In this book, we meet Dr. Olivia Winter, a Forensic Psychologist who specialises in the psyche of serial killers. She focuses on those who have already been caught, researching and interviewing those who have been imprisoned, trying to find patterns in their behaviour which may help identify potential future serial killers before it is too late, and to help police develop investigation techniques for future cases. Dr. Winter never works on active cases, and very much avoids the limelight.
Then a police officer lifelong friend comes to her, looking for help on an active serial killer case. Olivia initially says no. Then her friend ends up dead, seemingly killed by the very serial killer she was trying to track down, and looking for Olivia’s help with. Thrown into the case, Olivia ends up working alongside her friend’s former partner, DI Foley, to try and solve the case. The killer is sadistic, subjecting his victims to horrific attacks, leaving no discernable forensic evidence, and the investigating team is at a loss. Trying to understand the killers’ motivation, and the psychology of why they are doing what they are doing is key to trying to uncover who they are, and they need Olivia’s help for this.
Olivia has a complicated past, making her a very complex and tormented person. She lives almost like a recluse and has a very small trusted circle of friends. She almost barricades herself into her house like a fortress, yet takes some very off-the-wall risks. As a character at times, she can be hard to like, because she is so difficult, unyielding and keeps so much to herself. She has many secrets, and her unbending nature makes her read as cold and closed off. Her past and trauma have defined her in many ways, yet she is fighting to keep moving forward with life and find some way past it. How successfully, one has to wonder, particularly with what this case stirs up.
There is a lot of misdirection in this story, especially because we see much of it through Olivia’s eyes. She trusts nobody and her fear and mistrust colours much of what we see. It filters down through all that we read, and we can never be sure of who we can trust. It is an edge-of-the-seat read as it progresses, keeping you on your toes as the pace increases. With plenty of tension, and loaded with suspense, graphic crime, and curve balls, this one will keep you turning the pages.
*I received this book for review from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.
Mullen Crafts 