Saturday 6 December 2014

Killer’s Countdown by Wendy H Jones

Reviewed by Chris Longmuir

I love to read crime novels, I like the mystery element, the puzzle factor, and also the odd bit of gore, and this debut novel met all of my expectations. It was fast paced with an intriguing plot. the body count is high, and there seems no pattern in relation to the selection of victims. And with a lack of evidence, the police have nothing to work on.
 
D.I. Shona McKenzie makes for an interesting new character in crime fiction, and as this book is labelled the first in a series, I expect to meet her again in future books. In this story she is attempting to identify a killer who is stalking the streets of Dundee. And, as the body count increases, she realises she is looking for a ruthless and dangerous killer.
 
The police procedural aspects are realistic, and there is a real sense of police dynamics when working as a team. Characters are convincing, and settings are realistic, and in many cases recognisable, even though the impression is given that the weather in Dundee is always bad, rainy and cold.

The book was a page turner,with a thrilling denouement as the armed police search an isolated area, and Shona comes face to face with the killer in a confrontational scene where the stakes are, kill or be killed.

I think this may be one of the first British police procedurals I have read where the police use firearms, although I am sure there must be others, I just haven’t found them. So this makes for originality in the plot. I look forward to meeting D.I. Shona McKenzie again.

You can buy the book here:




Chris Longmuir

 

 

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