Book Synopsis:
How can you spot a murderer?
Leo Stone is a ruthless killer – or the victim of a miscarriage of justice. A year ago, he was convicted of the murder of two women and sentenced to life in prison. But now he’s free, and according to him, he’s innocent.
DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent are determined to put Stone back behind bars where he belongs, but the more Maeve finds out, the less convinced she is of his guilt.
Then another woman disappears in similar circumstances. Is there a copycat killer, or have they been wrong about Stone from the start?
Cruel Acts is available in ebook and hardcover now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.
My Review:
Cruel Acts is one of the best crime mysteries I’ve read recently and helped me get out of the reading slump I was in.
I was immediately drawn into the story and intrigued by the idea that a miscarriage of justice could have been done. I was wondering how the story would unfold, what with it being a cold case, but the author is very clever with the way new information about the case is discovered. This is done in a realistic and subtle way with the author slowly revealing holes in the original investigation which ensured I was thoroughly gripped!
I loved the two main characters Kerrigan and Derwent who seemed to work well together, despite sometimes rubbing each other up the wrong way. They obviously care about each other which was lovely to read about and made for some quite dramatic though funny scenes. It was interesting to learn more about their lives outside of being police officers as it helped me to understand what makes them tick. Kerrigan is a wonderful, clever character who was fascinating to watch solve the case as she often found little clues that no one else manages to. She works hard and has gained a lot of respect from her colleagues for this. It was sad to see her wrong footed from a seemingly innocent mistake but watching her fight back made for great reading.
This is a fast paced gripping book which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. There is lots of action happening either with the case of in their personal lives which made the book hard to put down. The twists in this book took me totally by surprise and I kept being wrong footed over what had happened. The way the investigation goes was completely different to what I expected and I was completely shocked with the ending which had me on the edge of my seat whilst reading. This is the first book from this author that I’ve read and I’m excited to have found a new crime series to enjoy.
Huge thanks to Harper Collins for my copy of this book via Netgalley which I received in exchange for an honest review.
About The Author:
“All my criminal elements have some basis in reality, no matter how awful they may be. Nothing is completely farfetched.” Jane Casey
Crime is a family affair for Jane Casey. Married to a criminal barrister, she has a unique insight into the brutal underbelly of urban life, from the smell of a police cell to the darkest motives of a serial killer.
This gritty realism has made her books international bestsellers and critical successes; while Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan has quickly become one of the most popular characters in crime fiction.
Winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award for The Stranger You Know, Jane has been shortlisted four times for the Irish Crime Novel of the Year Award and longlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award.
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