I have been a fan of Helen Fields’ since the moment I picked up her first book ‘Perfect Remains’. It’s the first in the series featuring DI Luc Callanach and was released in January of last year. I was taken by how incredibly fantastic the story and the characters were. I have devoured each and every book that she has released since that first one. ‘Perfect Silence’ is the latest in the series and was released on the 23rd August 2018. I absolutely loved it but more about that in a bit.
I have to admit that I developed a soft spot for DI Luc Callanach from the first time I met him. As his name suggests he is part French and part Scottish. He did work for Interpol but following an allegation, which was later proven to be malicious, he left Interpol and moved to Scotland for a fresh start. At times, he has found the transition to be difficult but by the time ‘Perfect Silence’ starts, he seems more comfortable and settled. Callanach is the sort of boss I would love to work for. He leads from the front, he does his fair share of the work, he wouldn’t ask you to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself and he has your back. I also love the working relationship that he has forged with Ava Turner. Ava has moved up in rank and she is now Detective Chief Inspector Ava Turner, although this doesn’t make much difference to how she and Callanach interact. I did think that they had sort of a brother/ sister relationship. The crimes in this book are very disturbing and Callanach and Turner resolve to do what they can to apprehend the psychopathic killer before too many more people fall victim to this disturbed individual.
Oh my, ‘Perfect Silence’ was certainly one hell of a disturbing rollercoaster ride of a read. I was hooked from the moment I picked the book up and began to read. Reading ‘Perfect Silence’ became something of an addiction for me. The more I read, the more I got into the story and the more I wanted to read. I think that I was so disturbed by the nature of the crimes that I just had to read on to find out if the killer was apprehended. I binge read ‘Perfect Silence’ over a couple of days which worked well in this case because it gave me a real sense of the intensity and urgency of the police investigation into this sadistic killers. I didn’t realise quite how quickly I was getting through the book until I looked up and saw that I had cleared about a third of the book. I was so absorbed in the story that I didn’t notice the speed with which the pages of the book were turning and the time was passing. It’s certainly true to say that I found ‘Perfect Silence’ to be unputdownable and I couldn’t bear to be parted from the book. If I had to put the book down for any reason, I was counting down the time until I could pick the book up again. Reading ‘Perfect Silence’ was much like riding a very scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride. Moments creep up on you that you aren’t expecting and when they happen, it feels as though you have been punched in the gut and had the breath knocked out of you. At times I couldn’t believe what I had read and I had to go back and re-read certain parts of the book. There were also moments that almost had me putting my hands over my eyes because I feared what was going to happen next. Then of course I realised that I had to read on if I had any hope of finding out who the killer was and what their motivation was.
Helen Fields has another winner on her hands with ‘Perfect Silence’. The series featuring DI Luc Callanach just goes from strength to strength. Each new book in the series is better than its predecessor. I can’t wait to read what comes next from Helen. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait. I would definitely recommend this author and this series to other readers. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Thank you for the advance copy. I probably should have read the rest of the series to fully enjoy the relationships in the book. It’s pretty dark and quite scary so not my usual read but I enjoyed the story development and the speed of the plot.

Wow. Loved everything about this book, the characters were brilliant & the fact it’s based in Scotland makes it even better for me being Scottish! I can’t wait to read the other books in this series now wish I’d known about them. Thanks for the preview.

I enjoyed the fact that Ava got more storytime this time around. Luc is a great character, but he does tend to get on my nerves a little as he is just so conceited! As always an edge of your seat thrill ride of a story.

Three words : read this NOW! You can thank me later.

If you’re a crime fiction fan, then the DI Luc Callanach series is undoubtedly one you should be reading. I’ve loved and enjoyed this series from the start and anxiously await a new addition every time because I just know I’ll be in for a treat.

That said though, if you’re of the faint-hearted variety, this may not quite be for you as you’ll need a bit of a strong stomach for this one. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve read any of the previous books.

The body of a young woman is found. Her death seems to have been a particularly gruesome one and the silhouette of a doll is carved into her skin. Detectives are having a hard time finding any clues or leads and then the doll made of skin is found near to where another young woman has gone missing. There’s no doubt there’s a serial killer roaming the streets. They’re playing a horrific game and are obviously on a mission. Can DI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach find the culprit before another young woman goes missing?

