Ava Turner, newly promoted to DCI after the retirement of her friend, former boss and mentor, DCI Begbie, is still finding her feet both in her professional and private life. Her colleagues on the Major Investigations Team feel the distance her promotion has caused and their interactions are now less casual, particularly the friendship between Ava and Luc, now she’s the boss. When Begbie’s body is found in his car, a distressed Ava refuses to accept or believe he’s committed suicide, as the scene suggests. She decides to do her own investigating and uncovers more than she bargained for, placing her in terrible danger.

Meanwhile the body of a teenage girl has been found up near Arthur’s Seat. The initial signs point to hypothermia, no foul play involved. But as the investigation progresses it seems someone is engineering people’s deaths and things begin to point to a sinister killer on the loose in Edinburgh. So, along with trying to find the perpetrator, Luc has a visit from his French mother to contend with. They haven’t spoken since Luc was accused of rape while working for Interpol.

I enjoyed getting reacquainted with the team – Callanach, Ava, Dr Ailsa Lambert, Lively and Tripp. DS Lively’s quips about, and banter with, Luc (gorgeous, half French and an ex model) bring a flash of humour to the narrative.

Written in the third person, with several sections from the viewpoint of the killer, the main plots run concurrently with twists making it almost impossible to work out where the story was going. Callanach is as complex and engaging as ever, the psychological and physical repercussions of his past still following him. I’m enjoying the character development and learning more about each of them. Ava and Luc are strong protagonists and there’s a great cast of secondary characters. I’m not convinced senior and experienced police officers would put themselves in dangerous situations without back up or letting colleagues know where they were going. That aside, this is another solid addition to the series and I will look forward to the next instalment.

Excellent book. Brilliant story and I loved the main characters. I would highly recommend this book.

One of my favourite book genre is crime fiction, since when I was about 16 years old and my gran gave me a Patricia Cornwell book to read, I have been hooked ever since. I am guilty of mainly reading crime fiction that takes places in the USA, so I was exited to find a book that based in Scotland.



Ava Turner has been newly promoted to DCI and DI Luc Callanach is her most trusted inspector. Turner and Callanach have one of their must differently cases to date, when they have two death very close together both from poison. They realise that they may have a serial hunting people in Edinburgh. This Killer is different from the normal killer, his pleasure comes from the pain the deaths cause. How will they catch a killer that hides in the shadow.

While they hunt for the killer, Ava must deal with the death of a close friends, who life and death isn't what it seems to be.



One of my favourite parts of the book is the relationship between Ava and Luc, Luc respects the chain of command but he doesn't have a problem telling Ava the truth. The same can also be said for Ava with Luc when she pushes him to deal with the situation between him and his mother.

There is a moment in the book where we get to see an extreme emotional response from Ava, it was a great reminder that cops are still human. I also loved how Luc comforts Ava and make her realise that she can continue;

"But you're not her. So don't quit now. There's too much at stake."

The case was also fascinating, I liked that it wasn't the normal serial killer case. That the killer desire wasn't about killing the victim its the aftermath.

Although this series is called D.I Callanach series, this book is just as much Ava as it is Luc. I was surprised by how much of the story was forced on Ava over Luc. This isn't a bad thing I was just surpised.

This book is riveting and intriguing crime fiction and I can see myself going back and reading Perfect Remains, Perfect Prey and I am now looking forward to reading the next book Perfect Silence . I think people who enjoy crime fiction should really give this book a read.

This book is one I will be telling me Gran about / making her read.

I give this books 4.8 out of 5

This is a brilliant book and it seems the series is getting better and better.
I love both Luc and Ava and whilst Ava is now his superior, they still gave a great working relationship.
The killer in this book is very disturbed and it’s not until near the end that you find out why he’s been killing people.
He’s very meticulous and weaves his way into his victim’s lives and leaves untold grief in his wake.
There’s also a death of someone close to Ava and Alisa and the repercussions of this are felt throughout the book.
This is another fantastic read and I highly recommend this series.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A serial killer is stalking the citizens of Edinburgh. Someone who can kill without trace, someone who can kill without suspicion. Someone who nobody knows even exists. A serial killer who poisons his victims slowly, so they never even realise that they have been killed.

DS Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner become suspicious when a young woman is found dead on Arthur’s Seat, but when the killer keeps changing their choice of poison, there seems to be nothing to point to their identity. But another suicide is distracting them as well – Ava’s old boss killed himself in his car, carbon monoxide poisoning, something completely out of character for the man. Was he murdered, and if so, why? And can both killers be brought to justice?


