I thought that the plot of this novel had a lot going for it. It starts with a graphic murder in the past and then skips ahead to a similar crime in the present. What follows is the investigation of the current case, with some interspersed flashbacks to the time after the first murder.
Sound a little convoluted? Unfortunately, it is. The murder investigation is relatively straightforward; it’s all the extraneous plotlines that muddle things up. Detective Jessie Black has a budding romance and the reappearance of an abusive ex to deal with in addition to following the clues to find the killer.
Autism, domestic abuse, teen pregnancy, severe alcoholism…they all make appearances. Taken individually, they are important issues to tackle. In the course of this plot, however, it just seems like the author tried to do too much.
I admire that the effort was made to make things interesting, and there were a few twists that worked well. I did appreciate that what was one of the bigger “reveals” occurred relatively early in the book, as it allowed other questions to arise. This did make a couple of points more interesting as well.
All in all, it was a good book that could have been made better by some editing and tightening. I would still recommend it as a decent crime procedural.
Author Bio
Kerry Watts was born and grew up in a small town in the East of Scotland where she still lives today. She is always writing and carries a little notebook and pen with her wherever she goes because at her age ideas need to be captured before they disappear.
Kerry specialises in crime fiction because she enjoys pushing the boundaries of what it is to be human. The nature versus nurture debate.
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Denmanisfab
