This is a compulsive crime thriller from GS Locke, set in Birmingham, where a stone cold and ruthless serial killer is running rings around the police. DCI Matt Jackson has been leading the hunt for the imaginative killer targeting women, creating a macabre neon lit tableau in which the dead women are posed as 'artistic installations'. His latest victim was Jackson's beloved wife, Polly, an act that has plunged the detective into an abyss of darkness and depression that has him wanting to check out of life completely. To this end, he has organised his own murder-suicide by hiring a hitman. Only as a new lead comes to light, he discovers he wants to take care of unfinished business first, and when the hitman turns out be a woman, Iris Palmer, he convinces her to join him in the Neon killer search.

Iris has her own urgent reasons for agreeing to Jackson's plan, she needs money and she needs it fast. If Jackson had thought he could 'manage' Iris, he is due for a rude awakening, she has no intention of sticking to his rules, creating moral dilemmas and guilt for him. To his surprise, he finds the hitwoman can out think his fellow police officers when it comes to strategies and running a murder investigation. Interspersed in the narrative is the perspective of the killer, a determined and manipulative man, playing with Jackson, with plans for him that involve the most ambitious and enthralling neon lit display in which Jackson is the intended star. In the most twisted of investigations, certain facts come to light that force Jackson to question the motivations of the Neon killer, a serial killer that another killer, the hitwoman Iris, has in her sights.

Locke certainly has a fascinating protagonist in DCI Matt Jackson, a man certain he is done with life but has one last task he wants to complete, ensure that his wife Polly's killer pays for his horrific crime with his life. His unusual partnership with the complex and hard nosed Iris, rendered vulnerable by what is happening in her personal life, is the highlight of this brilliant piece of crime fiction. The ending has elements that are heartbreaking, and if you are wondering if Jackson remains committed in wanting to die, you are going to have to read this riveting crime thriller! Highly recommended. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.