Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of Diamond Dagger Award- winner McDermid's stirring 10th novel featuring Det. Chief Insp. Carol Jordan and profiler Tony Hill (after 2015's Splinter the Silence), office manager Kathryn McCormick meets an attractive man at a friend's wedding in the north of England. Less than three weeks later, Kathryn's body turns up in a burning car. Jordan, who now heads a newly formed regional major incident team, has little evidence to go on. Kathryn didn't seem like the type to make enemies, but she turns out to be the first in a string of single women who are all killed and set alight in their cars. Jordan and her team members eventually learn that each victim was a guest at a recent wedding where she met a new man. Jordan wants to solve the case not only to get justice for the victims but also to prove to herself, and the world, that she's able to lead despite her struggle with alcoholism. Even her friend Hill has trouble traversing the complicated emotional space she's in. The finale will shake readers to their core. Agent: Jane Gregory, Gregory & Company (U.K.). (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Psychologist Tony Hill and former detective Carol Jordan discover that misdirected anger can be fatal in this latest installment (after Splinter the Silence) of McDermid's engrossing crime series. After leaving the police and renovating her brother's barn, Carol has returned to the force to lead the Regional Major Incident Team (ReMIT). Carol and Tony are soon investigating several murders that they suspect are linked. In the north of England, a pattern emerges: female wedding guests are later found murdered in their burned-out cars. The killer's meticulous attention to detail ensures that no identifying material remains. The case quickly grinds to a halt, delighting the top brass who want ReMIT, and especially Carol, to fail. In addition, Carol struggles with how she was reinstated. DS Paula McIntyre's teenage ward discovers that the Internet can be an unforgiving place, and DC Stacey Chen continues to wield her electronic wizardry. The killer is wily, but ReMIT is tenacious. Using careful police work, the team eventually unearths the culprit, leading to a shocking denouement. VERDICT McDermid's fully developed characters, superior plotting, and excellent writing result in a police procedural that will please all mystery and thriller fans. [See Prepub Alert, 6/26/17; library marketing.]-Penelope J.M. Klein, Fayetteville, NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.