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A review by _onemorechapter_
Perfect Death by Helen Sarah Fields
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
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
4.25
๐ป.๐พ: Grief, Murders, and Suicide
๐ญThis series keeps getting better and better!
Edinburgh homicide detectives DI Luc Callanach & DCI Ava Turner are back. This is the 3rd book in the DI Callanach series by author Helen Fields. I am still loving this series. Itโs a great crime/mystery series. Please, read the first two books before picking up this one. You really need the background.
It all begins when the naked body of a young woman is found on Arthurโs Seat. With no obvious wounds, it appears to be death by misadventure. But as Luc investigates, small discrepancies begin to add up. Then the head of a charity organization dies under mysterious circumstances. Both families are gutted & the body count is just beginning.
Meanwhile, Ava is left reeling after her former boss & mentor is found dead of an apparent suicide. But he left a few surprises behind that threaten not just his family but the department itself. Ava has no choice but to secretly investigate his death & itโs not long before sheโs in well over her head.
Running alongside the 2 investigations are personal storylines for the 2 MCโs. Luc, in particular, is stunned when his estranged mother turns up to deliver some surprising news. Itโs a cracker & no doubt this will unfold further in future books.
The writing is clear, the plot complex, with plenty of action, and a rather creepy, manipulative killer thrown in. In alternate chapters, we meet a killer whose methods & pathology will make your skin crawl. Heโs a busy guy. The way in which Helen has crafted a character who has the ability to be all things to all people, to take on a multitude of personas and thereby hide in plain sight is brilliant. And the clinical justification of what they are doing, how they pick their victims, and the joy, albeit temporary, that they get from seeing the devastation they cause is actually quite chilling. Tension rises as we watch his meticulous plans take shape & you may find yourself yelling โRun away!โ to characters who are unwittingly caught in his web. Because we know more than the police, watching them flounder for clues is excruciating.
Now compared to the murders in the last two books, the ones you are faced with here are a lot less gory but no less distressing, especially for the ones that are left behind. Despite the outward appearance in the first case of the victim's death being almost serene, the truth is far removed. But the manner of death, and poisoning, makes the overall tone and pace of the book feel very different to its predecessors. Not in a bad way.
Although it felt like a slower-paced read, it was no less gripping, and having the two separate threads interesting at various stages kept the pages turning and the attention one hundred per cent on the action. With these stories, with the crimes Helen Fields writes, you need to stick around. Things build slowly, we get introduced to a lot of things throughout, and you need to take your time with things. There are still moments of great peril, where first Ava and then Callanach and DS Lively are all placed in great jeopardy and these moments will have you on the edge of your seat. But there are also many moments of seemingly calm narrative. Don't let this fool you. Nothing in this book is innocuous. Every interaction serves a purpose.
Helen Fields continues to add depth to her characters in each book. Callanach is as complex and engaging as ever, with the psychological and physical repercussions of his past still following him. Ava is now promoted to DCI. She is literally up to her eyes in work and has little social life. Her relationship with DI Callanach is slightly estranged. They are strong protagonists and thereโs a great cast of secondary characters. I like Ailsa and Tripp being more involved, and I am beginning to like DS Lively and I do believe he is starting to grow on me. He continues to steal every scene with his blunt & humorous dialogue. Familiar faces return to add colour to the story. Journalist Lance Proudfoot, Lucโs secret weapon, is back although by the time the dust settles, he may think twice before offering his services again.
Overall, this is a fast-paced & eminently readable story full of characters who have become old friends. The criminal investigations peak simultaneously for an explosive finish & I look forward to Perfect Silence. As with the previous books in the series, Helen Fields has created an utterly terrifying serial killer. She always manages to produce such original ideas; this is another reason why these books have become a favourite of mine. She is one of the most exciting crime writers in the business at the moment and I really canโt wait to see where sheโll take Luc, Ava and the rest of them next!
๐.๐ All the Perfect Novels by Helen holds two or multiple crime investigations well handled parallel.
๐.๐.๐ Luc and Ava are such a good pairing I think the books should now be called Callanach/Turner.
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญโญ.25
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.17 (7347) ๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐: Crime Fiction, Thriller and Police Procedural
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐: D.I. Callanach (Book 3)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes, Yes and Yes!
Fast-paced, gruesome murders, captivating characters, this series has it all! Crime fans, if you havenโt yet discovered this series, you donโt know what youโre missing out on!
