I would like to thank Netgalley and Books Go Social for an advance copy of A Secret Killing, the fifth novel to feature the now former DI Zig Batten, set in Somerset and Spain.

After injury forced him retire Zig has set up as a private investigator, although his first case is giving him doubts. Lady Wake, owner of Wake Hall, its vast estates and equestrian centre, wants Zig to go to Spain and retrieve an errant employee. The problem is that Wake Hall was the scene of Zig’s first case in Somerset so he knows their secretiveness of old and it seems that nothing has changed. Unfortunately these secrets include malicious harm to the horses and as the threat grows so does the scope of the job.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Secret Killing, which is an unflashy look at Zig’s transition from police detective to civilian and a rather more flashy plot which, it should be noted for some readers, has some brutal cruelty against animals. There are a few human bodies as well, but, somehow, they don’t feel as visceral as the animal cruelty.

I am always pleased to read a new Zig Batten novel as the series suits my taste and this, in that sense, is no different, but I’m not quite as enthusiastic about him being in the private sector as I like a police procedural with the resources and body count it brings. A one man band offers different challenges, not least some hostility from his former colleagues. Still, the novel is an absorbing read as it widens from the strange disappearance of Pavel Ducek to horse mutilation and death. There is quite a story behind it all, with both past and present events playing their part in a larger than expected whole. It held my attention throughout, especially as enough characters get their just deserts to make it satisfying.

Zig Batten brings the novel to life with his cynicism and sarcasm. The cynicism is part of the job description and the sarcasm brings some humour to the dark deeds he is dealing with. He is more than the hard face this would suggest as he has a sense of justice and isn’t prepared to compromise on it.

A Secret Killing is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.