What do you think?
Rate this book
Jessica Daniel #3
The Woman in Black
The Woman in Black is the third gripping Jessica Daniel novel from bestselling sensation, Kerry Wilkinson.
Someone has left a severed hand in the centre of Manchester and the only clue Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel has to go on is CCTV footage of a woman in a long black robe placing it carefully on the ground.
With a lengthy missing persons list and frantic families wondering if the body part could belong to their absent loved ones, she has plenty to deal with - and that's before a detached finger arrives for her in the post.
By the time a second hand is found and a local MP's wife goes missing, Jessica is left struggling to find out who the appendages belong to, how they are connected and just what the mysterious woman in black has to do with it all.
Someone has left a severed hand in the centre of Manchester and the only clue Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel has to go on is CCTV footage of a woman in a long black robe placing it carefully on the ground.
With a lengthy missing persons list and frantic families wondering if the body part could belong to their absent loved ones, she has plenty to deal with - and that's before a detached finger arrives for her in the post.
By the time a second hand is found and a local MP's wife goes missing, Jessica is left struggling to find out who the appendages belong to, how they are connected and just what the mysterious woman in black has to do with it all.
Audible Audio
First published February 21, 2012
About the author
Kerry Wilkinson
83 books1,117 followersRecent and upcoming UK releases:
24 October 2023: The Night Of The Sleepover
15 December 2023: After The Sleepover
2024: The Girl On The Side Of The Road
2024: The Missing Body
Kerry Wilkinson has sold more than two million books - and had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.
As well as his Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written a trilogy featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, the Whitecliff series, the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.
Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.
When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.
Find out more at: http://kerrywilkinson.com or http://facebook.com/KerryWilkinsonBooks
Find out more at: his website or Facebook
24 October 2023: The Night Of The Sleepover
15 December 2023: After The Sleepover
2024: The Girl On The Side Of The Road
2024: The Missing Body
Kerry Wilkinson has sold more than two million books - and had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.
As well as his Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written a trilogy featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, the Whitecliff series, the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.
Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.
When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.
Find out more at: http://kerrywilkinson.com or http://facebook.com/KerryWilkinsonBooks
Find out more at: his website or Facebook
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
February 20, 2018
4.5 stars (rounded to 4 stars)
I was in the mood for a guaranteed good read, so I went to a favorite go-to series and grabbed Kerry Wilkinson’s Jessica Daniel book #4. As usual, Kerry came through for me with a great story. If I had to describe it in 3 words, I would say, “Clever, very clever!” I think this was my favorite of his to date.
Newly promoted DCI Jack Cole and DI Jason Reynolds, as well as DC Dave Rowlands are all back. These are great colleagues for Jessica. I especially love her brotherly bickering relationship with Dave. New to the squad is DC Izzy Diamond, a wonderful addition who contributes a nice measure of levity to the team. With each book, we learn a little more about Jessica. I happily suspect we will continue to see her grow and mature as the series progresses. This time we see her in some girlie girl situations, a most uncomfortable role for Jessica. Another thing I like is that she does have insight to her foibles, something you do not always see in copper protagonists who have issues.
The plot is a good one. Human hands are showing up in the center of town unattached to the rest of the bodies. Fingers are being delivered by the mailman. Clearly a serial killer is on the loose. This proves to be an extraordinarily tough case for our heroine. Though she is only a DS, she has the lead thanks to a higher profile case going on simultaneously that is draining the time of the more senior detectives. It requires all of Jessica’s brainpower and a little bit of luck to work through the scarcity of leads to a most surprising revelation.
The prose is simple yet well suited for the genre. There are no wasted words so things move along well. All in all, an easy, yet compelling read.
At the end of the book, I was left wanting more of Jessica and her team, which is always a good sign. I refuse, however, to read Kerry’s books one after another as I always want one in the reservoir when I need a comfort read that will be a sure-fire winner. If you haven’t tried Kerry Wilkinson, I suggest you give him a shot. In my opinion, he is a very underrated author.
I was in the mood for a guaranteed good read, so I went to a favorite go-to series and grabbed Kerry Wilkinson’s Jessica Daniel book #4. As usual, Kerry came through for me with a great story. If I had to describe it in 3 words, I would say, “Clever, very clever!” I think this was my favorite of his to date.
