This is a divinely written crime procedural written by Jane Casey.
Maeve Kerrigan and her faithful team, are by far one of my favorite characters in the many book series I read. Do yourself a favor and check the whole series out, you can read this as a standalone, but not giving it full justice by not reading from the beginning book.
The storyline was well paced, interesting and a little intense at times.
Pure enjoyment for hours of reading!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#Netgalley
#thecuttingplace

I was so happy to get to spend time with Detectives Maeve and Josh again! This is book 9 of the series I believe and while you could read this as a standalone, I would recommend going back and reading from at least book 3 which is where I started. As a standalone, the mystery is completely new and as usual, Set in London, Casey develops a pretty good puzzle for us to solve. Was it was one of her better mysteries? Not really in my opinion. I thought this was fairly heavy on the police procedural aspect so if that's interesting to you this should really work. I found it to be a little too much police procedural and not enough of the fast paced thrills and twists that Casey used to have in her earlier books. I continue to love Maeve and Josh, these 2 feel like real people and I'm fully invested in continuing to follow their stories. The author does a fantastic job with dialogue and character development for all her characters, but I'm here for the lives and detective work of these two! I wish netgalley did half stars, this would be a 3.5 for me.

A gruesome find of a dismembered woman in the Thames sets us and Detective Maeve Kerrigan off on the search for her killer and discover the woman Paige, was an investigative journalist working on a story about a secretive and very select old boys club which is determined to thwart any connection to the dead woman. The deceive team of Maeve and Josh are an interesting duo, with lots of history and a strong second storyline along with the murder. This is actually the ninth in this series and my first read. Disturbing violence against women is completely swept under the rug by the club and its members. They have the power and the women don’t. Maeve is a strong character but even she can be sidelined by male violence. Had me reading feverishly to the end to discover the secrets.

I quite enjoyed this latest in the Maeve Kerrigan series, even if I had to suspend my disbelief that the police, even in the well-resourced Met, truly throw so many resources at solving crimes, especially ones that might entangle the wealthy and powerful in a criminal prosecution. (That said, this kind of story is so much more entertaining than ones that focus on the bureaucracy and paperwork of police work.) After a mudlarker finds a hand left at low tide along the Thames, Maeve has to determine who the hand (and various other bits) belonged to. She finds herself delving into the membership of the secretive Chiron Club, where powerful men are entertained in a way that makes frat boy shenanigans seem completely innocent. It's a nicely twisty plot, and there's a parallel theme involving Maeve's private life that is quite powerful and amplifies the overall theme about power, privilege, and violence against women. The well-drawn characters are also a plus and, while you needn't be familiar with the series to enjoy this one, those who have followed it will be happy to learn more about the team's relationships. Well done.

DS Maeve Kerrigan is back, looking into the disappearance of a reporter who was researching London clubs where wealthy men can have anything they want, for a price. Paige Hargreaves was writing a story about the Chiron Club when she disappeared. The only thing Maeve knows for sure is that these men believe their wealth and privilege exclude them from many of the rules that must be followed by lesser mortals. I love Maeve, she’s a strong, independent woman with a human side and a wicked sense of humor. Fans of the series will be pleases with this latest story