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jesssicawho's review against another edition
4.0
Riveting throughout but I didn’t love the ending. I figured out the guilty party earlier than I would have liked and thought it was a little far-fetched. Still enjoyed 95% of the book though.
Now the decision - do I read the 4th Lacey Flint novel next or do I give myself a break from the gruesome, twisted side of London?
Now the decision - do I read the 4th Lacey Flint novel next or do I give myself a break from the gruesome, twisted side of London?
meulenbm72's review against another edition
5.0
Lacey Flint has to be one of my best finds this year!
fatmaahmed's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thain's review against another edition
4.0
This series entry is largely from the point of view of a boy who lives next door to DC Lacey Flint and becomes involved in the investigation of missing children. Barney was a sweet and inquisitive character, and frankly it was a relief to get a bit of a break from Lacey's ever-accumulating emotional baggage.
Disturbing content warning:
Disturbing content warning:
Spoiler
Child murders; nothing sexuallian_tanner's review against another edition
5.0
I'm beginning to think that Sharon Bolton is one of the best thriller writers I've ever read. This is the third of her books, and they get better each time. I can't actually read them at one sitting - the tension is too great and I have to go off and do something else for a while. Wonderful characters, especially in this one, and the storytelling is sheer brilliance.
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.0
Finished reading: January 7th 2020
"The mask that was Lacey Flint, the mask that her true self hid behind, the mask that could never be allowed to slip again. "
Spoiler
It took me longer than expected, but I finally came around reading my latest TBR jar pick... It has been interesting to meet up with Lacey Flint again and to see how past events affected her. The story is told through multiple POVs, including Lacey, Dana and Barney. Lacey isn't as active in this book as she is not currently on duty after everything that happened previously, but somehow she ends up being involved anyway... And Barney's POV is particularly interesting as we not often have a kid as one of the leading characters. Dana represents the detective team that includes well known Mark Joesbury, currently working on the case where young boys go missing only to turn up dead days later with their throats slashed. Who is behind these killings and why are the murders so atypical? I fully thought I had the whole plot figured out, and I was even starting to feel disappointed, only for the plot twist granades to be thrown at me from an angle I definitely didn't see coming... Those final developments left me mostly flabbergasted and with a fully reinstated positive opinion about this book. I love it when a story manages to mislead me! This is also one of those books you will finish in record time, and I literally finished it in less than a day. Lacey comes over as more than a bit unhinged in this sequel, but it has definitely made me curious about what will happen with her in the final book. I'm hoping to read it soon! Trigger warnings are in place for self harm and suicide among other things.
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
fictionfan's review against another edition
5.0
“Blood will have blood…”
Lacey Flint’s third outing shows Bolton at her best – inventive plotting, great characterisation, plenty of humour, much of it black, and a sense of tension that builds throughout to a thrillingly dramatic climax. (I say third outing, but it’s really the fourth if you count the short novella If Snow Hadn’t Fallen, in which we first met Barney, Lacey’s young neighbour.) The book starts with the discovery of the body of twins under Tower Bridge, the most recent victims of a serial killer who steals young boys and cuts their throats. The MIT squad, still led by Dana Tulloch, is getting nowhere fast – these murders don’t fall into the normal pattern as there’s no sign of a sexual angle. Dana and the squad are already feeling the pressure and it’s going to get worse…
Meantime DC Lacey Flint is in a bad way psychologically after her horrific experiences in the last book, Dead Scared, (I’m not surprised – I’m still pretty shaken up over that one myself!) and hasn’t yet returned to work. Spending more time at home, she’s getting to know young Barney better, and is concerned that Barney seems to be left alone a lot while his dad is working late. But Barney and his friends are more fascinated than frightened by the killings and are following every twist and turn in the investigation on social networking sites.
In this outing, with Lacey being outside the main investigation, we get to know the rest of the team better and the book is much more of an ensemble piece. Lacey is still trying to deny her feelings for DI Joesbury, but he’s not planning on giving up on her just yet. Added to the usual characters are Barney and his friends, and Bolton handles them brilliantly – they’re completely convincing in their interactions with each other and with the various adults, and add a lot to both the humour and the tension. And when I say tension, I mean nail-biting, spine-tingling, up-till-4 a.m.-because–you-need-to-know-how-it-finishes tension!
One of the things I enjoyed most is that there’s an old-fashioned whodunit at the heart of this very contemporary book. Bolton gives us all of the clues and a huge cast of suspects, and then uses her consummate skills in the art of misdirection to keep us guessing. I suspected everyone in turn, many of them twice! But Bolton still managed to keep me on tenterhooks right up to the thrilling end. A great addition to a great series – highly recommended!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher.
