An Eye For An Eye (Detective Kate Young Book One) by Carol Wyer

 

An Eye For An Eye (Detective Kate Young Book One) by Carol Wyer.

Published 1st February 2021 by Thomas and Mercer.

From the cover of the book:

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?

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I love it when you start reading a book and know straightaway that you are going to have to find yourself a comfortable spot, away from interruptions, and read the whole thing cover to cover in one sitting - this, dear reader, is one of those books!

Meet DI Kate Young, coping with the aftermath of a traumatic incident with a gunman in a first class train carriage that saw many innocent commuters lose their lives, and that has left Kate with PTSD that refuses to release her from its vice-like grip. Kate is barely surviving her enforced leave of absence on a diet of pills and alcohol, only being kept afloat by the presence of her reporter husband Chris - her confidence in her own abilities, and her superiors, lost in a haze.

When Kate is unexpectedly called back to work on a mysterious murder case, with a much depleted staff of two detectives, she is highly suspicious of the motives of her boss Superintendent Dickson - the man who previously ordered her to take leave - and of her own abilities to perform as she did before trauma came knocking at her door. It soon becomes clear that Kate and her team are on the hunt for a sadistic serial killer with a very unusual MO, and as the clues begin to point towards secrets, lies and coverups that come very close to home, she has to tread very carefully - all the while fighting the flashbacks that threaten to consume her, and operating under the close scrutiny of those who would love to see her fail. Can Kate get to the bottom of this case, and answer some burning questions of her own, before it is too late?

This is such a well crafted police procedural that beautifully weaves the insidious threads of conspiracy into Kate's personal and professional lives. At the heart of the tale we have a compelling murder mystery with the search for a serial killer, allowing Wyer to incorporate some deliciously gory scenes and intriguing symbolism into this story, but it is the way all this feeds into Kate's own troubles that really makes this book for me. As the pieces of the mystery come together, the hints and clues point not only to the solution to the case in hand, but collide with Kate's own search for answers to the riddles that haunt her about that terrible night on the train and its aftermath.

The pace of this story is pitch perfect, gaining momentum until you find yourself racing through the pages, uncovering reveal after glorious reveal, towards a cracking climax that very nearly ties up all the loose ends - leaving a single thread, with a menacing twist in it, that tugs you onwards to the next instalment of this series.

This is one of the best crime stories I have read in a long time, with a well conceived plot; engaging, but realistically flawed, characters; and just the right balance of gore and emotional content to send chills down the spine and pluck at the heart strings. I went straight into reading book two, A Cut for a Cut, after finishing this book, loathe to leave Kate and her team behind - so keep your eyes peeled (pardon the pun) for my review!

An Eye for an Eye is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats, from your favourite book retailer.

Thank you to Carol Wyer for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer is a bestselling 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 bestselling book on Amazon, #9 bestselling audiobook on Audible and Top 150 USA Today bestseller. A second series, featuring DI Natalie Ward, quickly followed and to date her crime novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets, including 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 written for Woman’s Weekly, Take A Break, Choice, Yours, Woman’s Own and HuffPost. She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband, Mr Grumpy…who is very, very grumpy.