Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsIt's an intriguing beginning to a series!
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2012
Definitely not a recommended murder mystery for pregnant mothers, Tania Carver (the pseudonym of this British husband-and-wife writing duo) created a grisly thriller with plenty of twists and turns to the plot. The book frustrated me a bit in the beginning - I had to check (and doublecheck) that this was indeed the first book in the series. Many comments referred back to one previous case in particular, lending the feeling that this was the second book and not the first. But, both UK and American sites agreed that this is the first in the DI Philip Brennan/Marina Esposito series. So, I let the plot unfold and began to truly enjoy it.
The writers definitely aimed for that shock value with the extreme level of violence - so the weak-stomached may want to avoid this one - but the bloodshed was tempered somewhat by the relationship between the DI and the psychologist. And though their relationship took some predictable turns, the surprises in the murderous plot more than made up for that! And while the book wasn't flawless, and seemed to attempt to emulated Mo Hayder's earlier books, it was certainly gripping and with the multitude of brief chapters, quite fast-paced.
The next two books have already been released and I am looking forward to reading them based on their synopses. I am even more curious to see how these characters will grow and develop over the course of the series. It's an intriguing beginning to a series!
