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Resa James Criminal Psychologist Mysteries, Book #1
Kith And Kill
The light streamed in through the bedroom window where the curtains hadn’t been pulled completely closed, allowing a beam to create a spotlight.
A mirror on the dressing table reflected the scene in the room, the tableaux of bodies entwined beneath the sheets. One arm dangled over the side of the bed, a woman’s, with small wrists and nails, painted deep red except for the index finger, where the varnish had chipped. A male shape was outlined on the right hand side beneath the lilac and white sheet.
A large crimson stain had spread over both bodies, and dripped on to the floor. The stain was blood. The couple were dead.
Outside the bedroom door Anna sat, with her back to the wall trembling. Her hands were shaking, as she tried to use her phone, eyes red and bloodshot with tears. She only wore one shoe; the other was dangling from one of the stair rungs leading down from the Attic room, the hatch wide open.
“Emergency services” came a disembodied voice from the phone “which service do you require?”
***
Resa James is a criminal psychologist and university lecturer - asked to consult for the police she is drawn into a multiple murder mystery that seems to have a connection to a fertility clinic. What links the victims together and who is the murderer?
A mirror on the dressing table reflected the scene in the room, the tableaux of bodies entwined beneath the sheets. One arm dangled over the side of the bed, a woman’s, with small wrists and nails, painted deep red except for the index finger, where the varnish had chipped. A male shape was outlined on the right hand side beneath the lilac and white sheet.
A large crimson stain had spread over both bodies, and dripped on to the floor. The stain was blood. The couple were dead.
Outside the bedroom door Anna sat, with her back to the wall trembling. Her hands were shaking, as she tried to use her phone, eyes red and bloodshot with tears. She only wore one shoe; the other was dangling from one of the stair rungs leading down from the Attic room, the hatch wide open.
“Emergency services” came a disembodied voice from the phone “which service do you require?”
***
Resa James is a criminal psychologist and university lecturer - asked to consult for the police she is drawn into a multiple murder mystery that seems to have a connection to a fertility clinic. What links the victims together and who is the murderer?
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 22, 2014
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35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 25, 2015
Review of Kith & Kill by Thea Hartley
25/2/2015
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Interesting storyline and credible plot
Kith & Kill heroine, Resa James, is different. She’s not a detective but a psychologist, and is called in to assist the police in identifying the type of person who would kill childless couples.
The author, Thea Hartley, has a good formula with her heroine, as Resa is uniquely placed to identify the connection.
As the story unfolds – at a decent pace – more details come to light. Characters are introduced at the right time for the reader to assimilate the information, and I found a good mix of clues popping up here and there.
Running through the novel is a lot of interesting information about infertility and clinics – a large part of the book concerns this, as it is the basis of the plot.
Apart from a scattering of typos and minor grammar mistakes, the book on the whole is taken from a good idea and makes a credible story.
There are more books planned in the series.
April 24, 2016
*** 2.5 Cranky Stars ***
This is a somewhat difficult review to write. There are very few people who experience joy when being critical of an author’s work and I am not one of them.
While I did not connect with this story, it’s clear other people have. Also, I hope that comments are taken as constructive criticism.
Kith and Kill is the first book in the Resa James series. Resa, the main female lead, is a psychologist and works at a university. She is seconded to help police when the sister and brother-in-law of one of her students are murdered.
As events unfold, the deaths form part of a larger pattern of murders. The police draw on Resa’s expertise and as the layers are revealed, it places Resa and people she cares about in danger.
Resa’s home life is complicated. She is the main caregiver of her teenaged daughter, Laura, who is a fantastic secondary character. Resa’s mother redefines the word ‘difficult’ and is a great minor antagonist in the larger narrative.
The main issues I have with this story are technical. There was a lot of head hopping in this story. We moved from one character to the next, sometimes in the same chapter or paragraph, and without warning.
The dialogue was stilted, which meant the characters came across as wooden. I also found some of the speech tags distracting e.g. Said Resa, said Laura, said Anna. I think the story would have benefited from some variety or eradicating some tags that weren’t necessary. It would have made the work a cleaner read.
In saying this, I believe there is a lot of promise in the Resa James’ series. I liked Resa. As a main character she is smart and someone to cheer for. Her daughter, Laura, is extremely likable and the two have a good relationship, which makes a change from the standard mother/teenaged-daughter conflict trope.
