  | Book Details Title: Dark Truths (A Will Traynor forensic mystery) |
Book DescriptionReview An intriguing fair-play puzzle, with an abundant set of plausible suspects and possible motives … A highly satisfying mystery (Publishers Weekly on Something Evil Comes)”Watching an old pro herd cats as he cracks a tough case should tickle procedural fans everywhere” (Kirkus Reviews)A gripping, suspenseful, cleverly plotted story with plenty of unusual twists and a smart, independent heroine (Booklist on A Little Death)All the elements of a winning puzzler: a sympathetic heroine, a complicated case, and a crisis to lend a sense of urgency that justice be served (Kirkus Reviews on Cold, Cold Heart)Another keep-’em-guessing instalment of this popular and sharply written crime series … Characters with notable depth, a provocative plot, and a nifty twist make this a procedural to savor (Booklist on Cold, Cold Heart)Outstanding … Cross, herself a forensic psychologist, plays fair with the reader right up to the surprising conclusion (Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Cold, Cold Heart)”This series debut is a solid, skillfully written police drama with plenty of twists” (Booklist) Read more About the Author A.J. Cross is a forensic psychologist with over twenty years’ experience in the field. She lives in Birmingham with her jazz-musician husband and is the author of five Kate Hanson Cold Case mysteries. Read more Customers Review: The novel opens with an amorous couple on a remote trail decides to leave when they believe that someone is watching. The next morning a body of a young woman was discovered in the parking lot of that trail. The acting Chief Inspector Brophy appoints Detective Inspector Watts as the senior investigative officer. For the past five years or so, DI Watts headed the now defunct cold case unit. Due to the lack of available officers, Brophy assigns Police Constable Chloe Judd, a young inexperienced officer, to assist Watts. Once at the scene, the body already is being processed by pathologist Connie Chong. Watts and Chloe learned that the victim was stabbed and decapitated post mortem, and the head is missing. There is a blood trail leading off into a field. Soon a partially buried skull is found in the field. The skull was identified as a woman who disappeared ten years earlier. Brophy now arranges for criminologist Dr. Traynor to assist Watts. Watts and Dr. Traynor have a troubled history. The novel takes are off from here.The main storyline quickly escalates in complexity with more victims and sparse leads. The pressure to solve the case from Brophy escalates just as fast. Young Judd’s inexperience causes multiple problems. Lastly, Dr Traynor’s search for his dead wife’s body keeps him focused on tying her death into this investigation.As expected for the first novel in series, the B-storyline is extensive, rich, and well integrated into the main story line. For all of the major characters, Watts, Judd, Chong, and Traynor, the reader learns their history and how they have arrived at this point in their lives. Also, the interactions between them reveal much into each’s unique personality. I really felt I knew these characters and could empathize with them and their situations. The novel secured my attention and kept it throughout the novel.There less than ten instances of vulgar language in this novel. There are not any sex scenes. The few scenes involving violence do not emphasize the violence. One scene is gory but quickly described. Based on this there should not be anything objectionable for a reader from these areas. Now, the setting of this novel is in central England. There is use of much British informal language. I used the embedded dictionary in my e-reader quite often. For some words even the dictionary was found lacking. Easy access to the Internet provided understanding of those words.I enjoyed reading this novel, and it secured my attention but not as strongly because of the main storyline complexity was a step above most police procedurals I have read. This may result in the reader needing to pay a little more attention. The series is titled as A Will Traynor Forensic Mystery. To me Traynor was a supporting character in the novel. These issues were the worst aspects of the novel for me. I enjoyed the extensive in intertwined B-storylines that made the characters very real for me. Lastly, I liked the last two paragraphs of the novel, a real nice touch. Based upon my experience, I rate this novel with four stars. I am eagerly waiting for the next novel in this series. I believe that you will have same experience after reading it.I have received a free kindle version of this novel through NetGalley from Severn House with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Severn House for the opportunity to read this novel early.
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10 reviews