Perfect Silence is dark, chilling and disturbing, as I’ve come to expect from this series. Some chapters are written from the victims’ point of view, which were heartbreaking to read and made me choke up. It felt all too easy to imagine what it would be like to find yourself stuck in such a horrendous situation.

As for the serial killer, Helen Fields kept me guessing until the end. I couldn’t at all figure out their identity, their motivations or how they were selecting their victims in the first place. The race to find this murderer is incredibly tense and the ultimate reveal and somehow rather fascinating reasoning behind it all, left me a little open-mouthed.

I feel it’s also worth mentioning that I’ve been Team Luc from the start but I must say, in this instalment it was Ava who stole the show for me. She’s always been a bit of a character I couldn’t quite put my finger on but this time around she completely won me over. I loved seeing a different side to her, sympathised with her, rooted for her and often got the wrong end of the stick, just like she did. But there is so much to admire about her.

This series has been blowing my mind since the very beginning and I feel it’s only been getting better with each book. Intensely gripping and massively engrossing, this is another belter from Helen Fields and I absolutely can’t wait for book five and more from Luc and Ava. You should all add this series to your TBR’s or shopping baskets right now, as it is indeed quite “perfect”.

Although this is the 4th book in the series, I hadn’t read any of the previous books. It didn’t take long to get to know the characters however, and I didn’t feel I missed out by not reading the first 3.

The main characters are clearly well developed and interesting. There is the right balance of professional and private throughout the story. The crimes themselves are very gruesome which leads to a tense and thrilling plot.

I will definitely be going back to read the first 3 books before the next comes out.

Death, Taxes and a brilliant Luc Callanach book from Helen Fields…the certainties of life!

Perfect Silence was as dark, twisted and unflinching as I had hoped it would be. The “Perfect” series is very well named and Perfect Silence reaffirmed why these books are always the first series I will recommend when I am asked “What should I be reading?”

Dark days in Edinburgh when the body of a young woman is found on a roadside. Badly mutilated yet abandoned while she was still alive, the girl has had sections of her skin cut out of her abdomen – the missing skin forms the shape of a doll.

With no obvious clues (and no leads for the police to follow) a second woman disappears. Her young baby is found abandoned and inside the baby’s pram is a doll made from human skin.

Realising that time is against them Luc and Eva (along with the increasingly brilliant supporting characters) confront the possibility that a sadistic serial killer is operating in their city.

Ava’s attentions are divided by a spate of attacks on Edinburgh’s homeless drug users. A new variant of the drug Spice is debilitating users and turning them into shambling zombies, oblivious to their environment. Someone has been “branding” these catatonic users and slashing a deep cut into their cheek. As the victim count rises we see the damage increasing too.

Ava is under pressure from her boss to deliver results, not least because her boss feels Ava could threaten her position. No spoilers here but this storyline was a highlight of my reading year!

Everything was great in Perfect Silence. A really nasty murder spree. A strong and unpleasant second string of attacks. A squad room at Police Scotland of likeable and engaging characters and the wonderfully compelling writing of Helen Fields keeping the action going to the very last page.

I look forward to these books more than any other. If you are not already reading Helen Fields then I am sorry to say you are really missing out.

I have really enjoyed the previous books in the series so was really excited to get to book four.

It starts with the body of a young girl being found on a roadside on the edges of Edinburgh. At the postmortem it is discovered that a doll like figure has been carved into the flesh. Baffled DI Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are then horrified to learn that a ragdoll made from human skin has been discovered. Connections are now being made and steps are taken to try and stop this gruesome killer from striking again.

Across town drug addicts are being attacked and the letter 'Z' is being carved into the flesh. Are there connections between the two cases?

It all sounds like an addictive read ..... but here's the thing ..... for me, it really wasn't. And I can't really explain why. Before in previous books I had been totally captivated by Callanach, Turner and the rest of the team and their cases but here it just didn't quite connect for me. It took me a while to read which was disappointing in itself and perhaps in places it dragged out a bit. That said, I know not every book in a series is ever going to be top notch. Impossible to achieve and I wouldn't expect that, so I'm going to put this one down to a 'the storyline didn't hit the spot for me' but I would definitely continue with this series. I love the characters of Callanach and Turner and have plans for them in my head!! Hah!! I don't think Fields is going to listen.

