Synopsis: ‘Hearing footsteps pounding along the street behind him he glanced back, fleetingly worried, then laughed because the street was deserted. All the same, he felt uneasy. Everything looked different in the dark.
Then he heard more footsteps approaching, and a hoarse voice called out. Turning his head, he made out a figure hovering in the shadows and as it raised one arm, the barrel of a gun glinted in the moonlight…’
The dead body of unassuming David Lester is discovered in a dark side-street, and DI Geraldine Steel is plunged into another murder investigation. The clues mount up along with the suspects, but with the death of another man in inexplicable circumstances, the case becomes increasingly complex. As Geraldine investigates the seemingly unrelated crimes, she makes a shocking discovery about her birth mother.
KAT’S RATING: 4/5
KAT’S REVIEW: First off, although this is book 8 in a series featuring Geraldine Steel, this book could certainly be read as a stand alone. I love this series and Leigh Russell has written a believable and likeable character with Geraldine. However, I have some niggles with the last and current book in that I feel like I am waiting for something to happen on her personal life front. A lot has happened with Geraldine over the last few books and currently it feels like she is in a little bit of a rut. Hopefully the next book will see a change in that. One of the reasons is that Geraldine has been searching for her Birth Mother for some time. This issue is addressed in this latest installment, however by the end of the book there are also additional threads opening up so hopefully this will show us a whole new element to Geraldine in the next installment.
That aside, Geraldine is thrown into a new murder case following the discovery of David Lester’s body. When he is found in a side alley it initially seems that it was a mugging gone wrong, however soon becomes apparent that it was no simple robbery. Geraldine’s colleague Sam returns as does a new DCI who is looking to solve this case quickly to prove he is the right man for the job. The plot is well paced and as the story progresses we see multiple suspects emerge from the woodwork.
The book is certainly an easy read and the series is still one I thoroughly enjoy. I hope that in future books we get to see a balance between work and personal life as at the moment this is the only element of this book that doesn’t feel right. I would also love to see additional characters help add to the team that Geraldine works with. I would definitely recommend this series as I think Gerladine is an interesting and very readable character. I always look forward to what comes next in the series and the same applies now.
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