This book hooked me right from the start. Imagine two best friends skyping when one, Naomi, says to the other, Eva, that she thinks she hears an intruder in her place. No sooner does Naomi say this than a mysterious figure attacks her from behind. To her horror, Eva is a witness to what is happening to her friend until the intruder turns the screen off. Frantic, she takes off in her car, panicking as she realizes that the intruder will be coming after her next. Eva thinks Naomi has been badly beaten as a warning that is related to their recent misadventure in France. She doesn't know Naomi has been brutally murdered.
DCI Helen Lavery is assigned to the case. A case that is not just about murder by a psychopath, but also involves organised crime, drug smuggling, and police corruption. This is a psychological thriller and a police procedural at its best. But what really holds the story together is the character of Helen Lavery.
DCI Lavery is reminiscent of Lynda La Plante's Anna Travis in her tenacity to get to the truth. Also, like Travis, she had a father who was in the police force and that she looked up to and admired as an officer. Both Travis and Lavery are strong female characters, common in British mysteries. However, Lavery is original as she is older and widowed with two teenage sons and an ageing mother to look after. She strives to balance work and home and is familiar with the politics of the glass ceiling.
There are moments in the story when dealing with police work seems a lot easier than being the mother of a teenage boy with raging hormones or a daughter handling the health issues of an ageing parent. It is easy to relate to Helen - she makes mistakes at home and at work, she enjoys her family and her job and is often caught between the conflicting demands of the two. Lonely, and missing the closeness of being in a relationship, makes her a vulnerable, very believable and sympathetic character.
The story is told primarily from the viewpoints of Helen and Eva, shifting back and forth between the two as the plot unfolds. Eva is also a well-developed character. At the start, I didn't particularly care for her, finding her immature and selfish. But as the story progressed, I began to like her more and to appreciate her resourcefulness. A number of other characters are also well drawn and I especially liked Lavery's assistant, Sean Pemberton, whose loyalty to her rivals the loyalty of the long-suffering Detective Sergeant Lewis in the Inspector Morse series.
Even though this is a police procedural, Jane Isaac's strong characterizations make this a more enjoyable read than the typical heavy focus on hows and whys. The crime scenes are intelligently described without relying on lurid details and the plot moves along at a quick, fluid pace.
A truly engrossing read.
http://www.legendtimesgroup.co.uk/legend-press
