I would like to thank Netgalley and Bloodhound Books for an advance copy of Doll Face, the second novel to feature Anglesey based DI Tudor Manx.

Manx as he prefers to be called and his team are called in to the murder of Sian Conway who has been stabbed and mutilated. The ritualistic nature of her murder has the words serial killer hovering on their lips and it is confirmed as the bodies stack up. While all the victims have links to local millionaire Kimble McLain the motive is far from clear.

I enjoyed Doll Face which is quite an exciting hunt for a twisted serial killer. The novel is told from two points of view, Manx and the investigation and the initially unidentified killer who shares his thoughts, motivation and history. I'm not a big fan of this approach, preferring a straightforward hunt narrative, and I didn't particularly warm to the same old story of abuse and religious mania although I can admire its skilful unfolding piece by piece over the course of the novel. I also liked the pacing of the investigation as Manx starts to put things together although I never feel it's as enthralling a read when the reader is waiting for the detective to catch up with their knowledge.

I haven't read Anglesey Blue so I don't know exactly what brought Manx back to Anglesey after 30 years with the Met but he doesn't like being back to where he grew up. Is that why he drinks so much and has no significant social relationships, even with his family. He's a hard man to figure out.

Doll Face is a good read which I can recommend.

Wow what a great read. This book had me captivated from page one and didn't let me go until I had finished. The story line and characters were interesting and there was plenty of twists in the plot to keep me guessing. There was everything in this book, darkness, anger, despair the punches just kept coming. I really enjoyed this book, my first by this author. I will certainly be reading more.