DI Tom Thorne attends a raid and gets chatting to four uniformed officers who can't believe their luck - a member of the public has left them a box of doughnuts. A few hours later three of them are dead and the fourth is in a coma.

As Tom and his team rush to discover whether this was a random attack on the police or targeted at one or more of the victims, they soon discover that the body count is rising. Can they piece together the evidence to catch a serial killer?

Now I'm guessing that starting this series at book 19 isn't necessarily the best intro, but I recognised the author's name and thought there must be some merit in reading it since it appears to be popular. Whilst there were references to previous cases/former wives etc I found it easy to read as a standalone.

On the whole, I did enjoy it. Perhaps as a new reader I found the culprit's identity to be somewhat obvious, but then I often suspect two or three people in each book. One thing I did find a little jarring was what felt (to me) like an inclusion by numbers of diversity (and I write as an inclusion and diversity champion) with variously a lesbian, a gay man, a single mother, a man in a wheelchair etc. One might of course argue on the other hand that non-CIS gendered people can find institutions such as the police a less than welcoming environment (no matter what the PR team say) and therefore if a leader shows that they are inclusive then people gravitate towards them creating very diverse teams as a result. Just an observation.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

I reviewed an ARC of this book which is the latest in a series which I really enjoy.
It's very topical with lots of reference to corruption in the Met and whether more people were involved or knew about more because a vigilante seems to be targeting police officers who have been involved in criminal activity. As Thorne, Tanner and Holland dig deeper, they find more cases and become more depressed with cover ups and start to question whether they want to remain in the Job.
There are some shocking twists at the end which left me gasping in shock! I can't say any more without spoilers.
Another great book in a great series, with likeable main characters and enough personal stuff in the plot to keep them human!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Here Thorne and Tanner and the usual gang are searching for a man who is murdering police officers. Naturally feelings are running high in the force, but this book is set against the backdrop of the many recent scandals concerning Met officers, and Thorne soon begins to wonder if all these dead officers were as innocent as they seemed.

I found this quite dark and almost defeated in tone: there are continual references to the failings of the police and whether it is better to get out, or to stay and be a force for good. The actual plot was excellent and, thanks to some devious misdirection, I really didn't see the ending coming. I am left hoping things aren't really this bad in real life...

I love this series and this book represents the best of it. It’s hard to review without spoilers but suffice to say you will get whiplash from the extreme twists and depth of emotions which this fraught plot evokes. I always love the characters in this series and the interplay between them, especially Tom, Dave and Phil. Watching their reactions to the crimes they investigate in this book is especially heart rending as we see them grapple with the impact of deeply personal suspicion and betrayal. It’s so well written that a complex plot is blended with sensitive character development in a way which compromises neither pace not depth of engagement. Just brilliant,