Newly promoted DCI Jack Cole and DI Jason Reynolds, as well as DC Dave Rowlands are all back. These are great colleagues for Jessica. I especially love her brotherly bickering relationship with Dave. New to the squad is DC Izzy Diamond, a wonderful addition who contributes a nice measure of levity to the team. With each book, we learn a little more about Jessica. I happily suspect we will continue to see her grow and mature as the series progresses. This time we see her in some girlie girl situations, a most uncomfortable role for Jessica. Another thing I like is that she does have insight to her foibles, something you do not always see in copper protagonists who have issues.
The plot is a good one. Human hands are showing up in the center of town unattached to the rest of the bodies. Fingers are being delivered by the mailman. Clearly a serial killer is on the loose. This proves to be an extraordinarily tough case for our heroine. Though she is only a DS, she has the lead thanks to a higher profile case going on simultaneously that is draining the time of the more senior detectives. It requires all of Jessica’s brainpower and a little bit of luck to work through the scarcity of leads to a most surprising revelation.
The prose is simple yet well suited for the genre. There are no wasted words so things move along well. All in all, an easy, yet compelling read.
At the end of the book, I was left wanting more of Jessica and her team, which is always a good sign. I refuse, however, to read Kerry’s books one after another as I always want one in the reservoir when I need a comfort read that will be a sure-fire winner. If you haven’t tried Kerry Wilkinson, I suggest you give him a shot. In my opinion, he is a very underrated author.
April 10, 2017
This series is well established across the pond but has just recently become available in the US with more books to be released this spring. I quickly became enamoured with Jessica Daniel and thoroughly enjoyed the first two books in the series.
At the start, Reynolds has been promoted and we are introduced to some new team members. A severed hand, missing the ring finger, has just been found in a local park. Then the finger is mailed to the police. Then another hand is found. The killer is taunting the police. And Jessica has minimal clues to go on. Unlike the tv police shows, Wilkinson is great about describing the mundane and often tedious work involved in solving a crime, especially when there is little to go on.
There's even some humor in this one. When Izzi tells Jessica the stories she's heard about her driving, I laughed out loud. Ditto for Jessica’s comments about her dislike of kids.
One thing I've noticed is that Wilkinson doesn't waste a lot of time rehashing prior books. Some series spend so much time bringing you up to speed, you feel like you're re-reading the prior book. No so here. You get glimpses, but they're more along the lines of a character remembering something from a prior case and vowing not to make the same mistake.
My thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. So happy to have books 4-7 to look forward to reading.
At the start, Reynolds has been promoted and we are introduced to some new team members. A severed hand, missing the ring finger, has just been found in a local park. Then the finger is mailed to the police. Then another hand is found. The killer is taunting the police. And Jessica has minimal clues to go on. Unlike the tv police shows, Wilkinson is great about describing the mundane and often tedious work involved in solving a crime, especially when there is little to go on.
There's even some humor in this one. When Izzi tells Jessica the stories she's heard about her driving, I laughed out loud. Ditto for Jessica’s comments about her dislike of kids.
One thing I've noticed is that Wilkinson doesn't waste a lot of time rehashing prior books. Some series spend so much time bringing you up to speed, you feel like you're re-reading the prior book. No so here. You get glimpses, but they're more along the lines of a character remembering something from a prior case and vowing not to make the same mistake.
My thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. So happy to have books 4-7 to look forward to reading.
August 4, 2022
In this serial killer thriller, the 3rd in the Jessica Daniels series, DI Daniels and the other officers on duty discover a severed hand. With little else to go on other than unclear CCTV footage of a woman in a black cloak who appears to leave the hand, they must try to piece together who their killer could be. As more body parts begin appearing and the killer becomes more brazen, the police force has their work cut out for them. I liked how as we got further into the mystery, there were some interesting pieces added—the rugby team, and a coach who could be tied in… or not? The girlfriend of one of the victims could be a suspect… or not? Then there was the case of the government official and his wife who had been missing from early on in the story and how does that play in? I was completely enthralled and eager to see how things turned out.
January 26, 2020
This is the 3rd book in the Jessica Daniels series by author Kerry Wilkinson.
I am continuing to read this series in my dis jointed way but still managing to enjoy them all the same.
When a severed hand is discovered in the centre of Manchester the solitary clue is CCTV footage of a woman in a long black robe placing the hand on the ground. Jessica Daniels and her team are assigned the case and the pressure grows when a second hand is found and a local politician’s wife goes missing.
