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A review by _onemorechapter_
Perfect Remains by Helen Sarah Fields
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
๐ป.๐พ: This is not for the faint of heart - Gruesome, Gory, Torture and Violence
๐ญ Gripping and Compelling Debut!
This is the first book in the series and what a start to what is sure to be a promising series. Helen Fields' writing style is dark, twisted and utterly compelling. I couldn't put it down and devoured it very, very quickly.
Detective Inspector Luc Callanach is transferred into Edinburghโs Homicide Team from Interpol which ruffles the feathers of many of his future colleagues. Born to a Scottish father and French mother, Callanach spent most of his life in France but now back in Scotland, he is keen to make a good impression. The novel begins when Elaine Buxton is found dead with her body burned to a crisp, there is only a tooth and a shred of material that can identify her. Although the police do not know that Elaine is being held in a house against her will, being tortured by a serial killer who is enjoying every minute. Soon after another successful woman is abducted from her doorstep and is also being kept locked up by the killer.
"Perfect Remains" isn't a whodunnit -We know his identity early on & heโs just one of the characters who take turns narrating the story.
It is very well crafted, the writing is riveting and clever, the pacing is top-notch, the action exciting, fabulous well-drawn characters, incredible description and enough grisly detail to satisfy even the most dedicated of hardcore genre readers and draw you in, the level of suspense is brilliantly done, ramping things up as we go, keeping that sharp, knifes edge feeling about proceedings throughout then throwing us into a heart-stopping and ruthless conclusion.
This novel introduces DI Luc Callanach, a character with plenty of substance to further develop in future books. Others include members of Lucโs squad & his colleague DI Ava Turner. Sheโs a smart, hard-working cop & one of the few to reach out & welcome Luc to the force. Initially, he rebuffs her friendship but as the story progresses her warm & straightforward manner begins to thaw his cool, prickly demeanour. Luc could be quite a cold and emotionless fish but with Ava drawing him out and his back story unfolding it became clear that there was a much deeper side to this man. The relationship between the two Detective Inspectors was warm and I am keen to see how it develops as the series grows.
Hearing the voices of the two main characters, beginning with Reginald King, a misogynistic serial killer, and Luc Callanach, a Detective Inspector intent on finding this madman, led to an interesting cat-and-mouse story on a grisly level. The characterization of these men was well-written! Callanach, although a top-notch detective, is flawed, making him quite believable. King's persona is frighteningly unnerving in a fascinating way. His chapters were gory and horrible. I could feel the blood dripping from the words coming out of his mouth and being inside his mind in those chapters messed with my head.
Furthermore, the book actually features two cases at the same time and theyโre both deeply upsetting while the focus is mostly on the murders, the other case(Ava's Case) and the circumstances surrounding it felt really important and I was waiting to get the answers I desperately needed. Sheโs got a difficult investigation concerning abandoned babies. Turner has a case where 3 babies are left in the park to die. The third one lives and leads are gained from that. The Catholic church has a huge role in what was occurring and man does Fields ever rip into them.
You know I kept thinking what is the use of having two cases at the same time but then the author also managed to link them together and to make one the catalyst of an important reveal in the other and thatโs something I totally appreciated. I mean some books canโt even write a one-case story that well let alone two cases and with such great execution.
Overall, this became a four-star read that apart from the slow beginning had me hooked from then on. So much so that I'm going straight to book two and look forward to seeing Luc Callanach's personal and professional growth as it continues. I could barely put this down and had to force myself to go at a slower pace just so I could absorb everything.
๐.๐ Before starting this series I have already read Helen's other standalone books and loved them. She is absolutely an amazing writer and it was the right decision to start this series!
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญโญ
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.21 (16950)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐: Crime Fiction, Thriller and Police Procedural
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐: D.I. Callanach (Book 1)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes, Yes and Yes!
Itโs flat-out addictive, one of those books you really resent having to put down & I stayed up way too late simply because I had to know how it ended.