I picked this one up from NetGalley to review based on the blurb and to an extent, I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to say about it. First off, let’s make it clear that I did enjoy the book a lot – it’s a fast-paced thriller with an engaging set of lead characters, not just Luc and Ava but also the remaining members of the investigation team. There’s an ease to their characterisation that makes them very easy to read about. Admittedly, there’s some back story referred to by both the leads that I presume must be from earlier books, but I don’t think I lost too much by not reading them. Each character has their own personal drama to overcome in this one, although one of their stories seems to disappear for most of the narrative until the final chapter. What I found oddest was that this was supposed to be Book 3 of the Luc Callanach series, but Ava Turner seemed to get as much if not more of the important stuff to do.

I think my problem with the book that while the tale kept moving forward, I never really found myself being surprised. While this was a well-paced thriller, with a well-constructed and motivated serial killer, at no point did I feel that there was any mystery to what was going on. Certainly the identity of the poisoner, while sort-of kept quiet for the early section of the book, wasn’t a surprise when it became clear which character was the villain. The other story, a tale of organised crime and corruption, is engrossing, but again, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly startling there.

So, an effective thriller, and I’m sure that fans of the series and the characters will probably get more out of it than I did. But I like a bit of mystery in my thrillers so this didn’t quite click for me. Worth a look, if you’re a fan of the genre.

Perfect Death is out now from Avon.

After reading the first two in the series this book certainly didn't disappoint. There are two investigations to follow, one is in connection with DCI Turners former boss who is found dead in his car shortly after retirement. This death leads to an investigation which is connected to the seedier side of Edinburgh with drugs, prostitution and violence an everyday occurrence. The other investigation is looking into two suspicious deaths with little to go on. DI Luc Callanach has some personal problems to deal with and is not very happy when DCI Turner interviens on his behalf. There are lots of twists and turns and hold your breath moments and it's certainly worth 5*

Edinburgh homicide detectives DI Luc Callanach & DCI Ava Turner are back. With Ava’s promotion, any chance of a romantic relationship has been scuppered & their friendship has suffered as well. In this outing they will be forced to rely on each other as they come up against a devious & damaged killer.

Climbing the ladder with Police Scotland has been a lot harder than Ava thought. Turns out it’s the small things she misses the most. No more casual chat with the crew, no more drinks after work & no more movie nights with Luc. Comradery is hard to come by & to top it off, her boss is a bitch on wheels. Office politics is a blood sport & Ava longs to actually work a case. She’s about to get her wish.

It all begins when the naked body of a young woman is found on Arthur’s Seat. With no obvious wounds, it appears to be death by misadventure. But as Luc investigates, small discrepancies begin to add up. Then the head of a charity organization dies under mysterious circumstances. Both families are gutted & the body count is just beginning.

Meanwhile Ava is left reeling after her former boss & mentor is found dead of apparent suicide. But he left a few surprises behind that threaten not just his family but the department itself. Ava has no choice but to secretly investigate his death & it’s not long before she’s in well over her head.

In alternate chapters we meet a killer whose methods & pathology will make your skin crawl. He’s a busy guy. Tension rises as we watch his meticulous plans take shape & you may find yourself yelling “Run away!” to characters who are unwittingly caught in his web. Because we know more than the police, watching them flounder for clues is excruciating & you truly have no idea who will be the next victim.

Running along side the 2 investigations are personal story lines for the 2 MC’s. Luc, in particular, is stunned when his estranged mother turns up to deliver some surprising news. It’s a cracker & no doubt this will unfold further in future books.

Familiar faces return to add colour to the story. Journalist Lance Proudfoot, Luc’s secret weapon, is back although by the time the dust settles he may think twice before offering his services again. And DS Lively continues to steal every scene with his blunt & humorous dialogue.

My only nitpicky comment is Ava’s tendency to go haring off without back-up into situations that are clearly dangerous. It’s an effective plot device to raise tension but her decisions seem out of sync with a police officer of her standing/experience & you’re left thinking “Wow, that’s a really bad idea”.

This is a fast paced & eminently readable story full of characters who have become old friends. The criminal investigations peak simultaneously for an explosive finish & I look forward to ‘Perfect Silence”.

Many thanks to netgalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to preview this really good thriller.

It's an interesting read, with 2 stories being told simultaneously. The first is about a killer who appears to be able to complete his deathly deeds leaving no trace of a suspicious death. The second is a senior policeman who appears to have committed suicide, but, has he?

The characters are well written and this is one of a series, so, I would recommend you read the previous books. However, it's not completely necessary as this can be enjoyed as a standalone thriller.

DI Luc Callanach and newly-promoted DCI Ava Turner return in this third instalment of an exceptional crime series. Glasgow has once again been hit by a serial killer, a killer who doesn’t get his kicks from watching his victims die, but from witnessing the family’s devastating grief. His methods are also extraordinary – slowly poisoning them, over a period of time, through their food and drink.

