I have often written about my hesitation to come into a series in the middle. Sometimes authors create a story that is a complete standalone, but other times, there are several references to previous books that make understanding the current situation more complicated. This book falls squarely in the latter category.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a lot to like in this book. The characters are realistic and very accurate to law enforcement (at least in my experiences). I particularly liked the way the author gave the main characters particular traits while also allowing them to have a shared perspective. That sounds weird.
I don’t want to give the plot away, so I will be vague. Members of the unit have been affected by a previous incident. As a group, they deal professionally (some better than others). But personally, they each cope in their own manner. I appreciated this attention to the individual characters.
But herein also lies the problem that I had with the book, and this is solely on me. The references to past books were numerous, and I felt like I was missing a considerable section of understanding. The background is key to the current situations of the unit members, and without it, I had to “take their word for it,” which left me with only a superficial feeling.
Again, that is on me. The author does an admirable job of using references to set the scenes, but it’s just not the same as having “experienced” the events along with the characters.
The crime itself is unusual. I liked how the past affected the present. I also appreciated how the clues were revealed naturally in the course of the investigation. It allowed me to follow along and try to solve it with the detectives (and I love books that present in that manner).
It’s a good read, but I am certain I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read the first two books in the series. I will be trying to remedy that shortly by grabbing them. To get the full depth of where DI Frank Farrell’s mindset is, read the first two books before picking this one up.
About Jackie Baldwin: Jackie Baldwin is a Scottish crime writer. Her debut crime novel, Dead Man’s Prayer, was published by Killer Reads on 2nd September 2016. The second in the series, Perfect Dead was published on 15th June 2018. For most of her working life, she has been a solicitor specialising in Family and Criminal Law. She later retrained as a hypnotherapist. Married with a grown family, she recently moved from Dumfries to East Lothian.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackieMBaldwin1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JackieBaldwinAuthor/
Website: http://jackiebaldwin.co.uk/
