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Just Kill: a twisting, addictive crime thriller that will keep you guessing
'Sharp, suspenseful, and utterly compelling - Remi Kone is a crime writer to watch' Karin Slaughter
London during a blistering heatwave. A man wakes in the middle of the night, hearing noises from downstairs. He assumes it's a burglar - nothing prepares him for what he finds.
Across the city, DI Leah Hutch and DS Benjamin Randle are called to a murder scene outside their jurisdiction. A woman has been killed - the only suspect, a friend from Leah's past who refuses to speak to anyone but her.
Meanwhile, fourteen-year-old Zed Okoro's mother has vanished. He will do anything in his power to find her - even if it means risking his own life.
As Leah and Randle investigate, they discover a conspiracy with roots far from home.
Three incidents. One connection. What secrets make people kill?
EVERYBODY LOVES REMI KONE'S THRILLERS
'Watch out for Remi Kone - she's a startling new crime writing talent!' Peter James
'An exciting and powerful voice in dramatic storytelling' Patricia Cornwell
'Twisty, deep and human . . . I want more from these characters and this author' Lee Child
'An assured and original new voice in crime fiction' Jane Casey
'DI Leah Hutch is a new detective to die for' MJ Arlidge
'A rare blend of emotional depth and page-turning suspense' Jimmy Akingbola
London during a blistering heatwave. A man wakes in the middle of the night, hearing noises from downstairs. He assumes it's a burglar - nothing prepares him for what he finds.
Across the city, DI Leah Hutch and DS Benjamin Randle are called to a murder scene outside their jurisdiction. A woman has been killed - the only suspect, a friend from Leah's past who refuses to speak to anyone but her.
Meanwhile, fourteen-year-old Zed Okoro's mother has vanished. He will do anything in his power to find her - even if it means risking his own life.
As Leah and Randle investigate, they discover a conspiracy with roots far from home.
Three incidents. One connection. What secrets make people kill?
EVERYBODY LOVES REMI KONE'S THRILLERS
'Watch out for Remi Kone - she's a startling new crime writing talent!' Peter James
'An exciting and powerful voice in dramatic storytelling' Patricia Cornwell
'Twisty, deep and human . . . I want more from these characters and this author' Lee Child
'An assured and original new voice in crime fiction' Jane Casey
'DI Leah Hutch is a new detective to die for' MJ Arlidge
'A rare blend of emotional depth and page-turning suspense' Jimmy Akingbola
Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Leah Hutch is a detective working with London's Metropolitan Police, and she has two murders to solve. That of Ray King is bizarre. His corpse is found on the downstairs sofa of Gabriel McMahon - who swears he has never met the dead man. Sarah Franks, a teacher with a drug problem is found with her throat cut in her dingy flat.
It is an unwritten rule of crime fiction, at least in Britain, that police detectives have to be emotionally damaged in some way. I could list examples, but most CriFi fans will know what I mean. Leah Hutch ticks most of the boxes. Her father, Eli Carson, murdered her mother and boyfriend when Leah was little, and is now serving a life sentence. Leah was brought up by her paternal grandmother, Margaretta who was loving - but in her own peculiar way.
A friend from Hutch's schooldays, Sami Mograbi, is found near the scene of Sarah's murder, but there is no evidence to connect him with the killing.There is also an apparently unconnected parallel plot. A teenager, Zechariah Okoro - known as Zed - is troubled, because his mother has gone missing. The conundrum about what Zed has to do with the story resolves in dramatic fashion. The boy, alone in his mother's bouse for 24 hours, has noticed a man watching the property. After following the stranger across London, Zed sees the man leave his home, apparently for a run. Zed breaks in. The next thing we know is that Hutch and her sidekick Randle have decided to pay Gabriel McMahon a visit. No reply to their knocks. They phone him and hear his mobile ringing inside the house. After forcing an entry, they find two people. McMahon is dead. Very dead, his blood spattered over the walls. The second person is a terrified Zed, in a foetal crouch, hiding in a wardrobe.
Approaching the half way point of the novel, we have are led to believe that there is a professional killer at work. We know him as Chris. He is currently employed by someone as yet unknown, and we assume he is responsible for the deaths of Sarah Franks, Ray King, Gabriel McMahon and - possibly - the disappearance of Zed's mother. My initial reaction was that Chris doesn't 'disappear' people - he simply murders them and leaves their corpses to provide puzzles for the police.
