Catherine Lee (2)

The assault on my overloaded kindle continues. This book has been on there for awhile & its time had come. It's a combination of police procedural & an interesting look at the concept of cellular memory in transplant patients.

Sooo...what if your new heart came from a serial killer? A recent murder victim is discovered to be a killer police have been hunting for 10 years. His donated organs will save a young woman's life but have enormous repercussions for her whole family.

I really liked the show more procedural aspect of the story. The 2 MC's (cops) were great characters & the plot suitably twisty. For 80% of the story I was all in. But I'm afraid I felt let down by the last bit for 2 reasons. One was the ethical dilemma faced by police at the end & how it played out. The other was the inclusion of a personal pet peeve.....instalove. You know, the old I've-known-you-for-5-days-and-can't-live-without-you scenario. Erk. The sad thing is the accelerated romance was unnecessary & not integral to the story line. Maybe it could have ended with the blissful couple just going on a first date?

Anyhoo, the rest of the book was a well written & pacy read. If you're a bigger fan of amour, ignore my rant & give this a go. show less

Dark Heart explores the concept of cellular memory, asking whether the heart is capable of retaining memories and transferring them to the recipient. This aspect of the story has a dramatic, powerful emotional pull. Eva's struggle is palpable after learning she's been given a killer's heart. We're right there with her, imagining what it would be like to feel that heart beating inside us.

The murder mystery aspect of the story unfolds in whodunit style, allowing us to solve the case along with show more Detective Cooper. The twists are handled well and are believable.

I wasn't totally sold on the intense love connection, which happens quickly, without any buildup or clear emotional connection. But the characters do seem to work well as a couple.

The major disappointment for me came with the ending. First, Detective Cooper's dilemma should not really have been a dilemma at all, at least not from a professional standpoint. And then we're left hanging with a non-ending. I am really not a fan of books that leave unresolved threads dangling.

Cooper and Quinn make a great team and, despite my irritation with the end of this book, I am looking forward to spending more time with these detectives.

*I was provided with an ebook copy by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.* show less

I really enjoyed this book as it had a great pace ad plenty of twists and surprises to keep you guessing. The characters were a great mix of people you liked and disliked so therefore couldn't help but get drawn into the story. I loved how I never would have guest the killer and can not wait to go back and read more books in this series by Catherine Lee!

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

A prequel set in Sydney, Australia where detectives Cooper and Stockton investigate the disappearance of a married woman. Could she be the next victim of the Adultery Killer. Or is there another motive.
An enjoyable well-written mystery, which introduces some of the characters for the next in the series.