With no names for the body parts, Jessica feels the strain and is beseeched by the mother of missing Lewis Barnes, who is convinced his girlfriend, twenty-six year-old January Forrester is responsible. The facts don't make sense to Jessica, who is the woman in black and what is the significance of the body parts.
Another intriguing case for Jessica Daniels with more twists, turns and red herrings making it an excellent read.
I am continuing to read this series in my dis jointed way but still managing to enjoy them all the same.
When a severed hand is discovered in the centre of Manchester the solitary clue is CCTV footage of a woman in a long black robe placing the hand on the ground. Jessica Daniels and her team are assigned the case and the pressure grows when a second hand is found and a local politician’s wife goes missing.
With no names for the body parts, Jessica feels the strain and is beseeched by the mother of missing Lewis Barnes, who is convinced his girlfriend, twenty-six year-old January Forrester is responsible. The facts don't make sense to Jessica, who is the woman in black and what is the significance of the body parts.
Another intriguing case for Jessica Daniels with more twists, turns and red herrings making it an excellent read.
October 13, 2016
A severed hand with the ring finger missing is found and Detective Jessica Daniel is called on to investigate. There are no clues, no witnesses, nothing but a CCTV video of a woman in a long black robe placing the hand on the ground.
When a second hand with a missing finger is found and a politician's wife goes missing, Jessica and her team have their hands full.
And then Jessica gets a package in the mail ... a finger.
And then there are more hands .. and fingers.
First problem is trying to identify the victims. And how are they connected? Who is the lady in black? Why has Jessica been targeted to receive the bloody fingers?
I've been fortunate in reading the first two books of this series in order. Detective Daniel is one of my favorite characters. She's tough, and sometimes over aggressive, but she has earned her team's respect by being tenacious is hunting human monsters. She has grown significantly since the first book .. matured and somewhat calmer.
It's a well-written murder mystery with great characters, introducing a couple of new team members. The story line is unique and hard to guess who or what is at the root of the killings.
This is one series I will definitely follow.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / NetGalley who provided a digital copy for my reading pleasure.
When a second hand with a missing finger is found and a politician's wife goes missing, Jessica and her team have their hands full.
And then Jessica gets a package in the mail ... a finger.
And then there are more hands .. and fingers.
First problem is trying to identify the victims. And how are they connected? Who is the lady in black? Why has Jessica been targeted to receive the bloody fingers?
I've been fortunate in reading the first two books of this series in order. Detective Daniel is one of my favorite characters. She's tough, and sometimes over aggressive, but she has earned her team's respect by being tenacious is hunting human monsters. She has grown significantly since the first book .. matured and somewhat calmer.
It's a well-written murder mystery with great characters, introducing a couple of new team members. The story line is unique and hard to guess who or what is at the root of the killings.
This is one series I will definitely follow.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / NetGalley who provided a digital copy for my reading pleasure.
November 20, 2016
A hand left in the Manchester center and the only clue is a CCTV tape of a lady wearing a black cape leaving it and always facing away from the cameras as if she is aware of where they are located. Then another hand shows up and they seem unconnected. The caped lady the only thing they have in common. Can Det Daniels and her team solve this before more hands are found and how are the victims connected. That may help find the killer. Great read. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.
November 17, 2016
I couldn't wait to start this one. I finished Vigilante and I wanted to know what was next for Jessica Daniel.
Almost a year has gone by and now Cole is Jessica DCI. Jessica doesn't know if having him as her boss is a good thing or not since he knows her too well. Jessica also has a new detective to share her office with and of course, right from the start, Jessica says something she shouldn't which makes working in the same office very tense. Mostly, Jessica tries not to be at her office and she works with David and a new recruit Izzy.
When a severed human hand is found in a very public place and soon after a finger is delivered to the police station, Jessica and her team become the lead investigators while the rest of the force is busy looking into the disappearance of a local MP’s wife. The only clue they have is from a video from a CCTV camera where a woman wearing a black cape is seen leaving the hand behind. When more severed hands start appearing and mail with more fingers are delivered to Jessica, she knows she has to find the links between the missing people and the severed hands popping out all over the city before more people die.
