We’re new to both author Dickson and her plucky Brit detective Tanya Miller; “Brutal” is third in a currently four-book set. Apparently Tanya underwent some dangerous and injurious events in the first two novels, of which we almost wish we knew more details. A couple of dead bodies found near a golf course, difficult to identify as one had no head and another had nothing but a head, launches a fairly involved plot. Eventually both victims are identified and the killers, part of an immigrant trafficking scheme, are captured in a rather suspenseful tale that to our analysis ended both a little too conveniently and rather abruptly. Office politics, with a newly promoted male detective equal in rank to Tanya, added to the complexity of the investigation as the new guy tries to horn in on every aspect of the case. But it takes Tanya and her loyal followers to piece together all the loose ends.
So – a decent enough police procedural to seek out the rest of the series.