This was my first introduction to DI Monica Kennedy – but I hope I’ll meet her again! Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is due to be published in July 2022.
The story opens with a notorious female serial killer asking to see DI Kennedy from her jail cell. The killer – Pauline Tosh – reveals the whereabouts of a body buried deep in the tidal marshes. Assuming this locates one of Tosh’s own victims, the police team rush to uncover the grave…and discover that things are far from as simple as they expect.
I was in the mood for a well-plotted, well-researched police procedural and this one delivered perfectly. The twists were clever and kept me reading. I particularly enjoyed the fact that what started as a straighforward exchange between two women (albeit a killer and her captor) became something so much more engaging and wide-ranging. As the picture got bigger and more complex, I was totally hooked! The flashbacks are also well-managed and add to the creeping sense of dread about what will be uncovered by the end of the book.
The Scottish setting works brilliantly for this book; the desolation of the marshes, the remoteness of the locations and the places imbued with brutal history all add to the tense atmosphere.
DI Monica Kennedy is an interesting and engaging lead character – I liked the fact that she is independent and tough. Although she has the police team around her, she very much remains the focus for much of the action of the novel – which is good for me as I often get lost when there are too many police officers to keep up with. Special mention to the forensic archaeologist though – I loved this eccentric character with his passion for his work and would like to see more of Dr Clive Ridgeway!
This is the third book in the series, but I think it works perfectly as a standalone – I didn’t feel like I had missed any back-story at all.
I’d recommend this book to lovers of well-plotted and clever police procedurals. I’ll certainly be looking to read more of this series – and spend some more time with DI Kennedy and her quirky team.
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Header photo by Carrie Borden on Unsplash
