I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.
This book opens as a young man is released from prison after a 10-year sentence for robbery and assault that culminated in the man’s death from a stroke. Gone, never to be found were the monetary contents of his safe. Finally free, Conor Dowling heads home where is elderly, decrepit mother lives in filth, and makes contact with his old friend Tony.
Detective Inspector Lottie Parker is getting ready to move into a new home, and her best friend and colleague Detective Sergeant Mark Boyd is assisting with the move. Meanwhile, two young girls are out on the town for some clubbing, but neither one of them makes it home. The girls are found dead several hours later with Lottie & Mark being tasked with the investigation.
Lottie’s half-sister Bernie remains institutionalized after a brutal murder spree and manages to manipulate another sibling to arrange a day pass for her. She immediately disables her sibling, escapes from his supervision, and begins to stalk Lottie and her family.
As the investigation continues, Conor’s name comes up as a potential suspect in the missing girl’s murder, and one of them had testified against him in the trial that landed him in prison. But his alibi is solid. Then, two more girls disappear…and soon, Lottie’s girls are missing as well…
This was a good book – the storylines, seeming random, kept me on my toes as I tried to ascertain who was responsible for what…I did not find any of the characters particularly likable, (Lottie needs more depth, I think) , but I suspect as I read the others in the series I’ll gain a lot more insight into who they are and what makes them tick. I absolutely believe this series would be best read in order – as a standalone, I had to make a lot of inferences as to the past events that lead to this installment – Bernie & Leo for example.
All in all, a good book, kept me turning the pages, and I was strangely disappointed that Conor wasn’t the ‘good boy done wrong’ that I thought he was… I will definitely be looking to read the remainder of this series!
Tropical Delusions...... 