One thing I'm enjoying about this series is how the characters have grown. Jessica and Caroline seem to be gradually be working back into their friendship. Caroline has even named Jessica her bridesmaid! Dave Rowlands usually delivers great humor but he's also more mature and a very good detective. I'm still not sure if he has a romantic role but he certainly gets along well with Jessica. Cole as Jessica's boss couldn't be better. He let's her be. He trusts her too. He doesn't micromanage her. Izzy was a great addition to the team. She has some of the same spark Rowlands has but it's nice for Jessica to have another girlfriend. Hugo is still a mystery to me. He's in a way an adorable enigma.
I was hoping for some Adam confrontation but sadly there was nothing about him. I'm still hopeful.
The other positive about the story was the detective work per se. I like how the link between victims was established. I enjoyed the twist too.
I'm definitely going to continue this series.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Bookouture via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
July 8, 2017
Really enjoying this series.
November 24, 2016
Another entertaining Jessica Daniel story. I'm becoming a bit attached to the woman! Finishes off with a twist you probably won't expect. I certainly didn't.
While the news is monopolized by the missing wife of a public figure, something else sinister is happening in Manchester. A figure in a black robe is carefully leaving hands about the city... and fingers to DS Daniel through the post. Dubbed The Woman in Black by the media, the killer alludes the authorities and seems to have great knowledge of CCTV, never giving them much to go on, remaining hidden in a long black robe. The hands all seem to belong to men, and Daniel and her team have to go through missing persons reports to try to find who they belong to. But why are these men who seem to be around the same age being targeted? Are they alive or dead? What did they do to make someone want to punish them? If they can't figure out how they're connected, they have no way to figure out who is next...
I did have an inkling of the "why" quite early on in the book but did not get the "who". Full of twists you won't expect. I enjoyed this latest Jessica Daniel venture very much. For those that appreciate a good female detective novel that is very light on romance, I'd recommend them. Looking forward to the next one. I appreciated the new characters and the return of Caroline.
I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Bookouture, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.
While the news is monopolized by the missing wife of a public figure, something else sinister is happening in Manchester. A figure in a black robe is carefully leaving hands about the city... and fingers to DS Daniel through the post. Dubbed The Woman in Black by the media, the killer alludes the authorities and seems to have great knowledge of CCTV, never giving them much to go on, remaining hidden in a long black robe. The hands all seem to belong to men, and Daniel and her team have to go through missing persons reports to try to find who they belong to. But why are these men who seem to be around the same age being targeted? Are they alive or dead? What did they do to make someone want to punish them? If they can't figure out how they're connected, they have no way to figure out who is next...
I did have an inkling of the "why" quite early on in the book but did not get the "who". Full of twists you won't expect. I enjoyed this latest Jessica Daniel venture very much. For those that appreciate a good female detective novel that is very light on romance, I'd recommend them. Looking forward to the next one. I appreciated the new characters and the return of Caroline.
I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Bookouture, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.
November 4, 2016
The Woman In Black (Jessica Daniel #3)
by Kerry Wilkinson
I guess I am in the minority as other reviewers have really liked this book. This is the third book in a series. This is the first time trying this series for me and maybe I should have read the first two in order to like it. There seem to be many fans of this series. I did not like anything about this book. The plot or the characters didn't seem as well developed as other crime procedural s, mysteries or thrillers that I have recently read. I really would have preferred to like this, but if I am to be honest, I have to say that I am disappointed that I found it to be flat and not well developed. I hope others enjoy it as I realize that the author spent time and effort.
Thank you to Net Galley, Kerry Wilkinson and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.
by Kerry Wilkinson
I guess I am in the minority as other reviewers have really liked this book. This is the third book in a series. This is the first time trying this series for me and maybe I should have read the first two in order to like it. There seem to be many fans of this series. I did not like anything about this book. The plot or the characters didn't seem as well developed as other crime procedural s, mysteries or thrillers that I have recently read. I really would have preferred to like this, but if I am to be honest, I have to say that I am disappointed that I found it to be flat and not well developed. I hope others enjoy it as I realize that the author spent time and effort.
Thank you to Net Galley, Kerry Wilkinson and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.
February 16, 2018
Another police procedural in Manchester featuring feisty Detective Sergeant Jess Daniel, chasing the hooded woman caught on CCTV leaving a severed hand in the centre of the city. This book moves too slowly through the early stages but the final third is much stronger, so only three stars from me. I will read the next in the series, though.
