"Winter, 1987. Detective Jamie Day arrives in London determined to prove himself. After years policing a quiet seaside town, his promotion to the Metropolitan Police feels like the opportunity he has been waiting for.
But the capital is a very different world.
On his first day in plain clothes, Jamie makes a grim discovery: the dismembered body of a young man, left in a dark corner of the city. What should have been a routine first shift quickly becomes the beginning of a major murder investigation.
Then another victim is found.
As winter deepens, young men are being killed late at night across London, their bodies discovered in eerily similar circumstances. The detectives soon realise they may be hunting a serial killer.
Working alongside a tough and experienced team, Jamie must prove he belongs while navigating the pressures of a high-profile investigation. But as the case grows darker, the killer’s pattern begins to emerge. And if they don’t stop him soon, another body will be waiting in the shadows."
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A great start to a gripping new crime series
I've been a huge fan of Robert Bryndza for ages so I was absolutely buzzing when I got hold of the first book in a brand new series. I loved Erika Foster and Kate Marshall so the bar was set incredibly high for Detective Jamie Day and let me tell you, he didn't disappoint. From the very first page, I was completely hooked and I ended up flying through it in just a couple of sittings.
Jamie is a brilliant new lead character with less of the flaws than a lot of fictional detectives. He feels quite innocent and 'wet behind the ears', having just moved to London and immediately being dropped straight into a gruesome murder case.
What really gave this book an extra edge for me was the setting. It is set back in the 80's, right at the height of the fear and misinformation surrounding the AIDS virus. Having been a teenager myself in the 80's, I vividly remember that time and Mr Bryndza captures that tense, uncertain atmosphere perfectly. It adds a really heavy, realistic layer to the whole investigation.
The pacing is absolutely spot on. Even though you know who the killer is from early on, I still thoroughly enjoyed seeing how everything unravelled. The tension just keeps building up to a satisfying ending. However, the final wrap-up did feel a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the book which builds beautifully.
The sharp dialogue, the realistic police work and those addictive short chapters that make you say "just one more" before bed are all present and correct and what I have come to expect from Mr Bryndza.
I am very much looking forward to seeing how the characters and relationships develop in subsequent books. If you're a fan of crime fiction or his previous books, you really need to add this one to your reading list. It's an excellent start to what I'm sure is going to be a brilliant series and I already can't wait for book two.
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