Alongside this, the investigating team are coming to terms with the death of a much-respected colleague, however Ava discovers that there is more to his apparent suicide than meets the eye. The two plots run parallel to each other perfectly and ensured that the pace of the book did not slow down.

I cannot shout about this series enough; I loved this book as much as the ones before. There are no criticisms, just avid praise - it really had me gripped from the very first page. Luc and Ava’s relationship is both amusing and comforting and I’m sure I’m not the only one that hopes they will become something more as the series develops! Another great read for anyone who loves crime/thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for this advanced copy.

Another dark, gripping book from Helen Fields. Edge of seat reading yet again

Helen Fields is an outstanding new voice in detective fiction. A Perfect Death is the third book in a series which has developed very quickly and is going from strength to strength. Her writing is brisk; she has a keen ear for dialogue and this cements the differences and complexities in the relationships between numerous central characters.

Ava, the lead and newly promoted DCI, has a friendship and professional relationship with troubled DI Luc Callanach. His backstory recurs and this book adds another detail to his difficult past. Ava's exchanges with her demanding and brusque female Superintendent are ascerbic and highly entertaining. DS Lively is his usual rude and belligerent self and his exchanges with his boss and Ava are true to type. There's a shocker in store involving a leading character and a death. This thread is totally different to the main plot which involves a serial killer on the loose in Edinburgh.

She draws together a strong set of police characters, with the underbelly of vice and those associated in the criminal underworld equally well depicted. The Edinburgh locus is a real strength; it's easy to visualise so many of the scenes. And the plotting is superb as she skilfully develops and draws together numerous threads. The whole is a tense and totally satisfying thriller which I finished in almost one sitting and left me wanting more. To fully appreciate this book, although there's adequate backstory, it's better to read the first two books. The characters are evolving and I can only say that, for me, it's the best new detective series of recent years. Brilliant read.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an early review copy.

D.I.Luc Callanach has become such a welcome addition to the Scottish detective crime canon that when a new Callanach and Turner is unleashed I jump at the bit to read it. Though each book (Perfect Remains; Perfect Prey) can easily be read as a stand-alone, it makes more sense of the relationships if they are read seriatim.

The naked body of a young woman is found high on Arthur’s Seat, and it looks as though she died from hypothermia. Ava Turner and Luc Callanach are both finding it difficult to settle into their new relationship, that of boss and subordinate and that’s really not going to help when things get much more complicated later on.

Their personal relationship will become even more complex when Luc’s estranged mother appears on the scene and the strain that already exists between them with reach breaking point when Turner begins to investigate another case ‘off the books’, without telling Callanach what’s going on.

As if Luc doesn’t have enough going on in his personal life to keep him fully occupied, it soon transpires that there is a devious serial killer on the loose. This one does not hang about to watch his victims die, which makes him all the harder to catch and the poison he uses isn’t always easy to detect.

Helen Fields has a dark and twisted mind which does not at all flinch from going into some gruesome details and her fertile imagination is a great place from which clever murders and nefarious deeds spring.

I do worry about Ava Turner, though. She’s going to have to watch herself if she wants to keep her shiny new job.

These are books that you want to read in one sitting because they grip you and won’t let go until you have finished and this one certainly did not disappoint. I really enjoyed too the way that the relationship between Luc and Lively is developing, adding some welcome light to the darkness. Perfect Death hits the ground running and never lets up.

Perfect Death is the third instalment in the DI Callanach series of books by Helen Fields. It’s a gritty police thriller which see the newly promoted DCI Ava Turner investigate a series of deaths in the beautiful city of Edinburgh.

A serial killer is poisoning his victims causing slow and painful deaths, but how do you catch someone who hides in the shadows?

I enjoyed this book and found it kept me interested to the end. The plot moves along well at a good pace and the characters are believable and work well together. I can recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, AvonBooks UK and the author for the chance to review.