I would recommend for lovers of this series ..... and this only MY opinion. I'm sure many would love it.

#NetGalley #PerfectSilence I normally read books from NetGalley in the order that they have been approved but having read Perfect Remains only last week I had to jump right into this book from the series and boy was it worth it! I have not read the second and third books in this series but it didn't matter as this was perfectly capable of being read as a stand alone - having said that I do want to read them as this series by Helen Fields is a masterclass in the perfect police procedural crime thriller. This book is gruesome and horrifying in equal parts but the protagonists of Luc Callanach and Ava Turner are strong and determined and are really developing into brilliant characters. I enjoy the way that two stories are told simultaneously and find the writing fast paced and totally gripping. I look forward to reading further books in this series and have a feeling we have not heard the last of Rachel Jerome...……….

Let me begin by saying that I have NOT read the prior three novels in this series. And while I had no trouble following this one, I do feel as though I missed out on some key points from the prior novels in terms of character development and relationships.

This is one of those novels that I feel sticks very close to actual police work. There is a lot of butt kissing (especially to those in charge), a lot of late nights, and a lot of boring details in between the good stuff. And while this story was engaging enough that I often had trouble putting it down, I do believe there are ways that would have been able to cut out the useless parts and still keep the story intact. There were just enough loose ends character wise that I want to know what comes next! Although I am slightly unhappy at the way certain things ended (without giving full closure), I feel like this author set up the next book(s) in the series rather well. The religious aspect to the dolls was something I also something that I had not seen before, and I am wondering if the missing aspects of this story will somehow tie into the next.

Overall, I feel that the way the author delivered this story is sure to appeal to those who enjoy thriller novels and police procedural fiction novels. I would definitely read more from this author (and from this series)!

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Perfect Silence by Helen Fields

This is the fourth book in the series by Fields and you can read this as a stand-alone by itself. I ha be read the other three books in this series and really enjoyed this one most of all. The characters in play are DCI Ava Turner and her partner DI Luc Callenach. Women’s bodies are turning up on the side of the road with some of their skin missing so that the killer can make dolls out of it. Then a baby is found abandoned and beside the baby is a doll that was made out of human skin. Can our two detectives find the killer before more women are killed? They have named the murderer the babydoll killer. The killer seems to have chosen women who have something to hide such as drug addicts and prostitution. It seems in this one Ava takes the lead in most of the book however, Luc still comes through loud and clear though as a protagonist. Fields has a knack for writing psychological thrillers and her passion shows in every page. I was so engulfed in the story that I found it hard to put this one down. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Ava is a tough cop, but even she is disturbed by this killer. His form of torture is like nothing AVa or her detectives have ever seen before. After the "Keller" is caught one more person will die. Thoroughly loved this book, even if the torture was a little disturbing at first. Great author.

DI Luc Callenach and DCI Ava Turner are investigating a gruesome case - young women are being abducted and then their bodies dumped at the roadside a week later. The killer takes skin from the bodies and makes dolls out of them. Inside the dolls are religious quotations. At the same time drug addicts in the city are being attacked - their faces slashed while they are high on spice. Ava is convinced their attackers are pupils at one of Edinburgh’s most prestigious schools. Absolutely loved this book - I was gripped from the first paragraph. I’m now going to get the first three boos in the series to catch up on the characters back stories although not having read them did not detract from my enjoyment of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books and Helen Fields for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Wow this series just keeps getting better and better. I love the development between the characters, both main characters are likeable and their relationship with each other is a fantastic storyline of its own. The plot is original and gripping, a serial killer who makes dolls out of the skin of their victims, gruesome but highly addictive read. I can’t wait for the next book

I received an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one is fucked up. I'm seeing a lot of five-star reviews and I'm starting to wonder about y'all. I mean it it's very good, but I feel compelled to give it only four in the name of human decency.

