An airport bookshop impulse buy and a good one, although I wish I hadn't bought on impulse the third in the series.

After a gas explosion in a semi detached cottage the police discover (in the other half of the house) the bodies of two women. Dawn has been stabbed to death and her disabled daughter has died of natural causes after being left for days without care.

A pretty straight police procedural with competent, hardworking officers, who actually go home of an evening. I particularly appreciated the fact that the DI was happily married (as opposed to a tortured alcoholic renegade). The plot was well constructed and all the loose ends tied up. Very satisfactory. ( )

The female MC is basically a trope (cop with PTSD, angry, defensive, likes her drink) but mercifully there are many more interesting characters & an intriguing murder mystery to keep you turning the pages. Worth a read. ( )

After You Die – A Superb Thriller

Eva Dolan is the sort of writer that draws you in at the prologue and does not let you go until the final full stop in the book. After You Die is an excellent thriller that really gets under your skin and you are begging the police to find the killer, especially as there is the death of a child and her mother. After You Die, is part of the Zigic/Ferreira series, but I have read this as a standalone thriller and was enthralled.

Eva Dolan knows how to write thrillers of the highest quality that delivers on every level for the reader, with a harrowing plot that will leave you stunned. Eva Dolan is not afraid to tackle a subject that can cause others so much pain; she just delivers a thriller of superb quality.

DI Zigic is head of the Hate Crimes Unit in Peterborough with his DS Mel Ferreira, who has just returned to duty after being away with serious injuries caused in the line of duty. They are both called out to a murder scene in a quiet village just outside Peterborough, where a mother has been viciously stabbed to death and her disabled daughter has starved to death in bed.

The scene in which Dawn Prentice and her daughter Holly are found presents a number of forensic problems as the scene has been compromised due to a gas explosion and fireman stamping all over the place. Dawn and Holly are known to the Hate Crimes Unit, as being the victims of harassment but not much evidence of it being taken seriously.

Dawn has interesting private life, where she was going through a divorce, which had turned bitter; she also had a number of lovers online enough suspects to keep the police busy for a long time. All the people of the village say the same thing, Dawn had no enemies, she had a close friend in the village, a foster carer, and one of her children has gone missing about the same time. So the Police have suspects, but no evidence and so begin a cat and mouse chase to find the truth. One thing they do know is that the village is in complete turmoil.

After You Die is a superb thriller from an excellent writer who is at the top of her game and whose prose is engaging, draws you in from the start, and you just want to read, and find it a joy. What to expect from her storytelling? Twists and turns plots and subplots, explosive themes and two excellent detectives at the top of their game. Eva Dolan proves that she is an excellent storyteller, she knows what makes the reader tick, and delivers on every level. Dolan is like a sniper; she zeros in on her target and does not waste the bullets but hits the target every time. ( )