I didn’t want to read this book. Despite the fact that I’ve previously read a couple of Ms. Hunter’s books and loved them, I tend to avoid gruesome stories and I normally go for romances or light mystery / action books. However, after seeing so many good reviews about this series I decided to take the plunge and read it. I read the series chronologically starting with ‘No good reason’ and I suggest that you do the same. Not because these are not standalone novels but because you will lose the chance to enjoy the background stories that the author so skillfully builds throughout the series. There are also some spoilers in the second and third novels about the previous stories that you might want to avoid.

I’m afraid I cannot add much more to what other reviewers have said and I’m not going to be very original here. Ms. Hunter is very skillful at building a fast paced thriller with unexpected twists and turns. In this book the author adds a third point of view (in addition to that of the main characters) based on DI Stanmore, the detective in charge of the investigation which gives an interesting insight to this secondary character.

A bonus for me is the British feel that permeates this book, starting from the beautiful description of the landscape, the depiction of the awful winter weather and the clever use of British English that describes characters perfectly. Additionally, you can “hear” the author’s voice in her social and political criticism that touches issues ranging from racial inequality to budget shortages on the health system. This criticism is delivered in a subtle manner and never losing the main plot.

Despite its level of violence, nothing seems gratituous or unnecessary to the plot. As a matter of fact, I prefer that the author didn’t decide to water down the cruelty of human trafficking for the sake of a lighter read.

In conclusion, I’m glad that I’ve decided to bite the bullet and read this book. 5+ stars.

ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.