April 11, 2017
Very hooking book. It was recommended by a friend on Goodreads.
December 30, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I really am addicted to this series! Each book has been so unique and suspenseful. Jessica is a great main character and I love watching her grow into a more developed person both in her professional and social life. I highly recommend each and every book in this series and I can't wait until the next one is released!
October 20, 2016
Brilliant. I just couldn't put this down. There were so many thrilling twists in this book.Loved it. Love Jessica - she's a wonderful character. Great book and I cannot wait for the next in the series.
February 5, 2020
This installment in the series has someone leaving severed hands to be found, and a popular MP's wife going missing. Jessica and her coworkers have their work cut out to solve these cases.
This was an interesting one, with a storyline that was fast-paced. Jessica and the secondary characters were great, as usual.
This was an interesting one, with a storyline that was fast-paced. Jessica and the secondary characters were great, as usual.
January 26, 2017
This book was hard for me to rate, because I truly did enjoy it. I didn't figure it out before it was revealed, which is a plus, but when you advertise a "twist you won't see coming" on the book's cover, you better deliver a big one. And this one was "meh." It didn't knock my socks off.
But overall, I did enjoy this book a great deal. It was suspenseful and kept me intrigued.
Detective Jessica Daniel finds herself heading up an investigation into first one, then several more, human hands found left in very public spaces by a woman in a long, black cloak, dubbed "The Woman in Black." As the station's brass is focused on the missing wife of a local government official, Daniel and her team are facing a pile of hands - and potentially, murders - and more questions than answers.
This book really pulls you in because the concept is so unique. Hands left in public by someone who hides their identity well enough not to be picked up by security cameras. It's so puzzling. The suspense really builds throughout the book, since it's not the kind of book which just lays things out there. I really had no idea what was going on.
Also, the subplot about the politician's wife is pretty good, which adds to the layers of the story.
However, the book was lengthy. I wish it had been edited down to be, maybe, 50 pages shorter. It just seemed to be really long at times, with some unnecessary scenes and details. But that wasn't enough to put me off finishing the book or anything.
And, again, the twist was a bit disappointing because it wasn't very original. I feel like I've seen similar things before. It left me a little disappointed, to be honest. But added in with the rest of the book, I felt the conclusion was ok. It wrapped things up nicely.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book, however, and I'll certainly be reading more in this series. Just don't reading this expecting some kind of "Girl on the Train" twister.
But overall, I did enjoy this book a great deal. It was suspenseful and kept me intrigued.
Detective Jessica Daniel finds herself heading up an investigation into first one, then several more, human hands found left in very public spaces by a woman in a long, black cloak, dubbed "The Woman in Black." As the station's brass is focused on the missing wife of a local government official, Daniel and her team are facing a pile of hands - and potentially, murders - and more questions than answers.
This book really pulls you in because the concept is so unique. Hands left in public by someone who hides their identity well enough not to be picked up by security cameras. It's so puzzling. The suspense really builds throughout the book, since it's not the kind of book which just lays things out there. I really had no idea what was going on.
Also, the subplot about the politician's wife is pretty good, which adds to the layers of the story.
However, the book was lengthy. I wish it had been edited down to be, maybe, 50 pages shorter. It just seemed to be really long at times, with some unnecessary scenes and details. But that wasn't enough to put me off finishing the book or anything.
And, again, the twist was a bit disappointing because it wasn't very original. I feel like I've seen similar things before. It left me a little disappointed, to be honest. But added in with the rest of the book, I felt the conclusion was ok. It wrapped things up nicely.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book, however, and I'll certainly be reading more in this series. Just don't reading this expecting some kind of "Girl on the Train" twister.
September 19, 2015
I am really getting into this series finally and I have a huge soft spot for Jessica Daniel. I do love books featuring female detectives and this series is shaping up to be one of the best. As with the previous book, the characters are all really starting to come into their own and this time around we have a couple of newbies. One of whom, Izzy, takes up some scenes that would ordinarily feature Dave Rowlands and I kind of wanted more from Dave as his friendship with Jessica has been a highlight of the previous books.
Storyline wise things started off quite strong in the beginning with an opening that hooked me in and kept me reading but then it became a rather formulaic story and the resolution, whilst it had a couple of brilliant twists, was nothing that I haven't read numerous times before in other stories. That said Kerry Wilkinson's writing has gone from strength to strength and I am extremely excited to keep reading the series and I am so glad I came to it late because there's still a good few to go yet! Highly recommend the series to crime fiction fans who are yet to discover it.
