When the body of a young girl washes up in a cranberry bog, the detective assigned to the case, Constance McLean, needs the help of psychology professor, and police department enemy, Dr. James Verraday, to help create a profile to catch a killer.

Typical baseline of a mystery thriller. But what makes or breaks the baseline is how much it's elevated into something engaging and exciting - and I'm just not engaged or excited about this series.

Call me unenthused.

James Verraday is a cardboard version of a lead character. He's emotionally immature, boring, depressive, kind of creepy and I didn't find his "abilities" in criminal profiling all that impressive.

I think my biggest problem with this though was that most of the story seemed forced. The scenes didn't flow, it was like the author didn't have enough ideas to build up the mystery and keep things interesting, so a lot of the story was filler; and pretty pointless filler at that.

I don't need to sit in on a psychology class, I did that 10 years ago. I'm good. Where are there scenes that move the plot forward? Oh, there are hardly any? Good to know.

There is a bit of a subplot involving some disturbing stalking-like behaviour, but it wasn't focused on enough to catch my interest.

Overall, this is your typical murder-mystery novel that is lacking elevation or anything important to say. There are better reads out there for this girl.

Full review:
https://thesnowbookhollow.wordpress.com/2017/03/10/at-ropes-end-by-edward-kay/

This roller coaster of a book starts with the naked body of a young girl being retrieved from the depths of a cranberry bog. She has been beaten and strangled. Detective Constance Maclean thinks this death may be linked to a murder that occurred six months earlier. The victim’s were about the same age, similar in appearance, with prominent tattoos and piercings. The major problem was that the Seattle Police Department already had a suspect in custody for the first murder. If Detective Maclean was right, then they had the wrong man in custody and a serial killer in their midst. If that was the case, it was only a matter of time before the killer struck again.

Detective Maclean seeks assistance from James Verraday, a forensic psychologist with a speciality in criminal profiling. He was working as a college professor when approached to assist with the case. Verraday had a long and troubled past with the Seattle P.D., and he was more than reluctant to help initially. But the allure of Detective Maclean and the thought of catching a serial killer was too much to turn down. So the two work together to try to solve the case, before another young woman loses her life. Time was ticking!

This book is a real page turner! I had a hard time putting it down to go to sleep at night. The characters are incredibly likable and Edward Kay does a great job of describing a scene so that it leaves a memory afterward. In most mysteries that I read I feel like I know what is going to happen before it happens, but this book had some unexpected twists that definitely kept me on my toes! I particularly enjoyed the ending, hopefully this will become a series of books...I will surely be watching for more to come from Detective MacLean and James Verraday!

This book was given to me, by NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Edward Kay himself, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the pleasurable reading experience!!! (3.5 out of 5 stars)

This was a really nice fast-paced thriller. It was filled with action and there was always something happening in the story. I liked all of the characters, and the author was able to establish good interactions between all of them. Verraday is witty and smart, but far from perfect - which makes him a great protagonist. I wish there had been more to Maclean so that she could be just as strong a character. The duo definitely worked and had good chemistry. The novel explored the world of psychology in great detail, and I was able to reminisce on lessons I had learned in my first year psychology class throughout this novel. All of the explanations worked, and while the story may have been predictable, it was still a good read. My only complaint in terms of plot is that the twist at the end, while also predictable, wasn't developed as well as the rest of the story, and its explanation, while plausible, was more far-fetched than anything else in the story. Overall, a solid action-packed thriller, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

A quick and enjoyable thriller about a detective and forensic psychologist who team up to find a serial murderer after police think the case is closed as a single isolated murder. Kay does a great job with intertwining the backstory of the two troubled main characters into the current circumstances and he also peppers in intriguing cultural tidbits that had me googling on the side. Verraday and Maclean feel like real people -- and ones that I care about. Good humour, a light touch, and just the right amount of tension. And bonus: an unexpected ending. Highly recommended.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the e-review edition of this book.