Monday, February 1, 2021

Review - An Eye for an Eye

Title:  An Eye for an Eye
Author:  Carol Wyer
Series:  Detective Kate Young #1
Publisher:  Amazon Publishing UK 
Genre:   Mystery/Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   426
Date of Publication:   February 1, 2021
My Rating:   5 Stars
DESCRIPTION:

A killer running rings around the police. A detective spiralling out of control.

DI Kate Young is on leave. She’s the force’s best detective, but her bosses know she’s under pressure, on medication and overcoming trauma. So after her bad judgement call leads to a narrowly averted public disaster, they’re sure all she needs is a rest.

But when Staffordshire Police summon her back to work on a murder case, it’s a harder, more suspicious Kate Young who returns. With a new ruthlessness, she sets about tracking down a clinical, calculating serial killer who is torturing victims and leaving clues to taunt the police. Spurred on by her reporter husband, Young begins to suspect that the murderer might be closer than she ever imagined.

As she works to uncover the truth, Young unravels a network of secrets and lies, with even those closest to her having something to hide. But with her own competence—and her grip on reality—called into question, can she unmask the killer before they strike again?


MY THOUGHTS:

DI Kate Young experienced unspeakable horror on the job which led to severe trauma. After months on leave after the difficult incident, Kate was asked by one of her bosses to return to work. She is their best detective and there is a case that he feels only she can handle. Despite still dealing with the effects of the trauma which forced her to go on leave, including severe anxiety attacks and nightmares, adding to the fact that Kate is still on medication, she agrees. The pressure is certainly on. Even though experiencing major symptoms of PTSD, Kate made the decision on the spot.

Ever the consummate professional, Kate soldiers on in what proves to be a very difficult case, that of being on the trail for a vicious serial killer. Not only are bodies dropping, the the killer is leaving clues, clues that are teasing the police. What is more is that Kate begins to see a pattern that things aren't quite the way they should be in another respect. Encouraged the entire way through by her husband Chris,  Kate works hard to discover answers. Kate finds that the lies and secrets along the way that prove that the murderer is closer that she could have ever thought.  

Kate and her handpicked team of DS Emma Donaldson and DS Morgan Meredith interview a long list of suspects and use whatever means that are available to them to stop the killer before another victim is brutally murdered. Meanwhile, Kate's suspicions begin to grow in a new direction all while she is striving to keep evidence of her anxiety from everyone working around her.

As a stalwart fan of Carol Wyer's writing and having read both her Robyn Carter and Natalie Ward series, it is exciting to meet another character in the first of what most certainly will be another exciting series. I love the fact that Kate has the issues she has yet proves more than adept at her job, thus making her completely relatable. I also enjoyed meeting her team members as well as they worked along with Kate. 

One thing that makes a story work for me is character development. The way Kate was written was marvelous and I also loved the supporting characters in this book. To add to this a strong plot with convincing conflicts and this book hit it out of the park. I really loved this book and the twists and turns that kept coming at me. including well-placed red herrings. Then considering the fact that my heart was in my throat more than once, this book captured my attention, and while trying to keep my tears at bay, I powered through this fabulous book.

Lastly, I will mention how invested I was in the Natalie Ward series so for Ms. Wyer to develop a new character was a very nice change. It truly was a chance well played. I am certain that fans of her previous series and standalone novels will feel as I do. The fact that she could weave this wonderful first book in a new series makes me more pleased than words can say. I cannot wait to see more of Kate and hope that she gets stronger and stronger as time goes on. 

Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
 
Winner of The People's Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer is a best-selling author and stand up comedian who writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.

A move to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST, the #2 best-selling book on Amazon, #9 best-selling audiobook on Audible and Top 150 USA Today best-seller.

A second series featuring DI Natalie Ward quickly followed and to date her novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets, including into Norwegian, Italian, Turkish, Hungarian Slovak, Czech and Polish.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ''Irritable Male Syndrome' and 'Ageing Disgracefully' and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly' featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and the Huffington Post.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy... who is very, very grumpy.

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