A good story, well written, and the 2 plots are interwoven cleverly so that you almost don't see the collision point! My only let down with this was the ending, it seems to suddenly hurtle to the conclusion, almost as if there were only a finite amount of words left to be used.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of The Special Girls, the third novel to feature DI Grace Fisher and her team at Colchester CID.

Dr Tim Merrick is found bludgeoned to death in the woods of an estate where he was holidaying in a carer capacity with a group of anorexic teenagers. With all the adults on the estate accounted for Grace and the team are turning to the possibility of a stranger murder when she is called to London and asked to head up operation Mayfly with the specific task of re-examining the Met's handling of a historic sex allegation against Tim's boss and fellow camper, Professor Edward "Ned" Chesham.

Wow! Just wow, what a read. Without a doubt this is my novel of the year so far and I'm sure I won't be able to do it justice in this review. For a start it is a good crime novel with an interesting plot and a few surprising twists that held me enthralled, wondering what was coming next. The detail and thought that have gone into it are amazing. I would like to say that it is unputdownable but the effects of abuse on already fragile minds are harrowing and there were times when I had to put it down for a while but, like the siren's song, it always called me back. The sexual abuse of minors is a very topical subject but there is no sensationalism, only sympathy and what comes over really strongly is the victims' feeling of helplessness and not being believed. In sharp contrast is the Establishment's need to protect high profile figures, no matter the cost to individuals and The Met's need to present a faultless profile. Ms Grey nails these needs perfectly and the saddest thing about it is that it feels a little underdone - as recent history has proved over and over again.

DI Grace Fisher is a good protagonist. Having suffered at the hands of the police culture of protect your own she is ideally placed to help victims and she finds some ingenious ways to do so, but she comes over as a little naïve sometimes but definitely courageous.

The Special Girls is an excellent read with several plot strands, some good, unexpected twists and a sensitive, in-depth portrayal of abuse and its many aftershocks so I have no hesitation in recommending it as one of my books of the year.