Kill Me Twice Simon Booker
When this book popped up for review there was two things that immediately attracted me, the synopsis, and the authors biography.
The book did not disappoint.
I like books where the crimes and happenings are not seen from the Police point of view. The person outside the investigation, the witness, the victim, the person who discovers a crime and is affected by it, or is not believed, the wrongfully accused trying to clear their name. Some of the best books I have ever read have been narrated by, or had the main protagonist, that have come from one of those groups.
This book involves a few of those in its list of characters.
Morgan Vine is an investigative journalist who has succeeded in annoying most of the legal profession, including the police, by publishing a book about miscarriages of justice. So when she, and her 20 year old daughter, Lissa, are attacked whilst walk some cliffs it is safe to say she is not the Polices favourite victim. Strangely during the attack Lissa has her hair set alight with the attacker using a zippo lighter, so distinctive in sound, but so common in use.
A few days later Morgan visits a 27 year old single mother in the Mother and Baby Unit of the local prison. The woman, Anjelica Fry, is incarcerated for murdering her baby’s father and setting his flat on fire with the body in it; but she is adamant she is innocent and believes that Morgan can prove it.
As Morgan begins to consider the case her daughter becomes more and more withdrawn, and emotional. Dealing with the case and her daughter is stressing Morgan out.
When an incident occurs that makes Morgan and Lissa move out of their home on the beach, and into a local hotel, Morgan begins to believe Anjelica’s story.
As the investigation continues Morgan meets some fascinating characters.
Woman released from the prison who have secrets to keep, and babies to feed.
Prison Officers with secrets in their past
A Prison Governor purportedly running a clean and successful institute
A forensic Dental Odonatologist with a reputation second to none
A flirting Police Inspector
And a very handsome temptation in the way of Ben Garmiara a Fire Scene Investigator.
Without giving away too much of the plot Morgan begins to think that the body found in the fire is not Karl, Anjelica’s baby-father. How will she prove it when the top Odonatologist has given evidence in court identifying the body by his teeth.
Trying to convince the original investigating team is impossible. Morgan turns to the flirtatious DI Neville Rook, who has taken a shine to her since investigating the attack on her and Lissa on the cliff, though even he is underwhelmed by her thoughts
Lissa still becomes more withdrawn as Morgan’s investigations continue. Could she be involved in some way and is her mother’s blindness to this putting her in danger.
When a recently released prisoner and her child turn up at the same hotel as Morgan and Lissa are staying in things take a twist for the worse.
With seemingly nobody believing her Morgan carries on until she finds one ray of light. Ben the Fire Investigator, but is he too good to be true.
The end of this book is every bit as enthralling as the beginning, and there is not let up in pace and enjoyment through the middle either.
Simon Booker has written a great story that interweaves several strands all of which you know will come together, and they do.
As a Fire Investigator myself I was ready to suspend my own knowledge to read this book, but I didn’t have to. There are some points in this book which most people will take for granted, but there are a couple of little things in here that made me sit back and go, “WOW, he really does know what he’s on about”
It’s the attention to detail that makes a good story.
Simon Booker has more than created a good story, he’s created a credible story.
For me they are the best ones.
Pages: 448
Published by: Zaffre
Available on Amazon for pre order
Publish Date: 24th August 2017
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