It’s hard to believe that it was less than a year ago that I came across Helen Fields’ first book, Perfect Remains, at the library AND that I only picked it up because of the cover.
I am so pleased that I did because I thought it was a great book, and now – three books in – I can’t imagine my reading life without detectives Luc Callanach and Ava Turner, the two central characters in this crime series.
Luc is half-Scottish, half-French and trying to rebuild his life after it fell apart a few years previously.  It’s why he moved to Scotland, where he is slowly starting to fit in with his team and get over the events of the past.  Ava is a woman who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth but hasn’t let that stop her climb the ranks of the police and put herself in the line of fire more than once.
They make an interesting, combative, pair – especially now Ava has been promoted and is Luc’s boss.  It’s a fine line that she keeps falling off – unsure how she can be his friend at the same time as telling him what to do on the job and keeping secrets about an investigation from him.
Ava’s investigation involves her old boss, who recently committed suicide – or seemed to – Ava can’t believe it’s true.  It’s under the radar and dangerous.  At the same time, Luc begins investigating the death of a young woman, a seemingly random accidental death, until it starts to seem more like murder and less like an accident.  The problem is the killer, if there is one, isn’t making mistakes and no one knows how to catch him.
The two storylines run side-by-side in the book but don’t cross over unless you count the detectives investigating them.  I like this – there were no sudden leaps of logic I needed to make when the author decided to link them together at the end.  They were both interesting, and could easily have made a book in their own right.  Having two though, definitely meant there was no lack of pace at any point, which was great for me.
I stayed up late, turning pages, and wondering what the killers plan was, his motivation.  As with the other books, he is a serial killer but, here, I felt the plot was more subtle. It wasn’t as gory as the first two, which I have no problems with as I don’t like too much blood, but it was just as clever and well written.
You can probably tell from all this that this was a hit for me.  There wasn’t anything I didn’t like and I couldn’t recommend it enough.  I would say if you could, though, start at the beginning because there are elements of Luc and Ava’s story that probably won’t make sense otherwise.

There is is serial killer on the loose in Scotland and it is up to Callaghan and Turner to stop them while also dealing with major issues in their personal lives.

This was an enjoyable book, but being book 3 in the series and the first I have read I felt that I was missing a lot of back story. I think I will go back and read the first 2 books.

Thanks to Avon Books UK for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions

I am totally addicted to the Luc Callanach and Ava Turner combo! They spar off each other so well, and there is always the will they, wont they question, deep in the background. However the main storyline is most positively forefront, and spine chillingly scary! This kept me reading until I had finished the whole book in one sitting. I literally could not put it down! Buy it!!!!

When I read the first book in this series featuring DCIs Luc Callanach and Ava Turner (Perfect Remains), I gave it five stars. I couldn’t believe the second book (Perfect Prey) could be better, but it was – I would have given it a sixth star if I could!
I was, therefore, delighted to receive a review copy of the third book as my first read of 2018!
Ava has been promoted to DCI and is now Luc’s boss. They are on the trail of a shadowy serial killer who kills slowly and callously for the pleasure of observing pain and grief from afar. In a separate plot strand, Ava is investigating the past of DCI Begbie, not believing her former boss would have committed suicide. She finds money hidden in his house but does not want a public humiliation for his widow.
The author writes very well, not only cleverly weaving together the different plot strands but further developing the main characters and the supporting cast of detectives in their team. I admire her ability to write such a dark and complex thriller without ever confusing the reader. As well as a roller coaster of a plot and this great writing, we get further insights into the characters and lives of Luc and Ava, learning this time about Luc’s complicated relationship with his mother.
In conclusion, Helen Fields goes from strength to strength and book three was even better than the first two – thoroughly recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy of this excellent novel.

Helen has pulled off another brilliantly twisted and intricate plot as we are reunited with Callanach, Turner, Ailsa, Lively and Tripp.  Bringing some events from previous books into this story to give a little more information on the established characters.  The story is set in Edinburgh when the body of a young women is found in the area known as Arthur's Seat, initially thought to have died from hypothermia.  But from experience of reading Helen's previous books, it was never going to be as simple as hypothermia.  Other events take place and now as cases build up, the team of investigators are on a non-stop roller-coaster of crimes, reports, lab results and meetings.

This is an absolute cracker of a read, with several plots running at pace with a mingling in of back stories of the characters.  With all these going on Helen has not blurred or befuddled the plots, and at no point while reading was I confused.  Having read previous books, I was already acquainted with the main characters so only had to get to know the new ones.  While going through the story you are never aware of where the story will take you, and there are some very surprising twists.  This is a story that also has a psychological element to it that carries a serious message.

If you have not read Perfect Remains and Perfect Prey I would advise doing so. This book could be read as a stand alone, but you will get a better and more in depth feel for the characters.

This is a book I highly recommend to readers who love a fast paced, multi plot driven, police crime and thriller books. It has brilliant characters, well laid out and written.  Yep. I loved it :)

Another great addition to the DI Callanach series. This is the third book in the series and is just as good if not better than the first two.
Really looking forward to the next instalment.

Fantastic read. These books get better each time and I love the development of the characters. Really want a happy ending for Callanach would love to see him get together with the newly promoted DCI Ava Turner. Their relationship and backstory are a great addition to the story lines. DS Lively's charancter makes me laugh and cringe with his insubordination . There plenty of twists and turns in this story and it kept me gripped - a great read and looking forward to book 4!