After having read the previous two books in this series, I've come to expect a dark and gruesome story with a level of originality from Helen Fields. This third instalment is no different and the DI Callanach series just keeps getting better!

For one, there's an absolutely fascinating killer on the loose. Charming, manipulative and apparently completely invisible. A killer whose pleasure comes from watching other people's pain and grief. If that's not original, I don't know what is!

But there's more! A former colleague is found dead. Is this a suicide or did something far more sinister happen? Newly promoted DCI Ava Turner may just find out some things she's not exactly prepared for and some team members may even find themselves in danger. Meanwhile, DI Luc Callanach suddenly finds himself face to face with his mother. What does she want after all this time?

This is another well-paced, addictive and gripping addition to the series. With various layers, investigations and excellent character development, this had me hooked. Getting some insight into how a killer's brain works is both utterly thrilling, creepy and terrifying. I also adore this team of detectives and how amidst all the gloom and doom, the author manages to throw in a dash of humour and sarcasm via the fabulous character of DS Lively. It's this combination of things that keeps me coming back for more.

If Helen Fields wasn't already on my list of go-to authors, she most certainly would be now. It's going to be a long and excruciating wait for the next book but I know it will be worth the wait. In the meantime, you can catch up! Do yourself a favour and pick up these books, if you haven't already. For the full experience, start at the beginning so you don't miss out on truly interesting background stories. I promise this is one of the best crime thriller series out there and you won't regret it!

What drives someone to commit murder?  This has been a question raised in a number of crime novels I've read this year and it is certainly true of Perfect Death, the third in Helen Field's Edinburgh based series featuring DI Luc Callanch and DCI Ava Turner.  Luc is still finding it difficult to settle into the Edinburgh set-up having been forced out of his job with Interpol following a false accusation of rape.  His gallic good looks don't make the situation any easier and he remains the butt of DS Lively's old school sense of humour.  The MIT squad are brought together, however, by the unexpected suicide of their old chief, the now retired DCI Begbie.  What on earth could have induced him to drive his car out to a solitary cliff edge, leave the engine running and feed a pipe in through the window?  Visiting his grieving widow, Ava finds unexpected evidence which links back to a certain Louis Jones, an informant, who has himself disappeared in very suspicious circumstances.  

While trying to uncover the mystery in her old Chief's past, Ava is also under pressure to discover who has been responsible for the death of teenager Lily Eustis.  Initially thought to be an accidental, if questionable, death, it becomes apparent that someone has fed her a high concentration of cannabis oil and left her die on a cold Edinburgh hillside.  Detective Superintendent Overbeck (or Detective Superintendent Evil Overlord as DS Lively prefers to call her) is not impressed when Turner wants to turn the case into a full scale murder enquiry and even less pleased when it is suggested that a second death, that of charity worker Cordelia Muir, might have come about at the hand of the same killer.  Serial killers play havoc with a force's statistics and have a nasty habit of pushing up the overtime budget.  It is DC Tripp (clearly marked for rapid and well deserved promotion) who makes the connection between the two cases and from that point the race is on to find out who the killer is before they are able to strike again.  

I came across Helen Fields first DI Callanach novel early last year and was immediately drawn into the world that she has created.  Her first two novels showed her to be  excellent at both character and plot development; Perfect Death only confirms my initial impressions.  Psychologically scarred by his experiences in France, Luc still finds it difficult to trust the people with whom he works and his obvious differences make it hard for his colleagues to settle with him.  However, there is a realistic growth of mutual respect as he not only brings about resolutions to some seriously nasty crimes, but also shows that he is willing to put his own life on the line when necessary.  Even Lively is prepared, by the end of this story, to go on the record with the opinion that he's not a complete tosser. From Lively praise indeed.  Fields also deals well with the difficulties faced by newly promoted DCI Turner, exploring the problems which a change in rank, responsibilities and subsequent relations with colleagues can bring.  

In respect of the plot elements of the novel Fields judiciously seeds her tale with slight indications of which way the story is going to develop.  Her choice of vocabulary is often very telling, for instance the use of a single word suggesting that a character who is apparently submissive is actually completely in control of the interaction in which they are involved.  This is clever writing.  There is no way that a reader can argue that they have been misled about someone, but equally they are going to have to read very carefully indeed to pick up on the clues that are dropped along the way.  

Thematically, as I have indicated, the author is concerned with motive: what is it in a character's past that compels them to behave as they do? She explores this not only in respect of the two criminal cases that are being pursued but also in regard to the relationship between Luc and the mother who seemingly abandoned him to his fate once the charge of rape was levelled against him.  When she turns up in Edinburgh to try and explain herself to him Luc, not unexpectedly perhaps, wants nothing to do with her.  However, what she subsequently reveals to him might well be seen as motive enough for her behaviour; I suspect that it will become a driving motive for Luc's actions in future novels. A second developing theme is police corruption.  It is the driving force behind the investigation into Begbie's death and the disappearance of Louis Jones and the indication is that even when the known rotten apples have been dealt with, there is still another in the barrel who remains to surface at a later date.  This is the second novel I have read this week which explores the less savoury elements to be found in modern policing.  It is a useful plot device applied sparingly, used too often it could be seen an easy way out of a narrative hole of the writer's own digging.  

Helen Fields began strongly and has continued to improve with each successive novel.  If you haven't already discovered her work then I recommend going back to the beginning and starting with Perfect Remains.  If you do know her previous novels then you will be pleased to know that Perfect Death is every bit as good as what has gone before, if not better.

Wow another stonking good read here in the Callanach series from Helen Fields - dark and twisted but with a really authentic edge, these are the books you bang through because you get so involved with all that is going on.

There were two sides to this beautifully plotted tale - both strands working well together to give an addictive and cleverly unpredictable read - Helen Fields writes with a strong emotional core that makes you feel the characters pain. Here we have a hidden poisoner - by the time you know something is wrong it is already too late - plus a rather problematic problem for our two main protagonists that started in previous books.

What I love about this series is the strong basis from which each mystery arises and the ongoing development of the main characters. Callanach and his mother for example - that familial relationship is really beautifully complex. Added into all that sort of thing is the different cases taken on, always wonderfully imagined and eminently creepy.

Overall fast becoming a favourite series of mine. More please!

Highly Recommended.

This book was enjoyable enough the plot ran nicely throughout and I could connect with the characters. It just did not hook me in it was a book I could pick up and put down. Not sure it offered anything different from others dectiive stories.

If you're a follower of my blog, you're probably well aware that not only am I a big crime fiction fan, but since reading 'Perfect Remains' by Helen Fields in January this year, she has become one of my go-to authors in the genre.  I was blown away by the first book, I was gripped by the second ('Perfect Prey') and I couldn't wait to jump into the third - and I loved it.

Referred to as the D.I Callanach series, the books focus equally on the gorgeous and complex Luc Callanach and the fierce and feisty, newly promoted DCI Ava Turner.  Their relationship and backstory are as engaging as the cases they are trying to solve and I'm enjoying getting to know them better.

The case this time round had me frustrated and hooked.  Someone is murdering people but the police are completely unaware that these seemingly innocent deaths are connected.  This is similar to the first book, where the reader is given insight into the killer, and had me racing to finish the book to see if and when the connections would be made and the murderer stopped.

As with the previous books, I flew through 'Perfect Death', unfortunately, because I know have months to wait for book 4, 'Perfect Silence', published later in 2018.

My only regret about this book is that I've finished it and now I'll have to wait until the next installment. A slightly slower start than usual but it wasn't long until the Luc and Ava duo were off almost getting killed for the sake of Scottish justice. I especially enjoyed the extra involvement of DS Lively. Dark without being too gloomy and certainly one of my favorite series at the moment,a must read.