The premise of the story is intriguing and so are the revelations to the wider mysteries contained therein.
I look forward to more works in the Resa James’s series in the future.
With thanks to THE Book Club for the opportunity to read and review.
http://twistedbookcur.blogspot.ch/201...
November 22, 2014
Review of Kith and Kill by Thea Hartley
[I was sent a review copy of this novel]
Resa James, a criminal psychologist and divorced mother of a teenage girl, is brought in for consultation by the police regarding multiple murders that appear to be connected to a local fertility clinic in Cardiff.
Resa’s life is already complicated by an acquaintance who appears to have a crush on her when she is already on the verge of a relationship with someone new and exciting she’s just met.
The killer in this story is meticulous and cunning. But what is their motive? And why are they targeting infertile couples?
Victimology, which is a way of studying the victims’ personal lives [their likes and dislikes etc] appears to be the way forward to catch the killer. If Resa can discover what the killer has in common with the victims then she might be able to uncover who the serial killer is as they probably move in similar circles.
A poison pen letter out of the blue, puts Resa on her guard as it could threaten both herself and her daughter, Laura. She is fiercely protective of her home life and there are plenty of people who are suspects in this story, including a husband and wife team who are against forms of IVF. And what about the person who has a serious crush on Resa? She’s acting out of character and seemingly dangerous, could she have something to hide? Also workers at the clinic could any one of those possibly have a motive? There are lots of characters in this novel who make the reader wonder if they are the killer.
The murdered couples themselves have been secretive about their use of IVF further complicating the issue which makes Resa’s work as a profiler much more difficult to undertake.
This is a great ‘who done it?’ mystery which keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout this novel.
It’s a story that grabs the reader by the throat and doesn’t let them go right from the very first page. A tale that is interwoven with secrets and intrigue, mystery and emotion. A first class psychological thriller with a little romance thrown into the mix.
Ms. Hartley has a way of drawing the reader in from the very first paragraph, taking them on a roller coaster of a journey. This isn’t a tale for the faint heartened, it’s gritty and realistic, a story that wouldn’t be out of place as a television drama. It could give ‘Cracker’ and ‘Silent Witness’ a run for their money.
The settings take place in South Wales, in and around the Cardiff area, which is a refreshing change to read a crime fiction novel from those areas instead of London or Edinburgh or any other major city in the UK where these stories are often set. Indeed Cardiff itself becomes a character in its own right in this novel as does the IVF clinic. Which is part of the art of good writing that draws the reader in and never let’s go. Thea Hartley is one Welsh crime novelist to watch out for in the future and I’m sure there is lots more intrigue to come from this wonderful writer.
Reviewed by Lynette Rees
Author of Beneath a Sicilian Sun and Watching You
March 19, 2015
Resa James gets drawn into the police investigation of a murdered couple. She is a psychology lecturer, teaching the murdered woman's sister. It soon becomes clear that they are not the first or the last victims of this particular couple and Resa sets about trying to help the police identify the killer.
I enjoyed this story. I liked the characters, there were no alcoholic policemen, delinquent teenage children of major characters causing havoc for the parents as is so often the case in crime novels. I think it is a series with great potential.
I enjoyed this story. I liked the characters, there were no alcoholic policemen, delinquent teenage children of major characters causing havoc for the parents as is so often the case in crime novels. I think it is a series with great potential.
March 9, 2015
this is the first book in the resa james series. really enjoyed it, thought it flowed really well and the storyline was really good. liked the characters apart from the killer of course, scarily edna, resa's mum, sounds just like mine! look forward to reading the second book.
March 30, 2015
Very poor, for a start when responding to 999 calls the first responder will be regular Police Officers not CID. I really will not be reading anymore of this authors works. . Then it gets worse a very stilted narrative except when listing IVF procedures and Phsyco-babble explanations.
April 21, 2015
I really enjoyed reading Kith and Kill. The book has lovely believable characters, an enjoyable fast-paced plot and some great twists. I look forward to reading the next book in the series - Sticks and Bones.
February 4, 2015
A brilliant book that kept you turning the pages.
February 22, 2015
Thought, it was brilliant, really enjoyed it, had me guessing all the way through.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews