Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was a real enjoyable read. Really enjoyed the faced paced and development of the story. I would most probably reread this again.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

I read this book having not read the previous four. I found there to be a lot going on at once, which made things difficult to grasp. This didn't make it a horrible experience, but I wish I would have read the previous books.

Perfect Crime (D.I. Callanach, Book 5)
by Helen Fields
★★★☆☆
400 Pages
3rd person, multi-character POV with some brief omnipresent slips
Themes: murder, crime, investigation, mental health, violence/torture
Genre: Crime, Murder Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary
Triggers: * see end notes

~

Perfect Crime is the fifth book in the D.I. Callanach series, and sadly, it will be my last.
Book 5 is the one I originally requested from Netgalley. I wasn't aware, at the time, that it was Book 5 of a series, but because the request had been approved and I can't abide reading a series out of order, I bought the first four books. After enjoying Books 1-2, I bought Book 6, knowing that I would read at least as far as Book 5, to fulfil my Netgalley commitment, hoping I would love the entire series.

Sadly, I haven't. Somewhere during this series, the plots have gone from smart and clever, with great character development, to something beyond belief, with ridiculous plots and characters making reckless, illogical decisions.
In Book 3, Ava began taking over the majority of the POV's and that really hasn't changed. A series that began with a focus on D.I. Callanach has become too heavily focused on Ava, and the will-they-wont-they between her and Callanach, to do the intense police procedural thriller justice.

For me, while instinct says to give it only 2* because of the issues I had with it, I have to acknowledge that it did finally answer some lagging series plot gaps, and maintained most character developments (except Ava), and provide an interesting, if not believable criminal plot.
I had trouble writing a complete review without mentioning certain plot aspects that may be considered spoilers, so I'm posting that version to Goodreads, but keeping the spoiler-free and shorter version for Netgalley and other sites.

~

PROS

I utterly loved about 90% of the recurring series cast. I love Callanach, Tripp, Lively, even Overbeck. They all stand on their own feet, are strong and smart, opinionated and clearly well trained in investigative techniques. They all serve a purpose within the story, supporting how much page-time they get, and are all individual, personable people the reader gets to relate to.
There were a lot of recurring series-characters who are back again – Natasha, Ailsa, Janet Monroe, Lance, Pax Graham, Selina, and Max (who has been promoted), as well as Overbeck and Lively.
There were also lots of new characters, though I don't see any of them returning.

The story covers some series issues, sometimes with sensitivity. Like in the opening chapter when a man is about to commit suicide. The entire chapter is dedicated to his dilemma, and a good Samaritan coming along to talk him off the ledge, literally.

Finally, this book covered some of the huge plot gaps that had been annoying me, in previous books. Like what happened to Astrid, Callanach's mother, and his investigation into who his real father was. This book covered all of those things, and I was really happy to see them finally addressed.

In the end, while I found the crime incredulous in from a realism POV, it tackled some serious issues with a degree of sensitivity, and explores some lesser-known psychological conditions. It shines a light on suicide prevention teams, and how small events or certain mental health conditions can seriously impact how people cope with the day-to-day world. While some aspects weren't as sympathetic and well written as I hoped, there were those like Callanach. Tripp and Lance who displayed the appropriate emotions, reactions, and responses to certain events.

CONS

The story begins by recapping previous events and background stories for the main characters, but it feels rushed and incomplete. It's been clear that the only book in the series that can be read as a standalone is Book 1.
It's labelled as the D.I. Callanach series, but it's been obvious to me since Book 3 that Ava is as much, or often more of, a main character than Luc. Sadly, that doesn't work for me. I don't particularly like who Ava has become since her promotion. It really irritates me how much people let her get away with. If this was real life, someone from Police Scotland would be taking her off-duty to get a mental health check, before she does something that gets someone else killed.
With even the author confirming Book 7 is an “Luc and Ava” book, that means even they've realised that this is a joint series, and is no longer about Callanach. Which is a huge disappointment, because other than the secondary cast, he's the one I bonded to and became interested in.

I have a problem with the plot choices, especially the main plot of suicidal people being killed. This was one of the reasons I didn't find the criminal aspect of the plot as engaging as some of the other books in the series. Some plots have been super clever, but here there was nothing original or smart about it.
The killer had ways and means – proven during the book – of making these crimes look innocuous and looked-over suicides. However, for no reason we're made aware of, he becomes erratic and begins adding extreme theatrics in the next murders. I found the concept of the first death much smarter and more intriguing – a suicide in every aspect, with only one or two small forensic details implying more – than the disturbed, violence the killer quickly descended into.

I was actually really disturbed by the level of violence shown in this book. Gratuitous, because there was NO reason for it. Other choices could easily have been made, and still have a shock or gory value. And I have no idea WHY we had to see Gilroy's POV, and his memories of raping Callanach's mother. I never signed up to read a POV of enjoying a violent rape.
Some of the crimes were truly sick, and I was not prepared for the depravity. But, I also didn't want to be part of that.

~

This book was an ARC, so there were some consistent editing problems. Also, the formatting of my copy from Netgalley is actually really muddled and hard to read. One minute, the formatting will be okay, and then it will have half-lines containing half a sentence, with no separation of dialogue.

I was really disappointed in the lack of research and fact-checking done in this book. I've seen similar mistakes made in previous books, but they're more glaring here, especially to a local.
I found real problems with the Edinburgh knowledge, and the various research that felt incomplete. The way Tantallon is described as being impossible to break into, at night, is almost laughable. Would it have been so frickin' hard to ask for a ladder? She could have gotten Callanach killed, and he seems to be the only person willing to warn her that her behaviour is becoming increasingly concerning and dangerous to others. Yet again, Ava brushes it off and gets away with a quick apology, a few tears, and gets to be the well-cared-for victim.
The Royal Infirmary hospital is rarely ever “on the way” to anywhere, and especially not from Tantallon to central Edinburgh, and no matter what time of day, there is ALWAYS traffic in central Edinburgh, especially close to the Royal.
As another reviewer has already pointed out, you can't disinherit family in Scottish law. It took me less than three minutes to discover this. It's frustrating that such a small and easily researched thing was so misinterpreted for the sake of a plot point.
When Ailsa identifies a victim, she states with certainty he's Japanese, yet Asian would be a logical, scientific answer. Ailsa functions by science and not making assumptions, yet she jumps straight to (the accurate) Japanese. There's no way Ailsa spends long enough evaluating Osaki's face – in a crime scene, with him recently deceased and not moved into a better position – to make the distinction.

There were also multiple times when the characters – most notably Ava – made reckless choices within the investigation, all because they didn't want to see what was obvious, because it wasn't convenient to the book's timeline. I get that some of these choices were made by the author on purpose, but they really don't stack up to reality.

I also have an issue with the fact EVERY book in this series concerns a serial killer. The statistics are easy to find. I also find it hard to believe the constant mentions of “gang” murders, in Edinburgh. The more books there are about serial murderers, the more illogical and unrealistic the series feels, despite the author's attempt to make the policing done by Police Scotland as accurate as possible.
The more the series goes on, the more it begins to lose that realism it's striving so hard to create.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I marked off all POV as I was reading, because I've noticed that Books 3-4 both gave Ava far more POV's than Callanach was given. There were 59 POV changes within the book, nearly one every six pages. Of those POV, Ava has 26, while Callanach has 14. Ava gets TWICE as many POV scenes as Callanach, in a series bearing his name. Which makes no sense.

~

AVA

I hate giving AVA her own problematic section of my review, like I did in the previous book, but the events of this book kind of require it. Because, Ava was 99% of my problems with this story.
Ava is judgemental, arrogant, selfish and reckless. She makes herself into a victim while putting other people in danger, routinely placing Callanach in danger, putting Lance in danger, nearly killing them both – either by acting, or by not acting on information – and then gets to walk away with a clear conscience, before no one will ever blame her for anything she's done wrong.

Irritating. Illogical. Judgemental of others. Yet, she stands on a pedestal she and everyone else has placed her on, spouting from her soapbox, and is considered some sort of moral high ground everyone else must aspire to.
Quite honestly, the minute the incident happens, the entire story takes a complete nosedive into the ridiculous and illogical. The whole novel focuses so much on the rollercoaster relationship between Ava and Callanach that it can't be reasonable about anything else, and the investigation suffers for it.

Sadly, a lot of these reckless/ridiculous choices were made as an excuse to give Ava and Luc another will-they-wont-they moment, which has been ongoing now for 5 books, and is growing tired. Luc has now rescued Ava from countless dangerous situations that SHE has caused with her reckless and irresponsible attempts to be the hero, no matter the cost.
Not only that, but when Ava discovers Callanach's secret, she seriously overreacts to the point where it's a convenient plot point to drive a wedge between her and Callanach, but it doesn't feel real. It's a serious over-reaction, and she has the audacity to compare him to a serial killer taking trophies. She claims to be able to separate her profession and personal lives, then goes ahead and proves she can't do that. She tells him that she's never hidden anything from him, and his keeping secrets is a betrayal, but even that's a lie proven by her previous actions. She's kept countless secrets, lied to him continuously, but – of course – Ava lives by different rules to the rest of the world.

*insert eye roll here*

I'm sorry, Luc, but it's well past time to walk away.

~

OVERALL

For me, it just doesn't work as a thriller. To me, a thriller is psychologically terrifying, because of its believability and real life potential, because it's clever and frightening, while being something people can legitimately fear happening. Unfortunately, this book was more aimed towards the shock-and-awe factor of horror goriness.

What I've enjoyed?
Callanach, the friendship between Callanach and Ava in Books 1-2, the secondary cast (Salter, Lively, Tripp etc) and how clever some of the crimes were. I loved the strength of the realistic investigative methods, in the early two books.

What wasn't so great?
The often unnecessary omnipresence, Ava commandeering 80% of Books 3-4, Callanach's storylines being secondary or forgotten in Books 3-4, plot gaps left unanswered for too long, and the frustrating lack of research concerning Edinburgh (mentioned by myself, and another local reviewer) From Book 3 onwards, the investigations have become more about coincidence, informants, and lucky breaks than real investigative work, in the latest books.

Sometimes, the good outweighed the bad, but at other times it was the opposite. A lot of the plot points were contrived and forced. From Ava and Callanach's relationship progress, the events that paused that relationship, and the convenience of the secondary criminal case.
While there was a really strong cast, this book really didn't make good use of them. It felt the story placed far more importance on the personal struggles between Callanach and Ava, and her increasingly worrying behaviour, than it did on the investigation.
Honestly, I've lost all respect for Callanach, for the way he lets Ava hide behind a victim label she puts on herself whenever it suits her. He, Tripp, Lively and Salter were great characters, and I'm sad that they haven't been given the story or attention they deserve, all because Ava has taken priority.
Personally, Ava needs a good slap and for someone to tell her honestly that she needs to grow up. Callanach needs to get a clue, and walk away from Ava before she gets him killed.

~

There are A LOT of triggers in this book, and I've never seen warnings for any of them where I've been looking, so I want to run through them here:
* mentions of bipolar disorder, alzheimers, schizophrenia, clinical lycanthropy, delusional misidentification syndrome, hacking, illegal immigrants, sexism, cancer, drug use, anti-depressants, depression, hand grenade, falling from a window, maiming, electrocution, cheating
* on page: violence, torture, and multiple suicide attempts (jumping from a bridge, by pills, cutting wrists, shotgun, and hanging)

The book also mentions/discusses the crimes of Ed Gein.

Loved this novel so much. Really enjoyed the fast paced writing and the way the characters and storyline developed throughout.

I have to start this review with a major mea culpa! I read this book in December 2018 and somehow I completely missed finishing the review and it's now almost three years later. But I'm going to work this into an advantage because this installment of the DI Callanach series is still deeply engraved in my mind after all these years. Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book deals quite heavily with mental help and especially suicide, which may be difficult for some readers. I found that Fields treated it with a lot of care, however, highlighting how easily people with mental health issues can be abused or taken advantage of. This is an issue with a lot of thriller/suspense novels, where the criminal often ends up having some kind of mental health issues. It puts mentally ill people into the perpetrator corner, when actually, in reality, they are often the victims. Fields also uses Perfect Crime to dig further into Luc's past and has him confront some of his own demons. It makes for a balanced novel in which looking after ones mental health is a priority and not a plotline.

Perfect Crime starts with a prevented suicide, but this is quickly followed by tragedy when Stephen Berry is found dead nonetheless. While initially an assumption is made that it was suicide, clues point detectives towards a different, darker answer. In quick succession more victims are found, the one common thread being that they had attempted suicide in the past. Now the hunt is on, but it is a difficult and tricky one. The chapters from the perspective of the killer are fascinating and disturbing, which is exactly as they should be. While Fields' novels are always scary, there was something extra terrifying about this plot. It is a pleasure to rejoin the old familiar crew, with the now permanent DI Pax Graham. The will they/won't they between Callanach and Ava Turner remains thrilling and fun. It's one of those relationships that I think I'd prefer to always be on the edge, rather than fully established.

Helen Fields remains one of my favourite thriller and suspense novelists. She manages to balance consistent action with proper character development and quiet moments. While the series is named after Callanach, Ava Turner is probably my favourite character. She is complex, a little messy and reckless, but also very motivated and with her heart in the right place. The second plotline around Luc's family and the troubles of his past is not as gripping as the main storyline, but it greatly served his character. While he is no doubt a dreamy main character, I always appreciate it when things are made more complex. The DI Callanach series remains a favourite and I'm consistently impressed at how Fields manages to come up with inventive plots and twists and turns without sinking away into clichés.

Perfect Crime is a great fifth installment of the DI Callanach series. Fields balances a terrifying crime spree with in-depth character development, resulting in a thrilling read.

CW: suicide and suicidal ideation

I wasn't sure about this one when I started reading it because, when I requested the ARC, I didn't realize it was the 5th book in a series.

