‘The biggest dangers are the ones we don’t see…’
I joined Helen Fields on her recent blogtour with Perfect Death earlier this month. With other ‘life stuff’ going on, I never got to post my review until now. Helen did write a great post on her ‘Must-Watch Small Screen Inspirations’ which you can read HERE.
Today I bring you all my review of Perfect Death, the latest installment in the D.I. Luc Callanach series, described as a ‘standout thriller that will leave you gasping for more,’ and just very recently published with Avon Books.
Please do read on for my thoughts……..
Book Info:
Your new addiction starts here: get hooked on the #1 bestselling series. Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter and M.J. Arlidge.
There’s no easy way to die…
Unknown to DI Luc Callanach and the newly promoted DCI Ava Turner, a serial killer has Edinburgh firmly in his grip. The killer is taking his victims in the coldest, most calculating way possible – engineering slow and painful deaths by poison, with his victims entirely unaware of the drugs flooding their bloodstream until it’s too late.
But how do you catch a killer who hides in the shadows? A killer whose pleasure comes from watching pain from afar? Faced with their most difficult case yet, Callanach and Turner soon realise they face a seemingly impossible task…
Book Review:
I’m a bit of a late comer to Helen Fields, but having heard so many wonderful reviews I was eager to read her latest novel Perfect Death. Helen Fields previous novels, Perfect Remains and Perfect Prey are all based in Scotland and feature DI Luc Callanach. In Perfect Remains he has just left behind a promising career at Interpol and is anxious to prove his worth with his new team in Edinburgh. With each book he settles more into his environment, this new home away from home, and in each book, the reader is introduced to more information on his back story. Having not read the first two books in the series, I was concerned that this may be an issue for me, but I can categorically state that it wasn’t. Helen Fields provides a sufficient background story in Perfect Death, enabling all readers to jump in easily enough and continue with Callanach’s story.
Perfect Death is a novel about many things. It is very much about friendship and family, but it is also a novel that portrays a killer, a killer with no compassion or mercy. A young girl’s remains are found in the vicinity of a well known rocky area in Edinburgh, Arthur’s Seat. With no visible signs of violence, the initial thinking is death by misadventure.
In the meantime, DCI Ava Turner receives some very upsetting news that her former boss, DCI Begbie has been found under very tragic circumstances. DCI Turner, newly promoted, is already facing the challenges attached to her new position but must now deal with the fallout from this very unsettling discovery.
In picking up this book I was expecting quite gory and stomach churning scenes, based on what I had heard of the previous books, but that was not the case. The killer in Perfect Death works in a more insidious fashion. Their chosen weapon is drugs and their method of attack is premeditated and callous. The victim is oblivious of the attack, making this a very scary read for very different reasons!!
Turner and Callanach have a great relationship. Their camaraderie brings a very genuine feel to the story. They have their own issues to deal with, yet they very much seem to have each other’s backs all the time. With the promotion of Turner, the balance of power has shifted, but Callanach seems to remain a stalwart by Turner’s side at all times.
Helen Fields brings us right into the offices of the police force with her descriptions of the different characters, from the rather brash and unorthodox DS Lively, to the more gentle-mannered Constable Tripp.
As the realisation dawns on Callanach and Turner that there is the real possibility of a serial killer on their doorstep, they up the ante in a frantic search for this rather twisted individual. Callanach and Turner have no apparent fear for their own safety making them a very formidable team as they leave no stone un-turned.
The reader is taken on journey into the seedy underworld of gangland crime in Scotland. These are tough individuals who will stop at nothing to achieve the power and wealth they aspire to. In parallel to that we journey into the mind of a psychopath, a person who has a very single agenda in mind, a person with the ability to infiltrate environments unsuspecting and unsuspected…a true pleasure seeker who takes what he wants.
Perfect Death is a story that reads like a Hollywood detective series. It’s pacy, it has violence (think staple guns and tongues!!!), it has crooked police, it has a pathologist who plays a strong role, it has the cross banter of police station slagging, it has a tenuous possibility of a love affair. It’s a classic page-turner, which is exactly what I look for when reading crime-fiction. I really recommend these books for all who love a character-driven story, crime fiction with a heart!!
Purchase Link ~ Perfect Death
Helen Fields is the crime name that EVERYONE needs to know about.
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 Hampshire with their three children and two dogs.
Twitter ~ @Helen_Fields
Website ~ http://helenfields.co.uk/
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