This book was my introduction to the Detective Casey White series. Although this is book 11 in the series, I think this one is fine as a stand-alone. As I was reading, it didn’t feel like I’d missed anything, nor did I need any additional context.
In terms of the writing, I must admit I struggled with this one. It was a slow burner, which felt wordy and difficult to follow at times. That being said, I feel like this is a personal preference issue, as the crime novels I lean towards are usually much more fast-paced which I find makes them easier to read.
The chapters switch between perspectives of the detectives, the victims and the killer, and it was easy to grasp the flow and familiarise yourself with who each person was.
In terms of the story, the premise was great and the description really caught my eye. The beginning chapters were also very captivating, as poor Ruby was taken, and I felt like the book had so much potential. Despite this, I think it was the investigation side that fell short for me and wasn’t as suspenseful as I would’ve expected. I felt we didn’t learn enough about the victims, and also expected more about the main antagonist, as he played such a pivotal role in the story yet was barely mentioned.
If I’m honest, it felt like there was a lot of effort put in to setting up the next book, but by doing that, it felt like this one was missing crucial information that would’ve made the story so much better.
If you’re already a fan of the series and writing style, I’m sure you’ll still enjoy this one
I’m giving it a 3.25 😊
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader copy.