Storyline wise things started off quite strong in the beginning with an opening that hooked me in and kept me reading but then it became a rather formulaic story and the resolution, whilst it had a couple of brilliant twists, was nothing that I haven't read numerous times before in other stories. That said Kerry Wilkinson's writing has gone from strength to strength and I am extremely excited to keep reading the series and I am so glad I came to it late because there's still a good few to go yet! Highly recommend the series to crime fiction fans who are yet to discover it.
July 9, 2017
This is one of the many Kerry Wilkinson books that I have read in various genres and I have yet to be disappointed!
This is the third instalment of the Jessica Daniels series and it's great to see how she is evolving as a character. Kerry Wilkinson doesn't keep his characters static through the series, they change as people do in real life which makes it very easy to become invested in them.
In this novel the twists and turns kept me guessing right until the bitter end! I had ideas but when it came to the end of the story it turned out all my previous suspects were nothing but red herrings! It's not often that an author can fleece me as well as Mr Wilkinson did in this book!
Cheers to another fantastic read and I can't wait to dive in and find out what's going to happen to DS Jessica Daniel's in the next book of the series!!
This is the third instalment of the Jessica Daniels series and it's great to see how she is evolving as a character. Kerry Wilkinson doesn't keep his characters static through the series, they change as people do in real life which makes it very easy to become invested in them.
In this novel the twists and turns kept me guessing right until the bitter end! I had ideas but when it came to the end of the story it turned out all my previous suspects were nothing but red herrings! It's not often that an author can fleece me as well as Mr Wilkinson did in this book!
Cheers to another fantastic read and I can't wait to dive in and find out what's going to happen to DS Jessica Daniel's in the next book of the series!!
October 30, 2013
Really enjoying the series which I discovered by accident, found someone at work who has read the whole series and enjoyed the lot.
This installment starts with the finding of a hand in a public place in Manchester, the CCTV footage reveals a suspect but not a face.
Our heroine is a smart copper, but she's also clumsy and has been known to open her mouth to change her feet. There's also the usual banter amongst the police she works with, most of it taking the mickey of Jess or her two DC's.
Don't want to give too much away and ruin it for others, but it's definately a series that's worth a look.
Already bought the next one in the series.
This installment starts with the finding of a hand in a public place in Manchester, the CCTV footage reveals a suspect but not a face.
Our heroine is a smart copper, but she's also clumsy and has been known to open her mouth to change her feet. There's also the usual banter amongst the police she works with, most of it taking the mickey of Jess or her two DC's.
Don't want to give too much away and ruin it for others, but it's definately a series that's worth a look.
Already bought the next one in the series.
October 20, 2016
Brilliant. I just couldn't put this down. There were so many thrilling twists in this book.Loved it. Love Jessica - she's a wonderful character. Great book and I cannot wait for the next in the series.
August 30, 2017
I liked it and I got a shock who the killer was, but not enough action for me. I do love Kerry's writing though and look forward to what he has in store next. It's 3.5 rating from me.
February 2, 2017
Third book in the Jessica Daniel Series. It can be read as a standalone, but obviously would be better read as part of the series to understand the back history and characters!
In this book Jessica is trying to track down who is leaving severed hands around Manchester City Centre. Who do they hands belong to and where are the rest of the bodies? All she knows is that they are being left by a mystery Woman in Black – what looks to be a woman in a long black robe with the face covered is being seen on CCTV depositing the hands in various places. There’s also changes in the station for Jessica after DI Cole and DS Reynolds are promoted and Jessica is made to share her office with the new DS Louise Cornish. Running alongside this case is also another big case of the local MP’s wife going missing. Being split into two teams with Jessica heading the Woman in Black case and Louise the missing wife case, the whole team are finding that they are getting nowhere. Are the two cases linked?
