Engaging, grim and brutal English crime story. A man is murdered in an abandoned building and his hearts is delivered to his family. Detective Inspector Helen Grace, still recovering from a traumatic investigation leads the investigation. The victim lived a carefully compartmentalised life which creates complications for the investigation. As more men are murdered the pressure on the investigation increases from internal and external forces. The reveals are vey well judged and the tension is ratcheted up very effectively. The grim conclusion is very satisfying.
M.J. Arlidge has structured the book in an interesting way. There are a lot of very short chapters which create a greater sense of momentum in the story while also making for a slightly choppy reading experience. At the opening of the story there is a strong continuity from the previous story (EENY MEENY) which relies too much on prior knowledge on the part of the reader. One the current story moves past the set up this is no longer an issue.
The plot mechanics are unexpected and engaging. The investigation itself is very well structured and delivers on the genre requirements with confident skill. The internal conflicts in the investigation are genre staples, they are given a greater depth by the characters being given the room to come alive for the reader. The threads of the story that reveal the background to the murders and the grim conclusion with a credibly sour aftermath is brilliantly executed.
What is pleasantly unexpected is the way that three of the leading characters are faced with enormously consequential decision in their lives and they way they respond is very revealing. The characters are realized to the extent that I was left to think of the consequences of the decisions that lie beyond the bounds of the story and to wonder how they would play out over time.
The tone of the boon is unrelentingly grim, there is no set of circumstances that cannot become aggressively worse. There is no vein of humour to lift the gloom, it is a tribute to the quality of the writing that the story does not become leaden under its own weight of trauma and trouble. This is because of the consistent stubbornness of the investigators as they work positively to find a route through the storm. The reader is drawn directly into the story and the actions of the cast.
The story is so grim it can be heavy going, it is well worth persisting. First rate crime fiction.
