Andy Maslen

This is the second in the Detective Ford series; I read the first and looked forward to this one. I was not disappointed. Ford is still struggling with the guilt over his wife’s death while rock climbing as he raises his son, Sam. Firmly entrenched in his role as a DI, he is dealing with two murders in the Salisbury countryside that just may be related.

This is a solid police procedural with interesting characters, particularly Hannah Fellowes, a highly trained and skilled CSI investigator show more with Asperger’s. No plodding plot this….the story moves along at a good pace as the clues build up. While the case is solved by the end of the book, there is somewhat of a cliffhanger, foretelling a third in the series. Looking forward to it. show less

When Annie receives a video showing her at the funeral of her daughter she is shocked, her daughter is still alive. However then comes a demand for a payment to keep her daughter safe. Annie will do anything to save Isla but the divorce has hit her hard. Michael has recently lost his wife but when he discovers an unknown standing order he cancels it, not knowing that his adopted son is now to be killed. Behind it all is a pair of con artists and blackmailers who have successfully bled paople show more dry for years but maybe they have met their match in Annie and Michael.
I am a longstanding fan of Arlidge's writing but had not read anything by Maslen before and was interested to see how this collaboration would work. The answer is - very well! This is a fairly seamless story which whizzes along at a furious pace. It's completely unbelievable, totally unrealistic but is a breathless ride which is really addictive. I devoured the book in a long afternoon! show less

Who Knew What and When?
Review of the Thomas & Mercer Kindle eBook via Amazon Prime First Reads (December 1, 2023) in advance of the official release in paperback/ebook/audiobook formats (December 1, 2024).

‘I know that. And between us? I agree with you. He knows the area. He wants to be close to home for afterwards,’ Linda said. ‘He’s old enough to have done the original six and young enough to still be doing the physical side of it.’

Kat nodded her thanks. ‘We have nine victims in

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total. Seven from before, who I’m calling “the originals”, and two current, who I’m calling “the new girls”. I want to know how their lives intersected.

Kat Ballantyne became a detective because her best friend from her teenage years became a victim to the so-called "Origami Killer" who leaves a trademark origami paper-fold at each crime site. After a supposed 7 victims the killer went into hiatus. Now after 15 years, they are back and Ballantyne is now in a position to do something about it. Her superiors doubt her obsession though and think she is wasting time and resources pursuing it.

There are twists to come throughout this novel and one of them relates to the number of early victims involved. As seen in the above quotes, the author (and then the copyeditor and proofreader) was also careless about that. Still, that confusion is eventually explained. Otherwise there were a lot of cliches and stereotypes in this. The dogged detective who is recklessly breaking rules along the way, the unsupportive male boss, the messy family with a "shady" parent, the serial killer who just can't resist leaving clues & collects "trophies" which will help convict them in the end, etc.

On the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® this was about a 5 out of 10, as the culprit became obvious after certain evidence (illegally obtained of course) came to light.

Overall I still thought that The Seventh Girl was reasonably well done, even if it was in the tired and overdone serial killer genre. The 2nd Kat Ballantyne book The Unseen Sister is expected to be published May 16, 2024.

Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region). show less

In this, the seventh installment in the DS Kat Ballantyne series, Kat and her team investigate a gruesome ritualistic murder that occurred inside Middlehampton Cathedral. Kat faces pressure from her superiors, corruption, church politics, and a tangled, deceitful web in trying to solve the case.

This is only the second in the series that I have read. Since a secondary plot involves Kat’s family, I would have benefited from more of an explanation of the background.

With an intriguing, show more fast-paced plot and colorful characters, this is a solid mystery/police procedural. I like Kat, a strong, capable female protagonist.
A new character is introduced as part of the investigative team. Hannah Fellowes, who is neurodivergent, is an accomplished forensic specialist with a wicked, refreshing sense of humor.

The ending left me with some discontent about justice being fully served. There also were some loose ends that left an opening for a sequel, to which I look forward.

Thanks to @NetGalley and @AmazonPublishing for the DRC. show less