the relationship last when the job is done? No spoilers here.
Because of the focus on the two main characters, I think this book would probably be best read in the context of the rest of the series. Lots of the books work as standalones but I think this one is probably a lot more enjoyable if you have some sense of the back story. Maybe you don’t need to have read all of the nine previous books, although a few would probably be good.
The fact that Maeve and Josh’s relationship takes centre-stage means that the mystery is perhaps not as taut and tense as in some of the previous novels. The pacing is not as quick, but there are some moments of slow-burning tension and cannily placed clues. Casey is an expert at plotting a fiendish mystery and this one is no exception. From the murder opening the book, the team back at HQ working on the murder, the death of a vulnerable adult, Maeve and Josh in Jellicoe Close, the strange happenings in the neighbourhood – all are handled skilfully in the narrative and the solution cleverly weaves in more elements than expected.
Overall, if you’re already in love with DI Maeve Kerrigan, this will be a welcome addition to the series for you. If you haven’t yet met Maeve and Josh, start earlier in the series but definitely work your way round to this one!
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Header photo by Blake Wheeler on Unsplash
