Evil Intent (DCI Helen Lavery #4) by Jane Isaac

 

💥💥💥 due to be published 01-February-2022💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"When a series of women’s bodies are discovered in the heart of rural Hamptonshire with a pentagram carved on their chests, DCI Helen Lavery is forced into a cat and mouse chase with a murderer who ultimately turns the tables and targets her.

Meanwhile, she is shocked to discover that her younger son’s new best friend is the nephew of organised crime boss Chilli Franks – the man who has held a grudge against Helen’s family since her father first put him away in the 1990s.

As her personal and professional lives collide, Helen finds herself in mortal danger as she races to track down the serial killer and restore safety to the streets of Hampton."

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If you read this book, you are in for a treat as, once again, Jane Isaac brings us a doozy of a story and although this is the fourth in the series, don't let that put you off as it can easily be read as a standalone.

DCI Helen Lavery and her team are hunting a serial killer who is becoming more brazen as each victim is found.  Evil Intent follows their difficult investigation where there are few suspects and even less clues.

With fantastic characters, an excellent story and written at a good pace, Evil Intent is a book full of tension and suspense from start to finish and I have no hesitation in recommending this to others who enjoy this genre.

My thanks must go to Legend Press and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Other books by Jane Isaac I have read and reviewed:

One Good Lie

Before It's Too Late (DI Will Jackman #1)

Beneath the Ashes (DI Will Jackman #2)

A Deathly Silence (DCI Helen Lavery #3)

This Little Piggy by Bea Davenport

Description from Goodreads:

"It's the summer of 1984 and there is a sense of unease on the troubled Sweetmeadows estate. The residents are in shock after the suspicious death of a baby and tension is growing due to the ongoing miners' strike.

Journalist Clare Jackson follows the story as police bungle the inquiry and struggle to contain the escalating violence. Haunted by a personal trauma she can't face up to, Clare is shadowed by nine-year-old Amy, a bright but neglected little girl who seems to know more about the incident than she's letting on.

As the days go on and the killer is not found, Clare ignores warnings not to get too close to her stories and, in doing so, puts her own life in jeopardy."

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This is another book that has been on my "to be read" pile since 2015!! I really have no excuse!

Set in the North East of England in 1984 at the height of the miners' strike, this is a story that captivated me from the start.

A baby is dead under suspicious circumstances and Clare is tasked with reporting the story but as she does so, she becomes embroiled in the life of a young girl (Amy) who seems to have seen what happened but can what she is saying be trusted or is she just making things up?  Clare has her own baggage both in her personal and working life and this is well depicted and explored making her believable but some of her choices questionable.  The development of the relationship between Clare and Amy felt authentic for the time the book was set it ... I don't think you would have got away with this had this been set in a later time period.

The book is told from Clare's perspective and this was a refreshing change as it gave a different insight into a murder "investigation" from someone other than a Police Officer.  The backdrop of the miners' strike and the run-down estate created additional tension and unease throughout.  The pace of the book was good if a little slow in places and I did work out quite early on who the murderer was but found it interesting to see how the story developed and was surprised how long it took for others to work it out!

Overall, a pretty good read and I want to thank Legend Press and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review but also apologise to them for taking so long to get round to it.

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A Deathly Silence (DCI Helen Lavery #3) by Jane Isaac

Description from Goodreads:

"When the mutilated body of a police officer is found in a derelict factory, Hamptonshire force are shocked to the core. DCI Helen Lavery returns from injury leave and is immediately plunged into an investigation like no other. Is this a random attack or is someone targeting the force? Organized crime groups or a lone killer? As the net draws in, Helen finds the truth lies closer than she could have imagined, and trusts no one. But Helen is facing a twisted killer who will stop at nothing to ensure their secrets remain hidden. And time is running out. "

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Having read a few of Jane Isaac's books and thoroughly enjoyed them, I had no hesitation in picking this despite not having read the previous 2 in the series and I wasn't disappointed.

This is an excellent police procedural/crime thriller with believable and, mostly, likeable characters and a completely absorbing story line.  Unlike some police procedural stories which, I feel, try to include different threads and mini-plots within the central story which can cause confusion, this one had a main theme and stuck to it which made the story unravel and develop naturally; this made is seem more authentic, plausible and engaging.

There is plenty of action and twists to keep any reader engaged and I definitely recommend to anyone ... in fact, I am happy to recommend any of Jane's books; you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to Legend Press and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

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