In this novel, we get to appreciate the rapport between the two detectives Ballantine and Bayliss, one of dedication and respect for one another. I'm confused by her choice of very similar titles and without some kind of guidance I seem to be always picking a book in the middle of a series. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. Born in Edinburgh to an English father and Scottish mother the family settled in a Pennine village between the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

I've listened to MANY mysteries/thrillers and really enjoy this author's writing skills in this genre. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.Can an author think up any more horrible means of torture, not necessary, this is the last book I will download from this author. We have suspicious deaths, it starts with a woman's body being found in the back of a car after a road traffic accident involving a pile up, however, its not all straight forward and more deaths are revealed along the way. It may be quite realistic; they are both married to the job, but it makes me want to shake them both!

The students have not been reported by the university until one student interested in profiling decides she wants to get involved. The story is set in the vicinity of Manchester, England, although the author has created a fictitious smaller town where the events unfold. Each holds a clue from the start and it is perhaps incompetant police work that fills the ensuing 200 pages. Durrant conjures vicious killers, but didn't tell us why the killer did some of the things that were done to the victims.He is a realistic character with flaws and good points and his team all work together really well so it is no surprise that they start to untangle the web of lies and secrets and find the way forward to solve the cases. I am really enjoying this series, getting to know the characters and enjoying how they solve the murders. This time they are out to catch a sadistic killer who has already killed at least twice, but probably there are more bodies to find! I had read and enjoyed the previous book by this author featuring these detectives so I was looking forward to this novel. Helen is one of the ‘baby boomer’ generation and began writing when she retired from her job at a local college.

Read more about the condition New: An item that is still in its original shrink wrap from the manufacturer and the original manufacturer’s seal (if applicable) has not been removed. The plot doesn't quite hold together; the hunt for a serial killer only becomes an issue when bodies start turning up. Soon, another decomposed body of a young woman is found in a hearse – mouth sewn shut and a tag on the earlobe.I've gradually picked up on the fact that DS, DI, and DCI are police officials of increasing rank, they work out of a "Nick," and they would rather catch the bad guy before he decides to "do one. Although the wtiting is taunt and there is urgency in the developing case I miss the time spent misleading the reader, entertaining the reader and using words to carry a more rounded story. Furthermore, this book loses a whole point, one less star, based on the abrupt ending which means it can not standalone and the reader is obliged to read on .

I have to admit that as the series goes on the romantic lives of the two main characters are starting to annoy me slightly, I just wish they would both make a decision on where they want to go with their partners. Don't be put off by the fact that it is a series of books as it works perfectly as a stand alone thriller. Some reviewers have said not, which puzzles me, because there is definitely a connection, but it’s not what you’d expect. Many times the reader is not privy to these, but this author directs her characters all over the place. I was a little disappointed by the missing child case that seemed too quickly solved and finished with though I could see why when time and effort was needed on the other case which expanded into a gruesome serial killer case.This is the first book I’ve read by Helen Durrant but after finishing this one, it won’t be my last. The overall plot of this story was good, there wasn't quite the two parellel stories running side by side throughout the entire book that I have seen in a lot of the other ones (although there were mentions of other things happening), I did notice with this one something that I hadn't noticed in the others - all of the clues were there right from the start. I was confused by the preamble which had reference to the USA, but this all made sense as the novel progressed.