If you like your crime fiction vicious yet human, razor-sharp and captivating, then Perfect Remains is probably for you.
๐ญ Gripping and Compelling Debut!
This is the first book in the series and what a start to what is sure to be a promising series. Helen Fields' writing style is dark, twisted and utterly compelling. I couldn't put it down and devoured it very, very quickly.
Detective Inspector Luc Callanach is transferred into Edinburghโs Homicide Team from Interpol which ruffles the feathers of many of his future colleagues. Born to a Scottish father and French mother, Callanach spent most of his life in France but now back in Scotland, he is keen to make a good impression. The novel begins when Elaine Buxton is found dead with her body burned to a crisp, there is only a tooth and a shred of material that can identify her. Although the police do not know that Elaine is being held in a house against her will, being tortured by a serial killer who is enjoying every minute. Soon after another successful woman is abducted from her doorstep and is also being kept locked up by the killer.
"Perfect Remains" isn't a whodunnit -We know his identity early on & heโs just one of the characters who take turns narrating the story.
It is very well crafted, the writing is riveting and clever, the pacing is top-notch, the action exciting, fabulous well-drawn characters, incredible description and enough grisly detail to satisfy even the most dedicated of hardcore genre readers and draw you in, the level of suspense is brilliantly done, ramping things up as we go, keeping that sharp, knifes edge feeling about proceedings throughout then throwing us into a heart-stopping and ruthless conclusion.
This novel introduces DI Luc Callanach, a character with plenty of substance to further develop in future books. Others include members of Lucโs squad & his colleague DI Ava Turner. Sheโs a smart, hard-working cop & one of the few to reach out & welcome Luc to the force. Initially, he rebuffs her friendship but as the story progresses her warm & straightforward manner begins to thaw his cool, prickly demeanour. Luc could be quite a cold and emotionless fish but with Ava drawing him out and his back story unfolding it became clear that there was a much deeper side to this man. The relationship between the two Detective Inspectors was warm and I am keen to see how it develops as the series grows.
Hearing the voices of the two main characters, beginning with Reginald King, a misogynistic serial killer, and Luc Callanach, a Detective Inspector intent on finding this madman, led to an interesting cat-and-mouse story on a grisly level. The characterization of these men was well-written! Callanach, although a top-notch detective, is flawed, making him quite believable. King's persona is frighteningly unnerving in a fascinating way. His chapters were gory and horrible. I could feel the blood dripping from the words coming out of his mouth and being inside his mind in those chapters messed with my head.
Furthermore, the book actually features two cases at the same time and theyโre both deeply upsetting while the focus is mostly on the murders, the other case(Ava's Case) and the circumstances surrounding it felt really important and I was waiting to get the answers I desperately needed. Sheโs got a difficult investigation concerning abandoned babies. Turner has a case where 3 babies are left in the park to die. The third one lives and leads are gained from that. The Catholic church has a huge role in what was occurring and man does Fields ever rip into them.
You know I kept thinking what is the use of having two cases at the same time but then the author also managed to link them together and to make one the catalyst of an important reveal in the other and thatโs something I totally appreciated. I mean some books canโt even write a one-case story that well let alone two cases and with such great execution.
Overall, this became a four-star read that apart from the slow beginning had me hooked from then on. So much so that I'm going straight to book two and look forward to seeing Luc Callanach's personal and professional growth as it continues. I could barely put this down and had to force myself to go at a slower pace just so I could absorb everything.
๐.๐ Before starting this series I have already read Helen's other standalone books and loved them. She is absolutely an amazing writer and it was the right decision to start this series!
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญโญ
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.21 (16950)
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐: Crime Fiction, Thriller and Police Procedural
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐: D.I. Callanach (Book 1)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes, Yes and Yes!
Itโs flat-out addictive, one of those books you really resent having to put down & I stayed up way too late simply because I had to know how it ended.
If you like your crime fiction vicious yet human, razor-sharp and captivating, then Perfect Remains is probably for you.