๐ญThis series keeps getting better and better!
Edinburgh homicide detectives DI Luc Callanach & DCI Ava Turner are back. This is the 3rd book in the DI Callanach series by author Helen Fields. I am still loving this series. Itโs a great crime/mystery series. Please, read the first two books before picking up this one. You really need the background.
It all begins when the naked body of a young woman is found on Arthurโs Seat. With no obvious wounds, it appears to be death by misadventure. But as Luc investigates, small discrepancies begin to add up. Then the head of a charity organization dies under mysterious circumstances. Both families are gutted & the body count is just beginning.
Meanwhile, Ava is left reeling after her former boss & mentor is found dead of an apparent suicide. But he left a few surprises behind that threaten not just his family but the department itself. Ava has no choice but to secretly investigate his death & itโs not long before sheโs in well over her head.
Running alongside the 2 investigations are personal storylines for the 2 MCโs. Luc, in particular, is stunned when his estranged mother turns up to deliver some surprising news. Itโs a cracker & no doubt this will unfold further in future books.
The writing is clear, the plot complex, with plenty of action, and a rather creepy, manipulative killer thrown in. In alternate chapters, we meet a killer whose methods & pathology will make your skin crawl. Heโs a busy guy. The way in which Helen has crafted a character who has the ability to be all things to all people, to take on a multitude of personas and thereby hide in plain sight is brilliant. And the clinical justification of what they are doing, how they pick their victims, and the joy, albeit temporary, that they get from seeing the devastation they cause is actually quite chilling. Tension rises as we watch his meticulous plans take shape & you may find yourself yelling โRun away!โ to characters who are unwittingly caught in his web. Because we know more than the police, watching them flounder for clues is excruciating.
Now compared to the murders in the last two books, the ones you are faced with here are a lot less gory but no less distressing, especially for the ones that are left behind. Despite the outward appearance in the first case of the victim's death being almost serene, the truth is far removed. But the manner of death, and poisoning, makes the overall tone and pace of the book feel very different to its predecessors. Not in a bad way.
Although it felt like a slower-paced read, it was no less gripping, and having the two separate threads interesting at various stages kept the pages turning and the attention one hundred per cent on the action. With these stories, with the crimes Helen Fields writes, you need to stick around. Things build slowly, we get introduced to a lot of things throughout, and you need to take your time with things. There are still moments of great peril, where first Ava and then Callanach and DS Lively are all placed in great jeopardy and these moments will have you on the edge of your seat. But there are also many moments of seemingly calm narrative. Don't let this fool you. Nothing in this book is innocuous. Every interaction serves a purpose.
Helen Fields continues to add depth to her characters in each book. Callanach is as complex and engaging as ever, with the psychological and physical repercussions of his past still following him. Ava is now promoted to DCI. She is literally up to her eyes in work and has little social life. Her relationship with DI Callanach is slightly estranged. They are strong protagonists and thereโs a great cast of secondary characters. I like Ailsa and Tripp being more involved, and I am beginning to like DS Lively and I do believe he is starting to grow on me. He continues to steal every scene with his blunt & humorous dialogue. Familiar faces return to add colour to the story. Journalist Lance Proudfoot, Lucโs secret weapon, is back although by the time the dust settles, he may think twice before offering his services again.
Overall, this is a fast-paced & eminently readable story full of characters who have become old friends. The criminal investigations peak simultaneously for an explosive finish & I look forward to Perfect Silence. As with the previous books in the series, Helen Fields has created an utterly terrifying serial killer. She always manages to produce such original ideas; this is another reason why these books have become a favourite of mine. She is one of the most exciting crime writers in the business at the moment and I really canโt wait to see where sheโll take Luc, Ava and the rest of them next!
๐.๐ All the Perfect Novels by Helen holds two or multiple crime investigations well handled parallel.
๐.๐.๐ Luc and Ava are such a good pairing I think the books should now be called Callanach/Turner.
๐ธ๐ด๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: โญโญโญโญ.25
๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐น๐๐๐๐๐: 4.17 (7347) ๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐: Crime Fiction, Thriller and Police Procedural
๐ธ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐: D.I. Callanach (Book 3)
๐ธ๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐: Yes, Yes and Yes!
Fast-paced, gruesome murders, captivating characters, this series has it all! Crime fans, if you havenโt yet discovered this series, you donโt know what youโre missing out on!