Description:
When three domestic abuse offenders are found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.
The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered. And he is Lucy’s husband.
Now the finger of suspicion points at Lucy and the police are running out of time. Can Maggie and her team solve the murders before another person dies? And is Lucy really a cold-blooded killer?
My thoughts:
What a debut and what a brilliant start to a brand new crime series. This novel had me chewing through my fingernails, tensely reading on to find out who the murderer was. It isn’t for the faint-hearted. Anyone reading will know that as they finish the first chapter. The tone is set from the start and the story continues it gets grittier and grittier.
It is written in a very believable way, tackling the domestic violence theme with an honesty that was so immersive. My heart was breaking for Lucy all the way through. I wanted to wrap her up and take her away from her horror. She has the career; she’s financially self-sufficient – on the outside she looks like she has the perfect life, but behind closed doors, we see how vulnerable and trapped she is.
Maggie is a great character and I loved the police team, especially Mark. The team dynamics felt authentic and the novel gave great insight to how probation staff and police work together.
It’s also thought provoking. The murder victims were the evilest of the evilest but did they deserve to be brutally murdered? Love, love, love the vigilante feel to it. The police, all professional, showed how they have to leave their own personal views behind when investigating a case.
If you’re looking for a read as gritty as an eye full of sand, as honest as a toddler reaching for the cookie jar in full view and as heart-thumping as a boat in a storm, then this is your page turner!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Inside-gripping-terrifying-thriller-ebook/dp/B07HNS6LYH/
By Carla Kovach – author of Amazon and iBooks bestseller, The Next Girl. 