About The Book
The Suspect
Bullied by Steph Lewis at school, then betrayed by her lover, Amy Ashby still seethes with fury. Despite the decades-old resentment, she’s on the hunt for a new man and a fresh start. This time for keeps.
The Stalker
When both women are stalked by a figure from their shared past, danger threatens.
The Detective
Now Detective Inspector, Steph follows a tip-off to her old rival. After quarrels exploded beyond the playground and changed lives forever, she vowed never to see Amy again. But that was then.
The Deaths
Murder rocks the city. First one, then another. The body count reaches five, and all Steph’s leads point to Amy. But is Steph obsessed with a schoolgirl vendetta or closing in on a deadly killer?
My Review
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. At the beginning of this novel you get to meet two of the main characters, one in the police and the other a suspect, as children. One of them is accused of bullying the other and you soon see that the events that happened in childhood still had an impact on both many years later. This is definitely not a relationship where feelings have mellowed.
But these are two people who have to communicate. Both of them are strongly connected to the investigation and Steph has to ask questions despite what occurred in their past. I had a lot of sympathy for Steph, despite the accusation against her. I detested Amy almost immediately.
The team that Steph is part of is a strong one. Not really friends, just colleagues who tolerate each other, but they don’t let any animosity impact on their jobs. They do care about each other though, and this became more evident when Steph’s worrying health issues were revealed. This was a part of the novel that I appreciated a lot. It’s not often where a team is portrayed so honestly. And it’s not often where I’ve had a lot of concern for a character’s health.
I read a lot of crime fiction, sometimes I guess who is responsible for whichever crime has been committed, sometimes it’s a surprise but also a disappointment because it doesn’t make much sense. I thought I knew which way the storyline was going until a very surprising and clever event part way through In this novel and from then I had no idea what was going to happen or who was the murderer.
I hope that there will be a follow up to this novel, I enjoyed this one a lot.
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