Cara Hunter returns with her latest addition to her hugely popular Oxford based crime series featuring DI Adam Fawley. It proves to be a fast paced thrilling and twisted shocker of an adrenaline ride that continues with the completely unexpected revelations from the previous book. Once again, Hunter delivers with her trademark style of interspersing the narrative with press articles, voicemails, police interviews, podcasts, emails, phone calls, online local and national media, medical examiner forms and more. Adam's lawyer wife, Alex, is pregnant and isolated at home, and Adam is doing all that he can to support her, with the suicide of their son, Jake, hanging over them. There is additional pressure on the Fawleys as the man dubbed the roadside rapist, Garry Parrie, is now out of prison, tagged, his threats upon conviction, where he claimed he had been fitted up, not forgotten, particularly as Alex feels they are being watched.

In the meantime, in a turn up for the books, a young Oxford student with the strapping physique of a rugby player, Caleb Morgan, mentored by the famous and popular Professor Marina Fisher, is claiming Fisher sexually assaulted him when he was babysitting her son. With Gislingham away, demoted DC Gareth Quinn is in charge of this political hot potato of a case, Fisher is an academic media star, lauded by her Oxford College with her ability to attract huge levels of funding whilst Morgan's mother is a high profile MP. Despite knowing it's not good for her peace of mind and fragile health, Alex is doggedly following every episode of a podcast by Jocelyn Naismith, co-founder of The Whole Truth that campaigns on miscarriages of justice. Naismith is taking up and supporting Parrie's case and his claim that he is an innocent man, reviewing all aspects of the case in the podcast in detail. Then a woman falling from a railway bridge turns out to have been murdered, a case that sees Adam's life and career go into freefall.

One of the highlights of Hunter's smashing series is the time given to members of Adam's police team as they work their cases, you get insights into their characters, lives and issues. For example, Quinn surprisingly finds himself in a relationship that he is happy and challenged in with Maisie. DC Verity Everett tries to help and support DC Erica Somers who is struggling with the issues that arise for her, but she is refusing to let Everett know what is going on. DS Chris Gislingham is an absolute rock of support to Adam when he returns to work, willing to do whatever it takes for him, even if it endangers his career. As per usual with this superior crime series, this is riveting and compulsive reading, with Alex proving to be revelation when it comes to her forensic eye for details. An absolute rollicking page turner that will have you pushing the world away until you reach the final pages. Brilliant must read crime fiction! Many thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC.