Having enjoyed the first book in this series, I was looking forward to this installment. I think it was even better than the first. This is a very solid serial killer thriller/mystery. I was still guessing in the end trying to figure out who the bad guy was. I liked learning more about Carver and Lake and really enjoy their characters.

Summary from Goodreads:

"While Britain is obsessed with the newest hit true-crime television show, Fact, or Fable? detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver are tormented by a fiendish flesh-and-blood killer on the loose.

Lured to a “crime scene” by a mysterious digital invitation, Ruth Lake is horrified by what she finds: a bizarre and gruesome tableau surrounded by a crowd of gawkers. The deadly work is the latest “art installation” designed by a diabolical criminal dubbed the Ferryman. Not only is this criminal cold-blooded; he’s a narcissistic exhibitionist desperate for an audience. He’s also clever at promoting his deadly handiwork. Exploiting England’s current true-crime craze, he uses social media to titillate and terrorize the public.

Ruth is joined in the investigation by her partner Greg Carver, who is slowly regaining his strength after a run-in with another sadistic criminal. But Greg can’t seem to shake the bewildering effects of the head wound that nearly ended him. Are the strange auras blurring his vision an annoying side effect of his injury, or could they be something more . . . a tool to help him see a person’s true nature?"

My Thoughts:

I'm starting to feel like 2019 is becoming the year of sequels for me. I've been reading some absolutely stellar books that are all second books in their respective series - and I can add this one to the list without hesitation! Last year, I read and loved the first book which is titled Splinter in the Blood. It was dark and thrilling which is exactly the type of book that I enjoy reading most. I've been anticipating this book every since finishing that first one. I've got to say that this book was just as good (if not slightly better) than its' predecessor. Let's start this off though by saying that it's probably for the best if you read these books in order. Do you have to read that first book? No, but if you don't a lot of what happened in that first book will be spoiled for you to a certain extent. I just think you will enjoy these books more if you read them both but you certainly don't have to. That being said, this book starts off with a bang. Carver and Ruth are both still dealing with the aftermath of what happened in that previous book but in different ways. All of that has to be pushed aside though as they are drawn into another dangerous and high profile case. The best part of this book for me was how easily the author was able to keep me guessing. I feel like I was going back and forth suspecting different individuals but I wasn't even close. The storyline was just as dark and fast-paced as it was in the first book. I found myself reading for as long as possible because I just couldn't stop reading. In fact, I broke my late night reading rule that I have during the week just so that I could finish this one. Ha! I'm very, very intrigued by a separate storyline that the author brought into this book. I expect that we will learn more about it in the next book but I fully admit that it's going to be a very long wait until then!

Overall, I enjoyed this one immensely and am now officially a huge fan of this series! I was a huge fan after the first book but I feel like with two winners in a row this author has jumped on to my must read list. It's going to be so hard to wait for book three in this series, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait after loving these first two so much! What more can you ask for with a book that has you on edge while reading guessing the entire time? It was a marvelous reading experience and now I need more books and series to follow just like this! I would recommend this book to fans of suspense, thrillers, and mysteries alike. Be warned that both of these books edge on the darker side but it's so worth it! I'll just be over here impatiently pining for the next book whenever it is due to release. Highly recommended!

Bottom Line: A series and author to take note of - do yourself a favor and start with Splinter in the Blood to get the full reading experience!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher. Honest thoughts are my own.

Favorite Quotes:

His smile somehow managed to convey both apology and mischief.

She was four foot ten and almost the same in circumference, she walked with a roll.

Drew Scanlon was what Carver, a London incomer, now recognized as a through-and-through Scouse scally. The type that could boast five generations of forebears who were also Scouse scallies, Liverpool born-and-dragged-up going back over a century. To qualify as a true scally, it was necessary to forswear aspiration as poncey and soft. Education was for snobs, steady jobs for knobheads. The trick was to never aspire to anything, do the minimum, and have enough street savvy to stay out of reach of the law.


My Review:

A cunning serial killer, who was likened to the mythological Ferryman, had Liverpool churning, and his clever use of social media had his popularity soaring and his followers swarming each fresh crime scene for his artistic yet gruesome exhibits featuring the mutilated organs of his victims or graphics/videos of their demise. This was a complex and compelling thriller and I couldn’t seem to gain traction on the mystery, as it was slippery, confounding, multi-textured, and complicated by unreliable and deceitful characters with closets full of their own dark secrets.

The writing was intricately detailed with unusual descriptions and shrewd observations that occasionally included unexpected hits of wry humor. The storylines were layer upon layer of baffling clues with the struggling police officers personal issues and agendas swirling and tainting the mix. The tension mounted and never let up, even upon reaching the last page, which completed this story but left a few loose personal threads to keep us primed to continue with the next installment, which I for one will certainly be watching for.

My Brit Vocabulary List expanded with the additions of Scouse – Liverpool dialect; stab vest – body armor in the US we would call them Kevlar or bulletproof vest; warrant card – Police ID; and scally – rascal or miscreant, usually jobless, uneducated, and prone to crime.

The Ferryman is making detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver’s lives miserable. Of course he’s making things even worse for the victims he kills and displays in “art installations”. Using the British public’s love for true crime shows, the Ferryman lures the public out to view his gory creations using social media. Ruth isn’t sure what to make of her partner, Greg Carver’s claims that his recent head injury enable him to tell if a person is telling the truth or not. This is a solid police procedural spiced up with a hint of the paranormal