However I do have some real issues with the storylines and their believability. I know we need to suspend our beliefs in reality when we read a lot of police stories (& thrillers generally). There were times when I thought the story here was just too incredible. I actually really liked Jess's character and thought that she was mostly very credible as a person. However her behaviour at times was simply not credible. I found this a rather frustrating book. I never wanted to put it down but I was often annoyed by it. I guess I'd call it 3.5/5 In fact, there were twenty murders prior to the fifty percent mark so if corpses are your thing, look no further. In addition, you’ll be served well if you have a steely stomach because of explicit descriptions. I want to say that this a some graphic descriptions, but for me that's the way these types of books should be written.

But seriously... this is a really impressive debut. It is extremely graphic and violent. Every trigger warning out there is in here ten fold. But don't let that prevent you from reading this unless you really can't stomach it. Dark, disturbing and totally addictive. A first class serial killer thriller from a bold new voice.”I found it very compelling. I was so into what was going on with Jessica, but also loved following along with Cara, on the more police procedural side of things. I felt it was the perfect blend of their two storylines; and I liked having one civilian perspective in addition to the investigators. I listened to some of this book as an audiobook and the narrator, Jodie Harris, does a fantastic job of conveying both Cara and Jessica and their points of view. The man, who is believed to have mental health issues, had slashed several victims on Utting Avenue and Ince Avenue. The machete was then dumped in Anfield Cemetery before he was detained by Merseyside police in Stanley Park.

Nail-biting suspense matches credible emotional reactions to extreme events in this exceptional thriller.”

Sam Holland’s debut thriller grabs the reader by the throat from the outset and doesn’t let go. The novel opens with a man in a forest staging a horrific murder scene. He is arranging two bodies in a car boot in a very specific tableau for the police to find. I really liked this story. There were a lot of twists and turns and I didn’t expect the killer until the reveal. Jessica and Kevin work well together. I enjoyed following along as they put the pieces of the puzzle slowly together. Cara and her brother Griff form a nice tandem during the investigation and I think it could be a good start of a series with these two. I hope so, as at the end we are left with too many questions as how it will all fan out eventually. If a sequel is written, I sincerely hope that the character of Jess will get lost as she was one of the most irritating characters I've read this year: she is selfish, dumb and arrogant and blames it all on a medical condition. His path crosses with Jessica Ambrose who is on the run because she’s presumed to kill her husband, hurt her young daughter and burn the place down. She teams up with the detective to connect the links between her case and brutal serial murders. I always like to learn something when I read a novel and in this case it was about music. The mentally ill woman Byrne knows plays the cello. Music, the movements of a symphony, etc., play an important part in solving the case.