The book begins with a chilling crime scene. Social media stars Chloe Morrison and Joe Hooper have been brutally murdered in their home town of Liverpool. The media scrum descends on the town, along with DI David Murphy and his partner DS Laura Rossi. While everyone is desperate for them to come up with a suspect, the pair have very little to go on. Until another pair of victims is discovered.
It soon becomes clear that a serial killer is on the loose, targetting couples with secrets to hide. They are forced to reveal their hidden secrets and lies to each other, before being brutally murdered. As the victim count rises, the case is no closer to being solved, until there is a final breakthrough, revealing that both of the police officers are closer than they think to the suspect.
The book has an interesting structure, revealing the crimes as they are carried out, before switching back to the police investigation. This gives the reader inside knowledge, revealing the killer's motives and desires before the police have worked them out.
DI David Murphy is an all-round good guy - conscientious, kind and keen to help out anyone who needs him. DS Laura Rossi is a great mixture of Scouse and Italian and I love it when she goes native in her choice of swearwords !
I read and enjoyed the book as a stand-alone novel, but it is actually the third title involving the pair. I would assume that the earlier books deal with a past situation that is often alluded to, involving DI Murphy, but apart from explaining the undercurrent of pain and blame that he has to deal with, this doesn't actually add anything to the story in the current book.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £8.99
- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK; Paperback Original edition (22 Oct. 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1471141373
- ISBN-13: 978-1471141379
- Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 2.9 x 19.8 cm
I haven't read any of Luca Veste's books but have seen them in the bookshops. I guess he's an Italian, or has Italian origins. Will keep an eye on the book, as it sounds gripping.
ReplyDeleteHe's a writer of Italian and Liverpudlian heritage, apparently, so basically, just like his female detective :)
DeleteI've no idea how you find the time to devour so many books and write such excellent reviews but I thank you for doing so!
ReplyDelete