- Format: Kindle Edition
- File Size: 903 KB
- Print Length: 243 pages
- Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
- Publisher: Sapere Books (6 Mar. 2020)
- Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B082YJ42FK
Synopsis
After dealing with the most harrowing case of her career, Detective Inspector Jemima Huxley was pushed to breaking point.
And now another brutal murder case has struck the local community.
A family of five were attacked in their own home. Four are dead – repeatedly stabbed in a frenzied attack – and the fifth, a teenage girl, is in a critical condition.
With the sole survivor unable to provide a statement, it is up to Jemima and her team to unmask the killer.
Was this a personal attack? Who in the family was the main target?
And could the killer be waiting to strike again…?
Review
Sole Survivor is the second book in the DCI Jemima Huxley series, but if you have missed the first book don’t worry as this can be read as a standalone. In Revenge DI Jemima Huxley solved one of the most difficult and shocking cases of her career. Sole Survivor picks up a couple of months later, when Huxley has returned to work to another harrowing case, the stabbing of a family of five, with the only survivor being a teenage girl. With the young girl in hospital, DI Huxley and her team are under pressure to find who could commit such a frenzied attack on the family.
I am always cautious of second books if I have really enjoyed the first in a series; there is always the worry they may not be as good. This certainly was not the case with Sole Survivor, which grabbed me from the first page. The book starts a few months after the ending to the previous book, and Gaynor Torrance fills us in on that interim time, which I loved as an idea. The plot is very fast moving with plenty of lines of inquiry, and plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. Children being murdered is always a difficult subject, and I like the way Gaynor Torrance shows how this crime effects DI Huxley and her team personally as well as professionally. DI Huxley now has her stepson living with her, and has been trying for a baby, so she is sensitive to the this case which shows the human aspect of being a police officer. The tension rises as lines of inquiry come to a dead end, and the killer is still out there. The investigation is fraught and the DI Huxley is under pressure form both the public and her superiors to catch the killer before they strike again.
I really like DI Huxley as a character, she is brilliant at her job but has a sensitive role that a lot of female police protagonists are lacking. She is still having problems in her personal life, she is now a mother to James her stepson after the death if his mother, and her husband Nick is having trouble personally as well. We see that DI Huxley, like most women is torn between work and family, feeling she needs to be there for her stepson, but also knowing she loves her job and has to find out who killed the family, and this needs long hours. This personal side is a sub plot to the main murder investigation, but adds to the pressure DI Huxley is under and also shows a different side to her personality. The relationship between her and her team members is authentic, she is very aware of their needs, their strengths and tries to encourage their progression. In return, she is a very respected DI whom her team trust.
Sole Survivor is another well written and cleverly plotted crime thriller from Gaynor Torrance. The tension and pressure rise throughout the book, culminating in a shocking conclusion both professionally and personally for DI Huxley. Intelligent, with a relatable protagonist in DI Huxley, this is a thrilling and at times shocking read. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series due out in the summer.
