Another good sortie in this series, which doesn't need to be read in order. More police procedural this time than focusing on personal relationships of existing characters.

This series works well without mention of DS Hart's romance with Mike, or DC Jones's with Harinder. The storyline focuses on the first gruesome murder, and at first it seems as if it's a one- off, but the second adds confusion and potentially another suspect/s to the tale.

I suspected who the killer was, and whilst his explanation fell a bit flat, it sort of did work because of the sometimes-stereotyped character he was (trying not to Spoiler!). I also wondered why some of the team would start something and leave it incomplete, which could've led to the murderer before, but hey, we're human.

It ends with DC Jones in a better place than in the last book, and with DS Hart's life taking a new direction, and that she sees her worth and has the support of her colleagues. I liked that there wasn't TMI, just characters acting like the grown-ups they are.