T. M. E. Walsh

In the third installment of the DCI Claire Winters series, Claire has the unenviable task of finding the person who killed a recently released brutal predator who served 15 years for raping and maiming several young women. The media and the public hail the killer a hero, and little support is forthcoming for Claire's investigation. Was this a revenge killing? Vigilante action? The case takes a sinister turn when a woman is found murdered and left with the same disfigurement the now deceased rapist used to inflict upon his victims.
I very much enjoyed For All Our Sins and The Principle Of Evil, the first two books in this series. This third one was my least favorite so far. While the story was captivating with its insight into the long-lingering effects of a vicious crime on the victims and their families, the execution felt all over the place. The point of views kept changing, there was some first-person narrative, e.g. from the perpetrator's point of view, then third person narrative. The timeline wasn't linear. There'd be a revelation and then a flashback where the action leading up to this revelation would be disclosed. Sometimes, these things work. Here, it was just a bit too choppy.
I'm also losing patience with the protagonist. I liked Claire in books 1 and 2, although she obviously had her flaws (which detective doesn't?). But this time round she just seemed to do her own thing, ignoring everybody else and just taking advantage of people.
The book would work as a standalone, but if you haven't read the first two, you'd probably be missing out on the finer details regarding Claire's complicated relationship with her father, her equally complex connection with her ex-husband, who plays a bigger role in this installment, or her tense working relationship with certain people in her team. I admit by the end I was congratulating her ex-husband on the decision to divorce her years ago. While Claire showed some vulnerability in the previous book, she just appears cold and even more aloof now. Not the personal development I was hoping for. Still, the central storyline was interesting enough that I will be looking out for DCI Winters' fourth adventure in the future.
Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.… (mehr)

First, this is the 3rd in a series. I haven't read the other 2 but I didn't feel like I was missing out by not having read them. Now that I've read this one, I'm going to go back and check out her first two because this was good.

Once I started this the only thing that made me put it down was literally falling asleep while holding my tablet because it was after 2a then I finished it first thing in the morning when I woke. I also didn’t figure out who the killer was until right as it was being revealed which made me love this book even more when the killer isn’t obvious from chapter one.

I loved how Walsh creates her characters even her villians. There is so much I want to say about that but I have no idea how to express my extreme enthusiasm for what she did without giving something important away. The way she writes I felt like I was actually there crawling out of the ground with one of her victims. She makes it so realistic your skin crawls with the feeling of dirt on it like no shower will be enough.

She sets a good scene with a strong plot line which helps you get from A to B but her writing is so detailed and vibrant you WANT to go on this journey no matter where it’ll take you. She sets these gritty, bloody scenes that are like visual car accidents you can’t turn your head from – not that you want to or risk missing something.

Walsh is a fantastic crime writer that obviously knows how to wring out the best of this genre.… (mehr)

This is the second book featuring DCI Claire Winters, and although this could be read as a standalone, there are references made to events and relationships from For All Our Sins (book 1) which I think will make more sense if you've read the books in order.
When the body of a prostitute is found in a frozen lake and then a respected, well-off solicitor is abducted and murdered, Claire and her team soon realize they are looking for a cunning killer who won't be stopped easily. But what is the connection between these two victims who come from completely different backgrounds?
Claire is still reeling from the events a year ago and could do without the hassle she is getting from the newest member of the team, DS Elias Crest. On top of that, her mother has decided to stay with her for a while.
I think Claire makes quite a good protagonist. Although she comes across as aloof a lot of the time, there is a very vulnerable and caring side to her as well.
I enjoyed this book even more than the first. The plot flows smoothly, the writing is succinct and the storyline draws you in and keeps you engaged all the way through.
I am looking forward to the next installment.
Thanks to Tania Walsh and Carina UK for providing me with a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.… (mehr)

This is the first book in a British crime series which introduces DCI Claire Winters who is investigating the rather gruesome murder of a priest, which is only the first of a number of grisly deaths that are occurring. Claire is an interesting character who is dealing with some relationship issues.
It is clear from fairly early on who is behind the murders, but the reasons behind them are slowly revealed through flashbacks. It wasn't so much the police procedural part of the story, but the background and history of all the characters involved and the relationships between them that were holding my attention. There is a really unexpected (well, to me it was) twist towards the end, which was great. Overall, this was a nicely paced, well written and suspenseful book. I'm certainly looking forward to reading The Principle of Evil, the next book in the series.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary copy via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.… (mehr)