The story:
When eighteen year old Chloe Emery returns to her house to find it covered in blood and her mother missing, and DS Maeve Kerrigan and the murder investigation squad are called to investigate. While investigating the various shady neighbours living on the street, all of whom seem to be hiding something, they uncover a complicated web of lies, deceit and deeply buried secrets.

My thoughts:
If you’ve read the previous books in the series, you’ll already be familiar with the main players. As always, the investigation, processes and team dynamics were totally believable. Maeve’s own relationship with Derwent and the rest of the team has also evolved from the earlier books in the series. She’s now a Detective Sergeant and an integral member of the team with a junior to manage.

Most of the people who pop up in the course of the investigation into Kate Emery’s murder are distinctly unlikable and resolutely uncooperative. They also all seem to be hiding something – from the police and from each other. Plus as Maeve digs further into Kate’s past, it becomes clear that she was far from just an innocent victim. The result is that there are enough potential murderers to make a fantastic thriller with plenty of twists that I didn’t see coming. Although I had my suspicions about how it might all fit together, I was still guessing right up until the end.

Jane Casey is one of my favourite current crime readers and one of the few that I auto-buy as soon as I get the chance. She effortlessly creates realistic, well-rounded characters and gripping storylines that stay with you even when you’re not reading. I’m looking forward to finding out what’s next in store for the team.