I hadn't read Sarah Bailey's debut novel but that didn't matter as this book makes perfect sense as a stand alone. Gemma has relocated and seems to be living a pretty shadowy new life. She's a detective during the day but a bit of a bar fly at night - she has a casual relationship buts seems to prefer the anonymity of random pick ups.
When a homeless man is murdered she's put on the case - only to find it quickly overshadowed by the murder of a major star on the set of his new movie. There's also a thread about the suspected murder of a prostitute by a high profile businessman (which feels like a bit of a distraction until the reason for it's inclusion becomes clear towards the end).
Gemma has a troubled past and her re-location means estrangement from her 5 year old son, Ben. I found her quite hard to relate to and subsequently had little empathy for some of her private torments.
It feels like they're running around in circles until suddenly links are found between the murders and everything is quickly wrapped up (perhaps too quickly for my liking). It's an easy enough read but it didn't blow me away.
When a homeless man is murdered she's put on the case - only to find it quickly overshadowed by the murder of a major star on the set of his new movie. There's also a thread about the suspected murder of a prostitute by a high profile businessman (which feels like a bit of a distraction until the reason for it's inclusion becomes clear towards the end).
Gemma has a troubled past and her re-location means estrangement from her 5 year old son, Ben. I found her quite hard to relate to and subsequently had little empathy for some of her private torments.
It feels like they're running around in circles until suddenly links are found between the murders and everything is quickly wrapped up (perhaps too quickly for my liking). It's an easy enough read but it didn't blow me away.