Member Reviews
As always, an absolutely brilliant read by Helen Fields. Her writing style is so clever and so addictive and I am thrilled I got to be one of the first people to read this book. Thank you.
Another great book in the DI Luc Callanach series and it’s a series that gets better and better.
The book starts off with Ava in Scotland and Luc in France, helping Interpol out.
They’re just about talking after what happened in the previous book but soon the disappearance of a young man brings their investigations together.
Natasha gets some bad news and both Luc and Ava are there to help her through it.
The investigation in France is centred around illegal organ transplants but they seem to be kidnapping the ‘donors’ from Scotland.
As well as this Ava has another murder to solve which leads to a particularly nasty group running brothels and killing women for fun.
This book has a great pace but the final few chapters are non-stop action and had me well and truly hooked.
The ending, as always left me wanting more from this great series.
Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
I like a book that can actually hold my attention from the first few pages.
This is the first book I'm reading in this series and it really did well as a stand alone.
A riveting read for me!
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review
This is the sixth book by Helen Fields in the DI Luc Callanach series featuring DCI Ava Turner called Perfect Kill. It’s set in Edinburgh and abroad in Paris.
Bart lived at home with his mum and had a part-time job at a restaurant which he enjoyed as he could pick up extra shifts. His mum didn’t mind as he always woke her as he left the house with a cup of tea in the mornings and they helped look after each other. Only something must have gone wrong, Bart hadn’t woken her, she didn’t have her cup of tea and his bed hadn’t been slept in, where was he?
Bart didn’t remember leaving the restaurant when he woke up but now he was alone, in the dark and he was shut in somewhere and he was moving. He soon finds out that he’s tethered by his ankle to a pole in the middle of a room that has no door but there are bottles of water, a big bag of food and a bucket in a corner. He is a prisoner.
Bart’s mum is reporting him missing just as a body is found over in Paris with all it’s internal organs missing plus the eyes. DI Luc Callanach is liaising over there with Interpol with another case. He let’s DCI Turner know. They become involved as it turns out to be a missing person from Edinburgh. How did a missing person from Edinburgh turn up in Paris when he didn’t leave the country? His passport is still at home. Why would all his organs be missing?
There are other strange happenings around Edinburgh as well with other killings happening. One is where at least three remains are found, by a farmer, in with his pigs that need investigating. Where have the bodies come from? How long have they been there? If the farmer had been behind it, he wouldn’t be likely to report it, would he?
Wow, this was a brilliant read from start to finish and was a roller coaster of a ride! It was unputdownable and I loved every minute of it. I have some catching up to do on this series but this made me realise how much I love it.
5 out 5 stars
So unfortunately I hadn’t read the other books in this series about DI Callanach, however that didn’t matter as this works well as a stand alone book also. This book centres on the abduction, trafficking and slavery of women and how brutally they are treated. As the team investigates we get to know the characters better- some nice, some not so nice. A pacy read, not for the faint hearted.
I seem to have a habit of doing this; selecting books from series that I haven’t come across before, this one is the latest book in the DI Callanach series set in Scotland (and a bit of France). And I’m grateful to see this hasn’t affected my enjoyment of this latest offering - it sucked me right in. This is a brutal tale (not one for the squeamish) into kidnapping and modern slavery, with some pretty despicable excuses for humans. Their treatment of the women they’ve abducted is abhorrent. There’s also the baffling case of young Scottish man whose body is found dumped on a French building site, all of his organs have been harvested. This is the tale of the police team that investigates these crimes - headed by DCI Ava Turner. This is a gripping read, with some characters that you’ll warm to, and others that you’ll want to see meet a sticky end. I’m definitely going to check out the earlier books in the series.
A superb sixth book in this series featuring DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach, which firmly remains top of my favourite tartan noir crime thrillers. Perfect Kill is thoroughly captivating, thrilling, chilling and a perfectly addictive read.
Ava and Luc are physically separated, with Luc in France and Ava remaining in Edinburgh. Whilst Ava and the usual murder team are investigating the disappearance of a young man in Edinburgh, Luc is helping Interpol with an investigation into human trafficking. It soon becomes apparent that the two investigations are linked and the teams in Scotland and France must move very quickly to avert disastrous consequences for many potential victims.
It is great to see the introduction of new characters in both Scotland and France, together with the development of existing favourites such as Lively and Natasha.
I commend Helen Fields yet again for her original and creative ideas with her storylines as ‘Perfect Kill’ is yet another of her books which demonstrates her skill as an author.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I never realised this was The sixth book in a series, unfortunately I’m one of those readers who prefers to read a series in order. I have read some great reviews for this book and the authors writing, so I have bought the whole series in the hope I will get to read them soon.
I never thought this author could get better. OMG I was so wrong!!!!!. Personally her best book in the series so far. Atmospheric with tension you could cut with a knife. Chilling, dark very dark and utterly gripping. This is a MUST READ, finished this book in a day, it was so good. This read had me glued to my seat and tapping my kindle faster and faster. I was constantly holding my breath and it definitely got my heart racing. A tour de force of a very dark crime and so Highly Recommended.
Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the ARC.
Perfect Kill is not a book I’d recommend if you’re squeamish but it's perfect for those who love a well-written mystery or thriller. It was violent from the very beginning and the opening chapter had such an impact on me as a reader that I felt compelled to continue reading. I found the plot very intriguing and it’s a horrifying but disturbingly compelling tale of people trafficking, forced prostitution, and murder. I do love this genre of fiction so it came as no surprise to me that I enjoyed reading this book.
