HE WANTS TO CAPTURE THEIR FINAL MOMENTS ON FILM SO HE CAN WATCH THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN
DECEMBER: Detective Mike Croft is in pursuit of a serial attacker whose victims are all young blonde women. But forensics on the victims reveals an even more horrific scenario. Many miles away, in Wiltshire, a young woman dies in a burning car. In Norwich, an actress is found dead in her own home and a teenage boy runs away from a past he doesn’t know how to face. Can DI Mike Croft work out what links these events? Then a greater threat emerges. JAKE BOWEN: filmmaker and serial murderer. There is no pattern to his victims. He doesn’t care who dies, so long as their final moments make a good film, and Jake is very imaginative in deciding how his victims will die.
MIKE CROFT FACES A RACE AGAINST TIME TO STOP A KILLER. BUT THEN THE KILLER COMES FOR HIM.
I received a copy of this book from Joffe Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
My Thoughts…
This story was originally published as two books, but as the second story follows on after a few months time break, it reads well as a single book. The plot is relentless, lots of suspects, incidents, clues and false leads, that it is hard to keep track. However, this complexity adds to the story’s authenticity and makes you feel part of it.
Detective Inspector Mike Croft is a dedicated professional, with a tragic past that makes him empathise with the victims of the crimes he solves. He is gradually rebuilding his life with the help of Maria and retired detective John Tynan.
The crimes although terrible, are not overly graphic, just enough to give the story its menacing undercurrent, especially when the crimes impinge on Mike’s personal life. The police procedural element of this story is well written, and the slowness and amount of work involved in solving the crimes are portrayed in a believable way. This is an emotional story, you empathise with the victims and the detectives and abhor the antagonists.
The realistic ending is full of action and adrenaline, with a satisfying outcome. Hopefully, there is a more promising future for Mike Croft’s personal life too.
