Pretty solid thriller. Good writing and characters. Kept me engaged and interested. Nifty little twist near the end. ( )

I opened this book knowing only that it was written by Mo Hayder. I’ve read enough of her books now to know that I’m in safe hands when I find myself in pages she’s authored. My first shock – this is a departure from her D.I. Jack Caffrey series. My second shock? I missed Jack Caffrey. Not that this book lacked the merit to stand on it’s own, because it didn’t. Or that Jack Caffrey is an unlikable character, because he’s not. I’ve just found that I tend to dislike detectives – even though you’ll find them often enough in my own writing. (FYI – male detectives do not have to have a drinking problem and female detectives do not have to ride a motorcycle and suffer from an alienating form of macho-ism.)

Now . . . about this book in particular. Another solid, mercilessly brutal novel. Not as dark as some as Hayder’s work, and perhaps not as deep into her characters’ psyche, though that is probably due to this book not being a part of her long running series and the characters she usually writes. It kept me guessing. I thought I had it, but I was wrong. And the very end – enough to give you shivers and keep you up at night. I thought that this one would have less of an impact than her series, but then she pulled the rug out from under me over the last few pages and left me breathless. Five stars. ( )

A bit grim and gruesome, but I continued listening to the audiobook because I was intrigued by the characters. The ending was very disappointing and did not make sense to me. ( )

This is a story that captivated me from the beginning. A teenage girl is found dead. On the one hand, the police are detecting on the other hand, a mother interferes, which, as luck would have it, is the sister of a policewoman. The fact that the two get in each other's way does not always help solve the case. Each tries to protect the other and they become entangled more and more and no one has the overview.
[[Mo Hayder]] can always expose her thrillers so that you can see all traces, but is still caught in the interpersonal relationships of the protagonists and therefore advises at the end, who is now the villain. ( )

This was a very good book with an interesting and varied srtory line that had some good twists, especially right at the end. It was my first Mo Hayder book, but I will not be my last. ( )