Oh My! Oh My! The fourth book in this series and so so dark. I have spent the day reading this book knowing I wouldn't be able to go to bed until I finished it. Despite the disturbing subject matter there were many very funny interludes. The relationship between the members of MIT just get better and better. The team work so well together. The writing is good and the plot clever and compelling. Can't wait for the next book in the series!
Very many thanks to Netgalley/Helen Fields/Avon Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own

Perfect Silence, the fourth in Helen Fields' "Perfect..." series, follows suit as being a fantastic, twisting journey led by dashing DI Luc Callanach and newly promoted Ava Turner.
The plot follows the hunt for a new potential serial killer, who has been kidnapping, grooming and preparing women, before leaving them to their deaths and creating disturbing mementos of them for the Metropolitan police force to find. The hunt is on and Callanach and Ava are running out of time. When some of the homeless population in Edinburgh also start to be attacked, can they get to the bottom of everything before any more bodies turn up?

Perfect Silence is certainly not a comfortable read, but Fields' novels rarely are. Gripping and disturbing in equal measure, Perfect Silence captures many different real-world and societal issues, which makes the novel all the more troubling because it grounds it in reality.
Tackling not only classism and societal divides, Fields also turns her hands to the issues of domestic violence, drug abuse and modern day prostitution, all of which she handles extremely respectfully. Similarly, there is a reason and a purpose for discussing these issues within the novel, so there's no designated preaching to an audience, instead a simple highlight to them to take note that sometimes, things aren't as they seem.

Luc Callanach also takes a step back in Perfect Silence, giving Ava Turner the limelight for almost the whole novel. While he still features heavily as a protagonist, it's an interesting dynamic to see Fields drop one of her heroes back slightly to give the other some time to shine. It's a clever technique too, because it keeps things fresh within the series, and gives greater insight into Ava's background and her story. It's also a great novel in regards to female empowerment, with Ava's bad-ass attitude shining through. Even Superintendent Overbeck has some redeeming moments within the pages of Perfect Silence.

The novel focuses more on the relationships between the police force, too. While the hunt is on for the mysterious killer and the pressure is very much crushing the team, the development of individual characters such as Christie Salter and DS Lively shines through in Perfect Silence.

Overall, Fields introduces new dynamics into Perfect Silence which add depth and heart to the series and keep it fresh despite being the fourth in a series. It's dark, gripping plot will keep you reading long after bedtime, and the images Fields paints for you will keep you awake for several days.

This is the first book by Helen Fields that I've read. I'll be looking out for more. The plot is very gruesome and I found it hard to read at times. A young woman is found dead at the side of the road with skin cut from her stomach and back in the shape of a doll. Not long after, a doll made from the skin is found in the pram of an abandoned baby. The search is on for her mother before something similar happens to her. As I say, too gruesome. However, what elevated this book for me was the characterisation. The police characters are superb, Luc Callanach and Ava Turner in particular and their stories are well worth following. This novel is the fourth in the series and you'd probably get more out of it by reading the series in order but having said that, it can be read as a standalone story. The back stories are there but dripped into this one in an unobtrusive way. So, five stars for characters but only three for the plot. I hate graphic violence and there was just too much in this for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Yet another brilliant book in my favourite Tartan Noir series featuring DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach. This main story is definitely a gruesome one. It makes me wonder if Helen Fields creative mind was warped by her years of practice as a barrister or whether she was always this way. Either way, I wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alleyway in Edinburgh! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😬😉
There are two main investigations, both equally gripping. Alongside the storyline with Luc and Ava we continue to learn more about their colleagues as their characters are developed with interesting storylines.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed all of the novels by this author before so was pleased to receive my ARC. This did not disappoint at all.

DI Luc Callaghan and DCI Ava Turner return to investigate the morbid murders of young women who are left to die by the roadside. They all seem to have ‘sinned’ according to the reports apart from Caroline. In addition, there seems to be vindictive assaults on drug users within the city, which lead to another death.

Are theses all connected or are different assailants at large? DCI Turner feels the weight of internal politics during the course of the investigations and her immediate boss, Superintendent Overbeck seems to be on a personal vendetta against Ava.

There are so many twists and turns, which left me engrossed and unable to put this book down. Brilliant ending, with unanswered questions and unsolved issues.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books, UK and Helen Fields for this ARC of Perfect Silence in return for my honest review.

Brilliant read. Highly recommended.