This was another great book. As in the previous two books, I love the character of Jessica. She’s still driving her battered old car, driving too fast and putting her foot into almost every conversation, but it feels like her character is growing with each book. She’s back in touch with her old friend Caroline, and she’s also getting close to her new DC, Izzy Diamond. There’s the usual banter between her and DC Rowlands which adds humour and light heartedness to the story. As usual the story starts off well and flows at a fast pace throughout the rest of the book. To be honest, I’ve struggled to put this one down, grabbing a few pages at every opportunity. I’m not sure if the actual plot of the story is the best so far as it feels like it’s been done so many times in other books but, as like the others, I’ve had my suspicions as to ‘whodunnit’ but been proved wrong, and not guessed it until it’s revealed right at the end!
I was a little disappointed that Adam didn’t make an appearance. I loved the chemistry between him and Jessica in book #2. You never know, we may see him in later books of the series!!
Would highly recommend this series, and I’m now off to start book #4!!
In this book Jessica is trying to track down who is leaving severed hands around Manchester City Centre. Who do they hands belong to and where are the rest of the bodies? All she knows is that they are being left by a mystery Woman in Black – what looks to be a woman in a long black robe with the face covered is being seen on CCTV depositing the hands in various places. There’s also changes in the station for Jessica after DI Cole and DS Reynolds are promoted and Jessica is made to share her office with the new DS Louise Cornish. Running alongside this case is also another big case of the local MP’s wife going missing. Being split into two teams with Jessica heading the Woman in Black case and Louise the missing wife case, the whole team are finding that they are getting nowhere. Are the two cases linked?
This was another great book. As in the previous two books, I love the character of Jessica. She’s still driving her battered old car, driving too fast and putting her foot into almost every conversation, but it feels like her character is growing with each book. She’s back in touch with her old friend Caroline, and she’s also getting close to her new DC, Izzy Diamond. There’s the usual banter between her and DC Rowlands which adds humour and light heartedness to the story. As usual the story starts off well and flows at a fast pace throughout the rest of the book. To be honest, I’ve struggled to put this one down, grabbing a few pages at every opportunity. I’m not sure if the actual plot of the story is the best so far as it feels like it’s been done so many times in other books but, as like the others, I’ve had my suspicions as to ‘whodunnit’ but been proved wrong, and not guessed it until it’s revealed right at the end!
I was a little disappointed that Adam didn’t make an appearance. I loved the chemistry between him and Jessica in book #2. You never know, we may see him in later books of the series!!
Would highly recommend this series, and I’m now off to start book #4!!
April 19, 2017
4.5 Stars
This book was a very pleasant surprise. I got caught by the title, and the summary was intriguing so i thought i could give it a try. And i really enjoyed.
When i read the first book of the series, i kind of was complaining that i figured it out very soon, Well with this book i definitely did not see it coming.
Once again, Detective Jessica Daniel is working on an unsual case. Somenone, a mysterious woman dressed in black, is going around the city leaving severed hands (missing one finger) behind and then sending by mail that finger to Detective Daniel. Nothing connects the victims, and whenever some kind of connection is found it turn out to be useless.
Meanwhile, everyone else was busy working on the case of the missing wife of the local MP. I actually enjoyed the extra confusion this case added to the story.
I really liked this book. Detective Daniel seemed to have grown up, in a way, since the first book, and se became more professional. Also the case was very intriguing and i liked how it turned out to be.
Honestly, i was not thinking of requesting another book of the series, but then after reading this book i am curious to see how she will evolve, and what other cases she would be working on.
I definitely recommend this book.
This book was a very pleasant surprise. I got caught by the title, and the summary was intriguing so i thought i could give it a try. And i really enjoyed.
When i read the first book of the series, i kind of was complaining that i figured it out very soon, Well with this book i definitely did not see it coming.
Once again, Detective Jessica Daniel is working on an unsual case. Somenone, a mysterious woman dressed in black, is going around the city leaving severed hands (missing one finger) behind and then sending by mail that finger to Detective Daniel. Nothing connects the victims, and whenever some kind of connection is found it turn out to be useless.
Meanwhile, everyone else was busy working on the case of the missing wife of the local MP. I actually enjoyed the extra confusion this case added to the story.
I really liked this book. Detective Daniel seemed to have grown up, in a way, since the first book, and se became more professional. Also the case was very intriguing and i liked how it turned out to be.
Honestly, i was not thinking of requesting another book of the series, but then after reading this book i am curious to see how she will evolve, and what other cases she would be working on.
I definitely recommend this book.
May 26, 2021
Brilliant book, total twist at the end which I didn't see coming!
