Life or death.
Fight or flight.
Your darkest moment is your most vulnerable
[ About the Book ]
Stephen Berry is about to jump off a bridge until a suicide prevention counsellor stops him. A week later, Stephen is dead. Found at the bottom of a cliff, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are drafted in to investigate whether he jumped or whether he was pushed…
As they dig deeper, more would-be suicides roll in: a woman found dead in a bath; a man violently electrocuted. But these are carefully curated deaths – nothing like the impulsive suicide attempts they’ve been made out to be.
Little do Callanach and Turner know how close their perpetrator is as, across Edinburgh, a violent and psychopathic killer gains more confidence with every life he takes…
[ My Ramblings ]
Perfect Crime is the fifth book in this Scottish crime fiction series featuring DI Luc Callanach, a former member of Interpol but now working for the Major Investigations Team of Police Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, Helen Fields latest installment is described as ‘an unstoppable crime thriller’ and has just been published by Avon Books on 18th April. I am delighted to be joining the blog tour today with my review and a short extract from the book.
Perfect Crime opens up with quite a shocking and unsettling scene as we witness the thoughts and actions of a man about to commit suicide.
‘The impact of the fall, even onto water, would be devastating. He would suffer crushing injuries, probable brain damage, and if the force of his body hitting the water didn’t kill him, the temperature would take care of it in a matter of seconds.’
Stephen Berry’s intent is thwarted by the calm words of a suicide prevention counsellor who encourages him down from the heights of a local bridge. The crowd breathe a sigh of relief and Stephen is lucky. His life has been saved…… But a week later Stephen Berry is found dead on the grounds of a local tourist attraction, at the base of the castle walls. Did he jump? Or was he pushed? These are the thoughts of DI Luc Callanach and his colleague, friend and boss, DCI Ava Turner. With very little evidence to prove anything but suicide/accidental, the team close the case as an unfortunate death. But over the next few weeks, more suspicious deaths are brought to the teams attention, all deaths of people with a history of depression and suicidal thoughts. Is this just a coincidence? Or is there something darker at play?
Callanach and Turner are about to face down one of their most difficult challenges to date, as it soon becomes clear that there is a deranged and barbaric killer on the loose. This individual is one step ahead of them at all times and his modus operandi is that of a very sadistic and violent mind. With the media on their backs and their superiors looking for answers fast, Callanach and Turner have to dig deep into their own strengths to confront this very dangerous and frightening foe.
Luc Callanach has his own personal demons to deal with since he left Interpol under a cloud of suspicion. Ava Turner has been the one constant in his life since his move to Edinburgh, but now fresh circumstances have placed their friendship under threat and Callanach is frustrated and disheartened.
The two must continue to keep a professional relationship as they struggle to unveil who this demonic and evil person is, someone who is increasing in confidence as each fresh victim is discovered.
Perfect Crime is a fast-paced and very exciting novel. Helen Fields has been writing this series for some time now and the tension and suspense continues to thrill as you are taken on a journey into the mindset of the depraved and the brave. The characters created by Helen Fields are very real, adding to the overall reading experience. The chemistry between Callanach and Turner is most certainly upped a notch in this book but can they finally cross that line? Is a relationship between these two ever possible?
Perfect Crime is a fantastic addition to this series. This is my second book but I really had no issue in reading it as a stand alone. I mentioned in my review of Perfect Death (Read HERE) that this series ‘reads like a Hollywood detective series’ and it really does. Just a warning though, some scenes are not for the squeamish among you as Helen Fields doesn’t spare in her descriptions!!!
Perfect Crime is dark and sinister with plenty of action to have you ripping through the pages. Highly entertaining. A great series.
Read on for a short excerpt from the book, a taster…..
[ Extract ]
‘Misadventure?’ Callanach queried. ‘Being a bit brave, climbs up, slips, grabs hold and it all goes wrong. Any sign of drink or drugs?’
‘No odour when I opened the stomach or brain to suggest serious alcohol intake, and I usually know pretty quickly if that’s an issue. As far as drugs go, I’ve taken samples for a tox screen and put those on a high-priority request. What I wanted to show you is this . . .’
Ailsa put the man’s hand back down on the metal pallet and positioned the magnifying glass over his middle finger, adjusting the light so it was flat over the top.
‘Look here,’ she said.
Ava and Callanach leaned in for a closer look, turning their heads to check from different angles.
‘I give up,’ Ava said eventually. ‘The hand’s badly bruised, with substantial grazing. I can see the three ripped nails. It’s all what I’d expect.’
‘All right, what you don’t know is that only one of these fingers is fractured. Middle finger, right at the top, in the distal phalange near the base of the nail.’
Callanach slipped his gloved finger underneath the area and felt the bone.
‘I can’t feel anything,’ he said.
‘The break isn’t displaced, so I wouldn’t expect you to. It only showed up on the X-ray, but there’s no healing at all, and fingers heal quickly, so it’s a new break but not caused by the force of the fall. It’s distinct from the other fractures.’
‘Caused when he was gripping the rock?’ Ava asked.
‘I thought so, then I saw this . . .’ Ailsa brought the magnifying glass even closer to the end of the middle finger and pointed at a tiny purple V-shape, just visible against the paler flesh of the hand. ‘That mark wasn’t caused by the rock. It’s the wrong side of his hand for a start. When he hit the ground, his palm was facing the floor, I know that from the impact pattern. This bruise is deep and fresh. I’ve excised the skin and looked underneath. Recent trauma, hard. It’s probably also what caused the fracture beneath.’
[ Bio ]
Helen Fields studied law at the University of East Anglia, then went on to the Inns of Court School of Law in London. After completing her pupillage, she joined chambers in Middle Temple where she practised criminal and family law for thirteen years.
After her second child was born, Helen left the Bar. Together with her husband David, she runs a film production company, acting as script writer and producer.The Di Callanach series is set in Scotland, where Helen feels most at one with the world. Helen and her husband now live in Los Angeles with their three children
Twitter ~ @Helen_Fields
Website ~ http://helenfields.co.uk/
