51eodoodzlWhen a woman is found murdered in a most horrific way in the Stoneycroft area of Liverpool, the police are shocked to discover that she is a member of the police force. DS Nathan Cody has very little in the way of evidence except for a dead raven left at the scene of the crime and the fact that the woman no longer has any eyes… When another body is found, the police fear they have a serial killer on their hands. Can they apprehend the culprit before the body count rises?

After reading so many positive reviews and seeing numerous entries in various bloggers’ ‘best of 2016’ lists, I had to see exactly what had made so many people rave about this book. I am so glad that I did! From the very beginning, when we are introduced to the first victim, I was hooked. The author builds up the tension very quickly and you know straight away that something horrible is about to happen. After such a strong opening, the following chapter came as much-needed light relief and provided a genuine ‘laugh out loud’ moment as DS Cody chases a flasher through Liverpool city centre!

I found myself really liking the character of Nathan Cody and the author has created a likeable, if troubled, lead character. For me, though, the highlight of the book was the setting. Being from Liverpool, I found I could visualise the areas which were being discussed and there are certainly some parts of the city I will now look at in a different way! I particularly enjoyed reading about the aforementioned chase through the city centre – a very accurate description of the route taken!

The closing chapter definitely sets up a follow-up and I do hope that this is the first in a series. An excellent book and one I have to thank my fellow bloggers for alerting me to.