- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Sapere Books (6 Oct. 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 191302847X
- ISBN-13: 978-1913028473
Synopsis
Why are dead bodies appearing when no one has been reported missing…?
When mutilated female corpses are discovered in shallow woodland graves it becomes apparent that a serial killer is at large.
With no one reported missing, no apparent motive and no obvious suspect the investigation proves to be far from straightforward.
As suspicion falls upon those associated with the privately-owned woodland, it soon becomes clear that there are sinister secrets they are determined to hide.
Detective Inspector Jemima Huxley is put in charge of the case.
But Jemima has dark secrets of her own…
Can Jemima lay her personal demons to rest? Or will the case threaten to overwhelm her?
And can she catch the killer before more women turn up dead…?
Review
Revenge is the first book in a new crime series by Gaynor Torrance featuring DI Jemima Huxley. Set in Cardiff and the surrounding countryside this is a fast paced read with a dark and twisted serial killer. When several women are found in the woods on a private estate, gruesomely murdered, DI Jemima Huxley and her Sergeant Dan Broadbent are in charge with the investigation and finding the killer before they strike again. The problem is that there are no reports of these women going missing, and no clues as to the killer. This is no straight forward investigation and DI Jemima Huxley and her team find themselves in a race against time to find the depraved killer of these women.
I love a good crime thriller that gets my mind going trying to work out who the killer is, why they have committed the crime and working out any twists and turns along the way. Revenge had all these elements and much more to the extent that I sat and read it one sitting. Gaynor Torrance has written a clever and intelligent plot that has so many red herrings I had no idea where this was going and who in the end would be unmasked as the killer. If you like your crime books a little gruesome then this is for you, the details from the autopsy of one of the victims had my stomach turning, as did the detail of the depravity of the killer, but this was in a good way as I love a bit of gory detail.
The new team of DI Jemima Huxley and Sergeant Dan Broadbent really worked for me. Jemima is a brilliant detective, with a proven track record, but is facing personal troubles, including infertility problems that are starting to impact her work. She is an incredibly complex character with a troubled past, and is very aware how hard it is for a female DI so can’t talk about her problems incase it impacts her career. Broadbent is her opposite, being a new father, always tired and unkempt, his problems are known by everyone. With a less serious personality I thought they bounced of each other well and had a great relationship, both personal and professionally. I am exited to learn that this is the first in four books involving this partnership and am really looking forward to see how the characters grow and develop through the books.
Revenge is fast paced, gruesome, intelligent and addictive read. Full of procedural detail, and a complex plot this shows great promise for the future books in the series. I loved the chilling murders and the twisted and warped mind of the killer that really added to the suspense of this book. Dark, twisted, and thrilling, what more could you as for; brilliant.
