A tightly-plotted, timely and pertinent police procedural written with empathy and intelligence.
The ninth instalment in the superior police procedural series featuring uptight and conscientious DS Maeve Kerrigan of the Met and her sparring partner, DI Josh Derwent, once again makes for a riveting read and tackles elite male privilege, corruption and violence against women. The novel begins a world away from wealth and entitlement when DI Josh Derwent and DS Maeve Kerrigan are called for the foreshore of the Thames after a licensed mudlarker finds a human hand and three other parts of a corpse are subsequently recovered. Faced with an uphill struggle to identify the deceased, and an autopsy that makes it clear the victim was dismembered, Derwent is called away before they can get started and in a surprising vote of confidence DCI Una Burt effectively puts Maeve in charge of the investigation.
When the victim is identified as twenty-eight-year-old freelance investigative journalist, Paige Hargreaves, Maeve is keen to ascertain the potential relevance of her current focus and is catapulted into a world of wealth and influence as she is forced to break down the code of secrecy inside the Chiron Club, a notorious bastion of male privilege. As Maeve’s probing is met with curt rebuttals, a second narrative from two years earlier shows a hungover man awakening from a heavy night and met by the sickening realisation that is possibly guilty of murder. This second narrative gives a real edge to Maeve’s comprehensive dismantling of what goes on behind the doors of the Chiron Club as she gets to witness first-hand the grim realities of a ruthless society in which people are eminently dispensable, actions are without impunity and secrecy is paramount. The pitiful truth is that so much of what Jane Casey portrays is believable and not without precedent as tabloid headlines will testify. Maeve’s initial area of interest into the murder of Paige Hargreaves is soon widened as some unexpected revelations send the unfolding story in a number of unforeseen directions.
Closer than most colleague, Kerrigan and Derwent bicker like siblings but trust each other instincts without hesitation and in an instalment that impacts on both of their personal lives they once again discover the value of that bond. The relationship between the duo is central to the series and for all their snipes, put-downs and cutting remarks, there is a bond that makes them fascinating to witness. For all Derwent’s bluster and Maeve’s cool exterior there is a connection and trust that makes for a winning combination.
DS Maeve Kerrigan feels recognisably human and is perhaps the crime fiction protagonist that I find it easiest to empathise with, and the first-person narrative of Maeve is witty, honest, and over-sensitive. Her fixation on holding someone to account for the crimes she uncovers and ensuring that justice is done is unwavering and in a storyline that centres around an elite gentleman’s club and violence against women, Casey manages to steer impressively clear of preaching or slating the entire male species, much to her credit.
A tightly-plotted, timely and pertinent police procedural written with empathy and intelligence. that recognises the value of strong characterisation and pays off admirably. Whilst I found it difficult to swallow the resolution to the instigating case of Paige’s murder into the Chiron Club in motion it did little to detract from another gripping outing for Maeve that regular readers will relish for the spotlight thrown on her intense relationship - and chemistry - with DI Josh Derwent.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free ebook of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
When the victim is identified as twenty-eight-year-old freelance investigative journalist, Paige Hargreaves, Maeve is keen to ascertain the potential relevance of her current focus and is catapulted into a world of wealth and influence as she is forced to break down the code of secrecy inside the Chiron Club, a notorious bastion of male privilege. As Maeve’s probing is met with curt rebuttals, a second narrative from two years earlier shows a hungover man awakening from a heavy night and met by the sickening realisation that is possibly guilty of murder. This second narrative gives a real edge to Maeve’s comprehensive dismantling of what goes on behind the doors of the Chiron Club as she gets to witness first-hand the grim realities of a ruthless society in which people are eminently dispensable, actions are without impunity and secrecy is paramount. The pitiful truth is that so much of what Jane Casey portrays is believable and not without precedent as tabloid headlines will testify. Maeve’s initial area of interest into the murder of Paige Hargreaves is soon widened as some unexpected revelations send the unfolding story in a number of unforeseen directions.
Closer than most colleague, Kerrigan and Derwent bicker like siblings but trust each other instincts without hesitation and in an instalment that impacts on both of their personal lives they once again discover the value of that bond. The relationship between the duo is central to the series and for all their snipes, put-downs and cutting remarks, there is a bond that makes them fascinating to witness. For all Derwent’s bluster and Maeve’s cool exterior there is a connection and trust that makes for a winning combination.
DS Maeve Kerrigan feels recognisably human and is perhaps the crime fiction protagonist that I find it easiest to empathise with, and the first-person narrative of Maeve is witty, honest, and over-sensitive. Her fixation on holding someone to account for the crimes she uncovers and ensuring that justice is done is unwavering and in a storyline that centres around an elite gentleman’s club and violence against women, Casey manages to steer impressively clear of preaching or slating the entire male species, much to her credit.
A tightly-plotted, timely and pertinent police procedural written with empathy and intelligence. that recognises the value of strong characterisation and pays off admirably. Whilst I found it difficult to swallow the resolution to the instigating case of Paige’s murder into the Chiron Club in motion it did little to detract from another gripping outing for Maeve that regular readers will relish for the spotlight thrown on her intense relationship - and chemistry - with DI Josh Derwent.
With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free ebook of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.