Zed's mother, Ogechi Okoro, is eventually found alive, after being kidnapped and tortured. Hutch finally discovers a link between Okoro, McMahon and Mograbi. They all studied medicine together at university. But what of Sarah Franks, and Ray King? That question is temporarily pushed to one side when Mograbi is found dead, killed by the same clinical slash to the carotid artery that ended the lives of Sarah Franks and Gabriel McMahon.
Hutch discovers something else about the three former medical students - they each took time out to do what was basically work experience in Ghana. Hutch flies to Ghana to investigate - unofficially - and what she discovers not only links the three med students, but also Ray King and Sarah Franks. We also learn that a woman called Bisi, who we know has been followed by the mysterious killer, Chris, was also in the same Accra hospital.
There is yet another turn in the plot road, but this time it is more of a hairpin than a gentle bend. The killer of Sarah, Gabriel and Sami is brought to justice, and the final pages hint at a resolution to one of Hutch's Great unknowns - the location of her murdered mother's grave.
British Nigerian Emmy-nominated producer, Remi Kone has worked on a number of well-known television dramas, such as KILLING EVE, SPOOKS and LEWIS. She lives in London, and Just Kill is her second novel. It is cleverly written, with a veritable vortex of a plot and will be published by Quercus on 7th May.
It is an unwritten rule of crime fiction, at least in Britain, that police detectives have to be emotionally damaged in some way. I could list examples, but most CriFi fans will know what I mean. Leah Hutch ticks most of the boxes. Her father, Eli Carson, murdered her mother and boyfriend when Leah was little, and is now serving a life sentence. Leah was brought up by her paternal grandmother, Margaretta who was loving - but in her own peculiar way.
A friend from Hutch's schooldays, Sami Mograbi, is found near the scene of Sarah's murder, but there is no evidence to connect him with the killing.There is also an apparently unconnected parallel plot. A teenager, Zechariah Okoro - known as Zed - is troubled, because his mother has gone missing. The conundrum about what Zed has to do with the story resolves in dramatic fashion. The boy, alone in his mother's bouse for 24 hours, has noticed a man watching the property. After following the stranger across London, Zed sees the man leave his home, apparently for a run. Zed breaks in. The next thing we know is that Hutch and her sidekick Randle have decided to pay Gabriel McMahon a visit. No reply to their knocks. They phone him and hear his mobile ringing inside the house. After forcing an entry, they find two people. McMahon is dead. Very dead, his blood spattered over the walls. The second person is a terrified Zed, in a foetal crouch, hiding in a wardrobe.
Approaching the half way point of the novel, we have are led to believe that there is a professional killer at work. We know him as Chris. He is currently employed by someone as yet unknown, and we assume he is responsible for the deaths of Sarah Franks, Ray King, Gabriel McMahon and - possibly - the disappearance of Zed's mother. My initial reaction was that Chris doesn't 'disappear' people - he simply murders them and leaves their corpses to provide puzzles for the police.
Zed's mother, Ogechi Okoro, is eventually found alive, after being kidnapped and tortured. Hutch finally discovers a link between Okoro, McMahon and Mograbi. They all studied medicine together at university. But what of Sarah Franks, and Ray King? That question is temporarily pushed to one side when Mograbi is found dead, killed by the same clinical slash to the carotid artery that ended the lives of Sarah Franks and Gabriel McMahon.
Hutch discovers something else about the three former medical students - they each took time out to do what was basically work experience in Ghana. Hutch flies to Ghana to investigate - unofficially - and what she discovers not only links the three med students, but also Ray King and Sarah Franks. We also learn that a woman called Bisi, who we know has been followed by the mysterious killer, Chris, was also in the same Accra hospital.
There is yet another turn in the plot road, but this time it is more of a hairpin than a gentle bend. The killer of Sarah, Gabriel and Sami is brought to justice, and the final pages hint at a resolution to one of Hutch's Great unknowns - the location of her murdered mother's grave.
British Nigerian Emmy-nominated producer, Remi Kone has worked on a number of well-known television dramas, such as KILLING EVE, SPOOKS and LEWIS. She lives in London, and Just Kill is her second novel. It is cleverly written, with a veritable vortex of a plot and will be published by Quercus on 7th May.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The second book in the police series featuring DI Leah Hutch. As with the first book, the story is full of drama and excitement. Running parallel to the police investigation into the murders is Leah's own search for answers to her mother's death. The latter provides intriguing glimpses of what may unfold in future books. The characters are dynamic, the story intelligently plotted and the action fast-paced. Highly recommended.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews