It Was Her (DI Ray Drake #2) by Mark Hill

Description from Goodreads:

"Do you want a thriller where nothing is as it seems? 

Twenty years ago Tatia was adopted into a well-off home, where she seemed happy, settled. Then the youngest boy in the family dies in an accident, and she gets the blame.

Did she do it?

Tatia was cast out, away from her remaining adopted siblings Joel and Sarah. Now she yearns for a home to call her own. So when she see families going on holiday, leaving their beautiful homes empty, there seems no harm in living their lives while she is gone. But somehow, people keep ending up dead.

Did she kill them?

As bodies start to appear in supposedly safe neighbourhoods, DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley race to find the thinnest of links between the victims. But Drake's secret past is once more threatening to destroy everything.

Will they catch her?"

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Having read the first in this series "His First Lie" (previously named "The Two O'Clock Boy") and thoroughly enjoyed it, I was excited to get my hands on this second outing for the team of DI Ray Drake and DS Flick Crowley and I certainly wasn't disappointed.

I know that sometimes you can dip into a series out of order but not this one.  I strongly suggest you read "His First Lie" before "It Was Her" otherwise you could become a little lost as this book builds on the events of that one.  In addition, you might feel differently about the characters, especially Ray, without the back story that is so important in understanding his thought processes and actions.

What we have in "It Was Her" is not just your run-of-the-mill crime thriller, it is so much more than that and I can't even begin to describe how much I became totally immersed in the story.  I won't go into detailing the plot as it's clearly set out in the blurb but I will say that it is complex, dark, gritty and edgy with suspense and tension but amongst all that, is quite a sad story and the ending ... well, I didn't see that coming until it was on top of me and it left me having to take a few deep breaths and a few minutes to take it all in.

So, would I recommend this book?  Absolutely.  Would I recommend this author?  Without a doubt.  Do I want to read the next instalment?  Hell yes!!

My thanks go to the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and NetGalley for my e-copy in return for an honest review.

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Author website - Mark Hill Author

Author twitter - markhillwriter

The Two O'Clock Boy by Mark Hill

           

Description from Goodreads:

“TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS...ONE BECAME A DETECTIVE...ONE BECAME A KILLER...

One night changed their lives

Thirty years ago, the Longacre Children's Home stood on a London street where once-grand Victorian homes lay derelict. There its children lived in terror of Gordon Tallis, the home's manager.

Cries in the fire and smoke

Then Connor Laird arrived: a frighteningly intense boy who quickly became Tallis' favourite criminal helper. Soon after, destruction befell the Longacre, and the facts of that night have lain buried ...until today.

A truth both must hide

Now, a mysterious figure, the Two O'Clock Boy, is killing all who grew up there, one by one. DI Ray Drake will do whatever it take to stop the murders - but he will go even further to cover up the truth.

Discover the gripping, twist-filled start to a fantastic new London-set crime thriller series starring morally corrupt DI Ray Drake - the perfect new addiction for fans of Luther.”

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This is the debut novel for Mark Hill and, I think, a successful one and I want to thank the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

I admit to being a crime book addict so I can be hard to please but I really enjoyed this one. The story is a familiar one of past misdemeanors coming back to haunt you but it’s told in a quite unique way. The characters are great particularly DI Ray Drake who is far from perfect and isn’t afraid of bending the rules; I found him compelling and I was desperate to find out how far he would go to hide the past. DS Flick Crowley has recently been promoted and is the lead investigator into the gruesome murders of people from Ray’s past and their families but she finds herself hampered by Ray who wants to keep the past buried however, it becomes clear that this is not going to be possible as the killer, named The Two O’Clock Boy, has him and his daughter in his sights.

This is a compelling read with great characters, an intricate plot which is well written at a great pace and, I think, will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy a dark story with twists and turns and a satisfying ending.

Mark Hill has created an interesting and complex character in DI Ray Drake and I am very much looking forward to the next installment in the series.

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Author website - http://markhillauthor.com/

Author twitter - markhillwriter

Publisher website - Little, Brown Book Group