Member Reviews
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for an advance copy of Perfect Prey, the second Edinburgh based police procedural to feature DI Luc Callanach and DI Ava Turner.
Callanach is called out to a murder scene. A young man has been stabbed at a festival. When the initial flurry is over it is discovered that the victim is a charity worker with no known enemies and the killing is particularly vicious and professional. In the meantime Turner is called to another murder scene where a palliative care nurse has been crushed to death. As the killings continue Superintendent Overbeck brings her own touchy feely brand of supervision to the case, adding pressure and Turner rekindles an old relationship putting her friendship with Callanach in jeopardy.
I thoroughly enjoyed Perfect Prey as it seems that Ms Fields has hit her stride. I wasn't overly impressed with the first novel, Perfect Remains, but this is much better. It has good pace and plenty going on, the investigation, the fraught relationships and the machinations of Turner's boyfriend, hotshot cyber crimes investigator Joe Edgar. The first half of the novel is a straightforward narrative from the police perspective. It sets the scene, introduces the characters and gives a good overall picture of the problems facing the investigation and the politics involved.The second half offers several different points of view. I really like this approach and think it works extremely well. I'm not a big fan of alternating points of view but this is excellent. I had time to identify with Callanach and Turner and get absorbed in the story before I was distracted by a subject switch, which given its placement later in the novel serves to enhance and enrich the narrative because by then I know what I'm dealing with, rather than the more usual wondering what the point is when they're introduced from the start.
The plot is fairly twisted with a few surprises so it was difficult to guess where it is going. There is nothing particularly original about it but Ms Fields puts her own stamp on it with some gruesome methods of murder and the relationships between the characters. As befits fictional detectives both Callanach and Turner have their problems but apart from the simmering will they, won't they potential romance they are background noise to explain some of their actions rather than front and centre. I think Ms Fields has the balance right this time.
Perfect Prey is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
Oh my word what can I say? I loved the first book Perfect Remains, and I was worried that this one would not measure up, I had no need to worry, it was superb. I seriously could not put it down, so much so I actually contemplated taking the afternoon off work in order to finish it. I have told everyone I know that they must read this book when it is released.