Carol Wyer is one of those authors who I look for. When her books are out up for review I grab them as soon as possible.
There’s a reason for this. She ticks all of my boxes when it comes to crime fiction.
Great characters, great settings, realistic stories, gritty, and no guarantee of a happy ending.
The Kate Young series has been her best so far, and A Life For A Life just takes it to another level.
Kate is made SIO when a seemingly innocent, if somewhat irritating, young man is found dead on a train station platform. He’s been shot in the head with a stun bolt, like those used to kill animals in abattoirs.
But he’s only the first victim, there will be others.
Meanwhile Kate is still trying to expose the bent Senior Police Officer she believes is responsible for the murder of her husband.
Her husband was a journalist who had been investigating a story involving high profile men abusing underage youths, of both sexes, in a sex club.
One of the underage youths had been killed by an over zealous customer whilst The Senior Police Officer was abusing a young girl in the neighbouring room. Now that girl is on the run and Kate knows she’s the only person who will have information to help her nail the dirty cop.
How far will Kate go in her attempts to avenge her husband, and how much will it affect her ability to perform as a normal day-to-day SIO.
The continuing story of Kates attempt to get justice for her husband runs nicely in parallel to the core story of this book, the investigation into the murders.
There’s another parallel that binds Kate and the Killer, but I really can’t mention it without giving a big spoiler. However when you read the book you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about, and just how clever Carol Wyer has been to use it.
This is crime fiction at its very best. It also shows why U.K. Crime Fiction is so popular and successful right now.
Fast paced, realistic crime, that just grips the reader and takes them on one hell of a ride.
A brilliant read.
Print length: 363 pages. Audio Book: 10 hours 5 minutes. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
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