I really liked Fields’ writing style because it felt so authentic and natural. This really helped me to connect with the story and the characters. It was also fast-paced and full of action, as a crime novel should be, and the characters were very well-written. I really liked the characterisation of both Luc and Ava as they were complex, multi-faceted characters and they behaved like actual people. I think the only thing that I found off-putting in the novel was how certain characters were described. Sometimes, the physical descriptions of the characters took me out of the story completely. I’m not sure why but it was just something that I didn’t gel with as a reader and I found it oddly jarring.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! It was punchy and authentic and just a really good thriller/crime novel. I’m really tempted to go back and read the rest of the series now. I’d highly recommend it if you’re a fan of this genre.
This is one petrifying story that I couldn't leave alone as it felt like it would be front-page news for real by tomorrow. I was just gutted that I am coming into this series so far down the line though as you may guess this is a bloody beauty.
There had been something big kicking off in the previous book which had caused DCI Luc Callanach to leave Edinburgh and the Major Investigation Team and move to France to work with a former colleague in Interpol. Back in Edinburgh his ex-lover and boss DCI Ava Turner is facing the problem of two healthy men and a woman disappearing under very suspicious circumstances. Sometimes fate just won't let you keep apart, with the major cases that both Callanach and Turner are working on being woven together, if lives are to be saved they will have to put differences behind them.
There are two huge international cases going on and the author ensures that you become emotionally invested in both equally. When the body of a healthy young man is discovered the family have to be informed of his death and the terrible things that have happened to him. It is pure heartbreaking and horrific. My mind just swam with anger and grief for them but as the story continued it made me more frightful for the ones that were still alive. My connection to them felt so more intense and personal for them and what it would do to their families. Totally wicked writing, hook line and sinker.
Then when I thought that human trafficking couldn't possibly get any worse back home it took to an even darker path. This book just moved so incredibly fast, darting from one storyline to the next, it was every suspense thriller reader's heaven. The bad guys were from hell and the victims resigned to it could be the last day for any one of them.
Callanach and Turner come together in spectacular fashion and are an utter dream to read about. Turners sassy I don't give a damn I am going to have you slimebag attitude is just sheer bliss that I was salivating at. There were some pretty bad situations that she just had me crack up on and laugh. It should be illegal for her and Callanach ever to be apart.
This is a full-on top-notch read with action, fear and gutsy detectives. Can't recommend it enough!!!!
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
I'm a fan of Helen Fields and in particular of Luc and Ava and this book did not disappoint. The plot, without giving away any spoilers was unusual enough to draw me in and the relationship between Luc and Ava carried on developing in an intriguing and definitely unconventional way! A definite recommendation from me!
Another great instalment with Callanach and Turner. Joint storylines from Scotland and France add to the intrigue. Good pace. Fantastic storyline and characters. Plenty of suspense to keep me enthralled. Look forward to her next offering in the saga. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.
I have read all of the ‘Perfect’ series and this one was brilliant. Very dark in places but the story had me hooked. Always great character development as well as the investigation storylines, and I enjoyed seeing more of DS Lively in this book.
I love this series. Ava and Luc are fantastic characters you get to know really well.
This book was dark, sometimes harrowing and completely believable.
I was hooked from the first page til the very last. I didn't want to put it down.
I thoroughly recommend this series to anyone who loves police thrillers.
Cant wait for the next one!
I absolutely love this authors book series with Callanach and Turner. The chemistry between the two is kept simmering along even when they are on different continents. This time they are brought together not only through the love they share of a mutual friend but a case that involves kidnapping and murder. They must find out who and why men and women are being shipped to France and what dark reasons are involved. It keeps you transfixed as you are rooting for them to make their relationship work against a backdrop of mistrust and distance. A great paced novel that speeds up the tension and nail biting as the truth is unearthed. Cannot wait for the next book
Perfect Kill is the latest book in the Turner & Callanach series by Helen Fields and it is another excellent crime novel that keeps you hooked from the first page.
The storyline is set in both Scotland and France with the author weaving the narrative without confusing the reader.
This is a very enjoyable series and one that I look forward to. Definitely recommended
Another amazing book from Helen Fields. I love the characters of Ava and Luc and their relationship keeps me gripped. Highly recommended reading.
I haven’t read any of Helen Fields books in this series but found that the author gives sufficient background detail of the main characters DI Luc Callanach, DCI Ava Turner and Jean Paul of Interpol that the book can be read as a stand alone book. The three main characters interacted and engaged well with each other. Callanach is of Scottish and French parentage and is seconded to Interpol in France to work with his old friend and former colleague Jean Paul. The book revolves round female sexual trafficking in Edinburgh and trafficking for human organs in France. When a male body is discovered in France devoid of all internal organs Callanach along with Jean Paul are called in to investigate, it quickly becomes clear the body is that of a missing male from Edinburgh. At the same time another male , Bart,Campbell has also gone missing from Edinburgh. Meanwhile a body found in Edinburgh leads Turner whilst investigating that murder to become aware of sex trafficking ring which is connected. After DS Lively infiltrates the house where the sex workers are kept it becomes clear that the cases in Edinburgh and France are connected and it’s a race against time to save both Bart Campbell, a Scottish female also held with him and the sex workers from their gruesome fate. The book moves along at a fast pace, it is a tense and thrilling read but some parts may not be for the feint hearted, I myself found the details about the sex workers a little bit too graphic but that’s just my personal view, that apart I enjoyed the book enormously and shall now read the first five in the series.
Thanks to Net galley, and Avon books for this ARC.
I always enjoy reading books in this series,I love the characters.The pace of the book was good, and I read it really quickly.Bring on the next one,please !