April 14, 2017
This is the third book in the Jessica Daniel series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot is solid and I really enjoyed where the story went. The characters are great as normal and I did feel that in this book we got to know them even more and their relationships are developing as the books go though the series. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
September 14, 2026
4.5
The ending was a little triggering. Poor Jessica.
The ending was a little triggering. Poor Jessica.
November 23, 2016
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
This is book three in Wilkinson’s Jessica Daniel series and though I struggled a bit with book two, I’m happy to report that I was more happily satisfied with this one! Book two left me feeling underwhelmed, mostly because things seemed a bit too far fetched to be entirely believable. The Woman in Black restored my hope in the series and has me waiting impatiently for the release of book four.
Jess is assigned to a whopper of a case this time. A severed hand is found in the middle of the city and it’s clear that whoever left it there wanted it to be found. Before long, another hand is found and then Jess receives a finger in the mail. Why is it that body parts being found instead of a entire body is so much creepier?! I think for me it’s because I was constantly wondering if the victims were just maimed or were they murdered? What do these random hands have in common? A link seems to be non existent (forget about a motive!)which makes answering the sobering question, who will be next, all the more difficult to answer.
Jess is still the same woman I’ve grown to really like, but she is starting to show some maturity and growth. She still doesn’t always think before she speaks and tends to put her foot in her mouth at the most inopportune moments. I can’t help but love her for it, I like when characters are flawed and raw. The banter between her and Dave is fantastic and their rapport just keeps getting better. A new detective joins the team, Izzy, and I really warmed to her right off. It was nice to see Jess making a female friend and their budding relationship is one I’ll be looking forward to seeing develop further.
This was a wildly entertaining and compulsive read that I finished within a few hours. The plot was unpredictable with plenty of false starts and dead ends to keep the reader and Jess and team on their toes. If this series continues to get better with each book then I’m in for a real treat.
This is book three in Wilkinson’s Jessica Daniel series and though I struggled a bit with book two, I’m happy to report that I was more happily satisfied with this one! Book two left me feeling underwhelmed, mostly because things seemed a bit too far fetched to be entirely believable. The Woman in Black restored my hope in the series and has me waiting impatiently for the release of book four.
Jess is assigned to a whopper of a case this time. A severed hand is found in the middle of the city and it’s clear that whoever left it there wanted it to be found. Before long, another hand is found and then Jess receives a finger in the mail. Why is it that body parts being found instead of a entire body is so much creepier?! I think for me it’s because I was constantly wondering if the victims were just maimed or were they murdered? What do these random hands have in common? A link seems to be non existent (forget about a motive!)which makes answering the sobering question, who will be next, all the more difficult to answer.
Jess is still the same woman I’ve grown to really like, but she is starting to show some maturity and growth. She still doesn’t always think before she speaks and tends to put her foot in her mouth at the most inopportune moments. I can’t help but love her for it, I like when characters are flawed and raw. The banter between her and Dave is fantastic and their rapport just keeps getting better. A new detective joins the team, Izzy, and I really warmed to her right off. It was nice to see Jess making a female friend and their budding relationship is one I’ll be looking forward to seeing develop further.
This was a wildly entertaining and compulsive read that I finished within a few hours. The plot was unpredictable with plenty of false starts and dead ends to keep the reader and Jess and team on their toes. If this series continues to get better with each book then I’m in for a real treat.
November 30, 2021
This is a page turner, even though the plot is ridiculously complicated, it's rather repetitive and Jessica Daniels is not a very pleasant person at all. Once more she acts in really stupid ways, especially at the end, and in a fashion which isn't at all what a police officer would do. I did like the relationships with her friends though, and as always whenever Hugo turns up, everything gets much better. I wish he was the main character!
November 22, 2016
Review: THE WOMAN IN BLACK by Kerry Wilkinson
A riveting British police procedural with a complex and shock-laden plot, THE WOMAN IN BLACK will keep pages turning and readers well-engrossed. Well-defined characters allow ready empathy. I especially appreciated the author's subtle application of clues without telegraphing the denouement.
A riveting British police procedural with a complex and shock-laden plot, THE WOMAN IN BLACK will keep pages turning and readers well-engrossed. Well-defined characters allow ready empathy. I especially appreciated the author's subtle application of clues without telegraphing the denouement.
June 1, 2014
This series goes from strength to strength. I have the rest of the series to read and there is a new one being released-can't wait
Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews