I have not the read the first in this series of The Bone Field by Simon Kernick but this novel is a continuation of a horrific nightmare of a case that began there where deep in the countryside, a house has yielded the remains of 7 unidentified women. Additionally, there have been other murders, included that of a young girl, Dana Brennan. DI Ray Mason has sworn that he will get those behind these atrocities no matter what. Ray had been suspended. Dan Watts, a cop working for the National Crime Agency has been steadily working on getting evidence to bring notorious crime boss, Cem Kalaman, to justice but needs help. Cem Kalaman is one of the individuals suspected of being behind The Bone Field murders and more, along with brother and sister, Alastair and Lola Sheridan. Dan brings in Ray to work with him at the NCA despite Ray's notorious reputation for being unmanageable. This is a complex case which PI Tina Boyd, Ray's partner, is working on from different angles too. They face grave dangers and betrayal as the ruthless Cem and the Sheridans are determined to evade justice.

Hugh Manning, lawyer to the suspects, is revealed to have connections to case, only his wife has been murdered and he only just escaped. He is on the run, the police want him as the only witness they have to what happened to the dead women, his ex-employers want him dead to ensure that he never talks. As Tina and Ray dig deeper, further murders come to light and the first victim in the case is identified. This leads them to Andrea Delbarto, a woman who offers refuge to vulnerable young women facing abuse. The narrative is delivered primarily through the perspective of Ray but also other characters, including the suspects. The criminal tentacles go far and wide, and are deeply entrenched but finding incontrovertible evidence is tough. As Ray continues to break the rules, it is only a matter of time before it all catches up with him. In the meantime, can he locate Manning before he is eliminated?

The story ends on a massive cliffhanger where Ray's future is on the line. I certainly would have benefited from reading the first book in the series, nevertheless you do get a fair amount of information on what occurred there. What caught my notice is the character of DI Ray Mason, a man willing to cross lines with little regard for the consequences. However, the storyline practically demands that the protagonist is such a man because without this quality and his absolute determination, little progress, if any, would be made. This is a complex, intense and suspenseful read which had me wanting to know what happens next, so I hope the next in the series comes out soon. Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.