Published November 2022 by Joffe Books.
From the cover of the book:
The body of a middle-aged man is discovered in Soho. DCI Rob Miller, who’d thought he’d seen it all, is shocked by the violent death. The victim, dressed in a leather bondage outfit, has whip marks on his back and a ball-gag in his mouth. It looks like he's been raped and strangled, but whether it was autoerotic or murder, that remains to be seen.Just when Rob's team is making headway with the investigation, another man is found dead, killed in the same fashion as the first victim. This turns their theory on its head and they are forced to release their suspect and go back to the drawing board. When a third man is murdered, it's clear someone is sending a message. Criminal profiler Tony Sanderson, a long-standing friend of Rob's, is called in to consult on the case. Together, they must unravel the killings that have left the local community reeling and bring an increasingly depraved serial killer to justice.
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When a quiet, respectable, middle aged man is found brutally raped and murdered in Soho Square, DCI Rob Miller and his team are presented with a tricky case to solve. Bizarrely, the victim was bound, gagged and dressed in a leather bondage outfit, with his body posed to look like he had died from autoerotic asphyxiation, but his husband claims he had no interest in the BDSM scene.
The investigation seems almost too easy as the clues present themselves, but just as Miller and his team seem to have cracked the case, they are pulled up short. Another body is found, killed in the same way, and they are suddenly forced to rethink their theory. When a third body, with the same MO is also discovered, it seems clear that the have the search for a serial killer on their hands, and he is trying to send a very twisted message. It is time to call in Miller's friend, expert Criminal profiler Tony Sanderson to help them track down the killer before more bodies start piling up.
The Soho Killer is my first DCI Rob Miller book from Biba Pearce, but even though it is book six in the series it can easily be read as a standalone story - and what a gripping story it is! The intrigue begins with a menacing prologue and does not let up for a second, as DCI Miller and his team undertake an investigation that is infused with deliciously dark themes around secrets, lies, revenge, and cold hearted ambition.
These murders are gruesome, and apparently random at first glance, so it takes a while for Miller and his team to put all the pieces together to track down the true culprit. Things are not helped by the fact that the killer seems highly knowledgeable about making sure all traces of their identity are wiped clean from the scenes of their crimes. I really enjoyed how Miller and his team worked through the case together, and Pearce does a great job keeping you involved at every stage of the investigation, dropping her reveals at precisely the right moments throughout. The pacing is perfect, and the suspense builds almost unbearably until the pristine police work of his team allow Miller to reach a startling conclusion that tips you headlong into a cracking climax. There is a lovely relationship between Miller and his partner Jo too, that has them frequently sparking off each other, which keeps her part of plot in far more ways than as Miller's romantic interest.
Slick, clever and beautifully contrived., this is one of the best police procedurals I have read in ages. Pearce's style is so engaging, the plot just twisty enough to keep you guessing without becoming overly complicated, and I did not see where this was heading at all which is always a delight. She also asks some really interesting questions about personal and organisational reputations, which are interesting to ponder upon.
There is a thread of a past investigation that runs through the book, which has piqued my interest about what has come before this book for DCI Miller, and deftly works as an compelling lure into the next book too. I am really looking forward to delving into Miller's previous adventures in the first five books, and I will definitely be reading the next one. Biba Pearce you have a new fan!
The Soho Killer is available to preorder soon.
Thank you to Biba Pearce for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for organising this blog tour.
About the author:
Biba grew up in post-apartheid Southern Africa. As a child, she lived on the wild eastern coast and explored the sub-tropical forests and surfed in shark-infested waters.
Now a full-time writer with more than twenty-five novels under her belt, Biba lives in leafy Surrey and when she isn't writing, can be found walking through the countryside or kayaking on the river Thames.
Find out more about Biba Pearce:
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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