The beginning scene was moving, and about compelled to keep reading. However, once the main story got started, I wasn't really invested in it and was thinking of DNF'ing. I skimmed to about 35 percent, and it started getting pretty good so I read on. It ended up being a pretty good story, but there is some possibly questionable language (not cursing or anything like that) ... Since it's an ARC, I can't quote from it. The author/publisher might considering working with sensitivity readers in the future.

A big thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a copy of the ARC.

Perfect Crime is definitely one of the most disturbing books I’ve read this year. I just couldn’t put it down.
I realise I should have started with the first book because there are lots of references to previous book but I couldn’t help myself and I had to read this book.

I will read the previous ones because
1. I’m in love with Luc Callanach
2. Helen Fields wove a truly disturbing and crazy story which kept me guessing until the end
3. I loved the tension between Luc and Ava, they are so good together, they belong together
4. I need to know what happens in the previous book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

I just loved Ava and Luc's relationship. They are in love with each other, but don't want to admit to it (or that's just my opinion!) They also make great working partners, and this makes for very entertaining reading. Recommended.
TB

Perfect Crime by Helen Fields. I loved the characters and although the 'who done it' wasn't too difficult to work out it was still a great story. Several suicides started to look suspiciously like murder!

For 20% the book was talking about the relationship between the police officers, as this was my first book into this series I didn't know alot about them and I didn't care about Callanach and Turner but by the end I actually loved them.

The police work and the solving the puzzle of murder was more important to me.

I understand why this series is popular, it’s fast paced and deals with a lot of drama between the characters and based in Edinburgh (which it is my first based there).

Really dark ending, there was term that I start googling, I didn’t even believe this could be true not be made up . Really good book. I bought the first in the series and will read it as I would love to understand the two main character more.

Absolutely enjoyed from start to finish, u didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended, if you like books that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

Thank you for the copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

I absolutely LOVE this series by Helen Fields - I don't think I could ever tire of the characters and the increasingly insane cases they are faced with book after book. This one doesn't disappoint either - if there was ever an author who knows how to write a serial killer, Helen is that author.

My favorite part of these books (no spoilers!) is that once I am in, I literally cannot set the book down as there is never a pause in the action that makes you feel like a break is a good idea. The action and twists just keep coming, and I have yet to be able to guess an ending to one of these stories.

I genuinely hope this series never ends because I really don't know what I will do without my favorite serial killers haunting me year after year.

I do like a thriller but I always spoil it for myself by working everything out early on...but for once I didn’t because my thoughts were wrong; I guess that means it was a well written story. Not too much gore for once which was good because I think sometimes some authors are a little too explicit and it can make for a difficult read. Looking forward to the next one!!

Love a good police procedural! While I read this outside of the series, I am thrilled to learn that there are more as part of the series. I also loved the relationship and interplay between the two characters.

The DI Callanach series is shaping up into a very nice one .... and ... um ..... maybe Callanach himself could have a little to do with that!! *sigh*

Elaborate suicides seem to be happening all over the place and though they appear to be victims who have taken their lives .... or have they?!! It's a baffling case where things just don't add up. But the book also reveals more about Luc's past and why certain events happened. I'm loving the usual cast of characters and Det Supt Overbeck has to be a favourite. What may start to get on my nerves a bit is the will they won't they between Ava and Luc. This could get tedious if dragged on too long.

If I'm honest I did guess the perpetrator here; my detective skills worked here! But it's still a good addition to the series and one I'll stick with for now. I'm intrigued to see where things go.

Recommended for some terrific characters. Many thanks for my review copy.

This is definitely one of my favourite police crime procedural/psychological thriller series with excellent writing, plot and character development. Recommended. A great book.

Riveting read compelling and thought provoking many thanks. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who enjoys a crime set in modern and relevant settings

Perfect Crime is the fifth book in the D.I. Callanach series, and it’s another addition to the series that I devoured in no time at all. Although this one had me hooked, I’m going to be honest and say it’s not my favourite book in the series.

As always, the mystery element of this book was wonderful. There were multiple elements to this one, and I was sucked in deep trying to work out how everything came together. Although I worked out how one thing came together, I did not manage to put the pieces of the other together until quite late in the book. I was convinced it was going to go a different way, and it made up for the fact I managed to work out how the bigger story played out.

As much as I enjoyed the mystery element of this one, I was disappointed by the development of the personal story between Luc and Ava. It’s something I’ve been really enjoying throughout the series, and with Perfect Crime things progress a lot. However, I wasn’t crazy about the way things developed. It didn’t quite have the emotional impact I’d expected, and I wasn’t invested in it the way I have been invested in other elements of their story. I guess I just expected more when I realised how much things progressed in this one. That’s just me, though.

Overall, Perfect Crime was another fabulous addition to the series, one that had me jumping right into book six.