First impressions of this book is that it is very different to the other 2 in the series. You don’t think that any crime is being committed to begin with. It lures you in with false pretences, and then you begin to doubt it all. You begin to notice coincidences, then a certain character, then something shocking happens and it all clicks in to place.

Normally, crime books leave me a little unsatisfied but the DI Callanach books do not. This book particularly has renewed my love for crime books, it’s reminded me what can be great about them. It’s reminded me that sometimes, just sometimes, there is an author out there who can leave a chill in your bones.

This book was fast-paced, clever, and a little untrustworthy. The characters all work well together, with the perfect balance of witty comments, insults, and just good humour. The crimes within the book could have been perfect, if there wasn’t the little details that would normally get left behind. This book has it all, a near perfect crime, a horrendous villain, some gangsters and underground crimes.

Callanach and Turner have incredible chemistry, they play off the page perfectly and it balances the good people and the bad people in the book. Their relationship, the non-professional relationship, it still at an almost stage and it’s full of suspense and a very likeable will they/won’t they situation. I’m rooting for them, but there are many things that could potential ruin everything for them.

Helen Fields, for me, writes perfect books. This one has shocked me, left me a little wary, and wanting more and more from her!

A hugely enjoyable outing for Ava and Luv (whose friendship as ever almost but not quite becomes too close)
The plot is complex and fast paced and has Ava in particular moving ever closer to the wrong side of the law.
I loved it and can't wait for their next outing!

Yet another outstanding book featuring Detectives Callanach and Turner. I didn't want to put it down, a definite must read.

I loved this book. I have read all the books by this author and I have loved them all. A brilliant thriller, fast paced with lots of twists. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended. Five stars from me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Helen Fields for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Wow, what a brilliant read. I absolutely loved this fast paced thriller. Having read the first two book by this author I was hoping for a great read and this didn’t disappoint in anyway. This can be read as a stand alone as well as apart of a series, each book has a different story. The main characters, D.I. Luc and DCI Ava, are very likeable and believable friends and colleagues.
The book is very well written and researched well. It grips you from the start with a chilling story that holds you to the very last word. These are the type of books you could read over and over again! 5+ and well deserved.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for an advance copy of Perfect Death, the third novel to feature DI Luc Callenach and DCI Ava Turner of the Edinburgh Police.

Ava is struggling to settle into her new role as DCI, feeling the loneliness of management and missing the camaraderie of her colleagues. Perhaps this is why she refuses to accept the verdict of suicide in the death of her former boss DCI Begbie and starts an off the books investigation. Luc is investigating the apparently accidental death of a teenager from hypothermia but the more he investigates the more things don't add up. Then he is hit with a personal bombshell which leaves him reeling.

I enjoyed Perfect Death which is a high octane, tense and violent read. It is, however, not without its flaws and can be frustrating at times. It is a choppy read as it is told from multiple points of view and the two cases run concurrently so there is a constant shift in perspective as well. I never felt as if I got settled in. I also felt that both plotlines and the characters' actions and reactions stretched my credulity to breaking point as none of them seem plausible.

If, however, you do as I did and stop trying to see reality in the novel it is a good read. There is plenty going on and it is intriguing enough to make you read on for answers. There is more violence than you usually see in a police procedural but it doesn't seem gratuitous, more reflective of the gangland setting. The novel's strength lies in its characterisation. Ava and Luc are good protagonists, both strong and feisty characters and the hint of an attraction between them gets stronger as the series progresses. The star of the show, however, is the insubordinate and irreverent DS Lively who lives up to his name with some great one liners and a real Scottish attitude to authority. I was a bit disappointed that the bombshell information Luc received was more or less ignored in the rest of the novel. I assume that it will be explored in future novels but seems a bit superfluous in this one.

The Perfect Death is a good read.

Another thoroughly decent instalment in this well established series. Fast paced and gritty with just the right amount of humour.
Already looking forward to the next book in the series