Lacey Flint’s third outing shows Bolton at her best – inventive plotting, great characterisation, plenty of humour, much of it black, and a sense of tension that builds throughout to a thrillingly dramatic climax. (I say third outing, but it’s really the fourth if you count the short novella If Snow Hadn’t Fallen, in which we first met Barney, Lacey’s young neighbour.) The book starts with the discovery of the body of twins under Tower Bridge, the most recent victims of a serial killer who steals young boys and cuts their throats. The MIT squad, still led by Dana Tulloch, is getting nowhere fast – these murders don’t fall into the normal pattern as there’s no sign of a sexual angle. Dana and the squad are already feeling the pressure and it’s going to get worse…
Meantime DC Lacey Flint is in a bad way psychologically after her horrific experiences in the last book, Dead Scared, (I’m not surprised – I’m still pretty shaken up over that one myself!) and hasn’t yet returned to work. Spending more time at home, she’s getting to know young Barney better, and is concerned that Barney seems to be left alone a lot while his dad is working late. But Barney and his friends are more fascinated than frightened by the killings and are following every twist and turn in the investigation on social networking sites.
In this outing, with Lacey being outside the main investigation, we get to know the rest of the team better and the book is much more of an ensemble piece. Lacey is still trying to deny her feelings for DI Joesbury, but he’s not planning on giving up on her just yet. Added to the usual characters are Barney and his friends, and Bolton handles them brilliantly – they’re completely convincing in their interactions with each other and with the various adults, and add a lot to both the humour and the tension. And when I say tension, I mean nail-biting, spine-tingling, up-till-4 a.m.-because–you-need-to-know-how-it-finishes tension!
One of the things I enjoyed most is that there’s an old-fashioned whodunit at the heart of this very contemporary book. Bolton gives us all of the clues and a huge cast of suspects, and then uses her consummate skills in the art of misdirection to keep us guessing. I suspected everyone in turn, many of them twice! But Bolton still managed to keep me on tenterhooks right up to the thrilling end. A great addition to a great series – highly recommended!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher.
lazygal's review against another edition
5.0
The Lacey Flint series started dark and has kept on going...
Lacey's recovering from the events in Cambridge (Dead Scared) and wondering if she wants to return to the force; she's also avoiding DI Mark Joesbury, who is approaching stalker status as he spends nights in his car, parked where he can see her front door. Barney Roberts, just in his teens and suffering from OCD and other emotional issues, is her neighbor and so observant he notices Mark's nocturnal waiting before Lacey does. They live in South London, currently rocked by the abductions of five boys all near Barney's age: four have been found dead, throats slit and drained of blood but no other injuries. Barney and his friends wonder if they'll be next, all the while staying out later than might be safe and breaking in to the local community center. Because of her proximity to Barney and his friends, Lacey is (unwillingly) drawn into the investigation.
I know several mothers who avoid books where Bad Things happen to children. If you're one of them, this is not the book for you!
Meeting Barney was a lot of fun, and seeing more of him would be nice (but only if he doesn't turn into the Hadiyyah of Elizabeth George's Lynley/Havers mysteries). The Mark/Lacey pairing still suffers from clunky moments and dialog, but is better than the previous outing. And Lacey? Still struggling with her past. While her "prison connection" worked here, I hope we tread carefully with that.
Can't wait for the next one!
ARC provided by publisher.
Lacey's recovering from the events in Cambridge (Dead Scared) and wondering if she wants to return to the force; she's also avoiding DI Mark Joesbury, who is approaching stalker status as he spends nights in his car, parked where he can see her front door. Barney Roberts, just in his teens and suffering from OCD and other emotional issues, is her neighbor and so observant he notices Mark's nocturnal waiting before Lacey does. They live in South London, currently rocked by the abductions of five boys all near Barney's age: four have been found dead, throats slit and drained of blood but no other injuries. Barney and his friends wonder if they'll be next, all the while staying out later than might be safe and breaking in to the local community center. Because of her proximity to Barney and his friends, Lacey is (unwillingly) drawn into the investigation.
I know several mothers who avoid books where Bad Things happen to children. If you're one of them, this is not the book for you!
Meeting Barney was a lot of fun, and seeing more of him would be nice (but only if he doesn't turn into the Hadiyyah of Elizabeth George's Lynley/Havers mysteries). The Mark/Lacey pairing still suffers from clunky moments and dialog, but is better than the previous outing. And Lacey? Still struggling with her past. While her "prison connection" worked here, I hope we tread carefully with that.
Can't wait for the next one!
ARC provided by publisher.