quippe | Entries tagged with isabelle grey

The Blurb On The Back:

A cold case.

The same night a local hero saved two people from the burning Marineland resort in Southend, a young woman was raped and murdered minutes from the scene of the fire, the culmination of a series of brutal rapes in the town. The killer was never found.

A new clue.

Twenty-five years on, new DNA techniques have blown the cold case open. DI Grace Fisher relishes the prospect of finally catching the culprit, but when the evidence doesn’t point to one clear suspect, she must reconstruct the original investigation. Any suggestion that the Essex force was less than thorough at the time could alienate her colleagues and destroy her chances of reaching the truth.

A final shot at justice.

Grace finds her investigation shadowed by a young true-crime podcaster backed by veteran crime reporter Ivo Sweatman. As pressure mounts she cannot afford to be distracted. She knows that a cold-blooded killer is slowly being backed into a corner, and a cornered predator is often the most dangerous of all …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The fourth in Isabelle Grey’s DI GRACE FISHER THRILLERS series is a smoothly written, intricately plotted affair that kept me engrossed from beginning to end and makes a feature of how DNA isn’t a magic bullet for cold cases although I could have done without the will-they-won’t-they romance with Blake (which has never convinced me) and Grey did try too hard to deflect attention from the most obvious suspect, which for me made it predictable.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A young psychiatrist is found dead in woodland outside a summer camp for young eating disorder patients run by the charismatic, world-renowned Professor Ned Chesham. DI Grace Fisher investigates, but is soon pulled from the case – to head up a Metropolitan Police review into a cold case involving Chesham himself.

Nearly twenty years earlier, one of Chesham’s patients made allegations that he sexually assaulted her. The police investigation at the time found no conclusive proof, but Grace soon discovers another victim, and a witness whose account never reached the police. Does this mean the original investigation was bungled? Scotland Yard would certainly like her to conclude otherwise.

As Grace uncovers the lies that led to the young doctor’s murder, she discovers the full extent of the damage done to Chesham’s ‘special girls’ and the danger that are still in.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Isabelle Grey’s DI GRACE FISHER crime series revolves around historical sex crimes but the plot line involving the father of a teenage anorexic treated by Chesham was too soapy for me and the central murder investigation fell by the wayside but Fisher’s an interesting character and I enjoyed her relationship with journalist Ivo enough to read the preceding books. Although I hadn’t read the earlier books, Grey threads enough information in to be able to understand what’s happened to Fisher and I found her an interesting detective – ethical but made cynical by her experiences with the politics at play in the police force. Her developing relationship with Blake left me a little cold given how it strays into a slightly contrived romance but her relationship with Ivo has more potential, especially given how Grey acknowledges the problems of when the police get too close to the press and I enjoyed the crusader vibe. However Clive’s storyline as the parent of a patient of Chesham who slowly realises what’s happened to his daughter rapidly descends into soap opera that for me undermined the seriousness of the crime (especially its ending, which I found tasteless and sensational). Broadly though there was enough here for me to be interested in checking out the earlier books and reading the next book.

THE SPECIAL GIRLS was released in the United Kingdom on 6th April 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.