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A review by meggyroussel
Cradle to Grave: A Detective Kay Hunter murder mystery by Rachel Amphlett
4.0
The genius in the Kay Hunter series is that Rachel Amphlett manages to draw you in within seconds. Here we are, talking about the eighth book in the Kay Hunter series, and once again, as soon as I laid my eyes on the page, I was transported. How does she do this? Through a down-to-earth, inviting writing that seizes your attention by being so ‘normal’. No big fat shoes and a reputation. No light shining over Kay’s team. Just regular days spent with a terribly good police officers, going up and down along with an investigation that requires the best of their abilities.
As if a faceless dead guy wasn’t enough, evidence of a child near the scene immediately brings the kind of frantic urgency you get when an innocent party is involved. And because Rachel Amphlett’s characters have a heart and different backgrounds, they throw themselves completely into this search. I often hear ‘you can’t understand until you have kids’ and I hate this assumption. I don’t have children, but I am affected when something happens. So while some team members react according to their upbringing waiting for them at home, the author brilliantly offers other officers like the amazing Carys the chance to show how much people care, no matter if their ovaries have been used or not!
Cradle to Grave felt somehow different from the previous book in terms of the pace. A quiet deadly discovery is followed by the rush of a search for a missing person, leaving no time to the reader (or the team) to take things as they come. My heart was pumping furiously as the plot jumped from fast-running periods to the slow-path of legwork and digging up leads. Instead of frustrating me, it only enhanced the feeling of authenticity I always get when reading about Kay’s cases.
I had no idea where this investigation would lead and truly appreciated the team effort that Rachel Amphlett never underestimates to bring a case alive and kicking. Everything happens for a reason and affects people in different ways, pushing them to work harder, take a closer look home, or just give them wings they didn’t know they had. Carys particularly shone in this installment and I could feel a sense of something coming. Change? Well, it just doesn’t affect us. Characters live and move on. This is not a spoiler, by the way! The dynamic between Kay’s well-balanced team was as wonderful as ever, taking the role of X factor that takes a book from good to fabulous. Barnes, Gavin, Sharp, they all have room in my heart and their development is a key factor in every job they encounter.
Why kill a man and abduct a little girl? I dare you to guess that one!
With appearances from secondary characters, such as the lovely Adam and the newest animal addition to the Hunter house, or Kay’s parents, it is easy to remember Kay is also a woman, a daughter, a wife, and so much more. Poignant moments made this novel both heart-wrenching and warm. Kay is not known for giving up, and this time again fueled by the love of those around her and her stubborn urge for answers, she digs as deep as needed to get to the bottom of a dark family story that takes the reader across the Channel. The danger is not obvious, and it takes an eye for detail and thorough investigation under real tension to untangle another complex race for justice and the truth.
If you are looking for a strong police procedural with a close-knit team and an author with her finger on the adrenaline button, grab your copy of Cradle to Grave!
As if a faceless dead guy wasn’t enough, evidence of a child near the scene immediately brings the kind of frantic urgency you get when an innocent party is involved. And because Rachel Amphlett’s characters have a heart and different backgrounds, they throw themselves completely into this search. I often hear ‘you can’t understand until you have kids’ and I hate this assumption. I don’t have children, but I am affected when something happens. So while some team members react according to their upbringing waiting for them at home, the author brilliantly offers other officers like the amazing Carys the chance to show how much people care, no matter if their ovaries have been used or not!
Cradle to Grave felt somehow different from the previous book in terms of the pace. A quiet deadly discovery is followed by the rush of a search for a missing person, leaving no time to the reader (or the team) to take things as they come. My heart was pumping furiously as the plot jumped from fast-running periods to the slow-path of legwork and digging up leads. Instead of frustrating me, it only enhanced the feeling of authenticity I always get when reading about Kay’s cases.
I had no idea where this investigation would lead and truly appreciated the team effort that Rachel Amphlett never underestimates to bring a case alive and kicking. Everything happens for a reason and affects people in different ways, pushing them to work harder, take a closer look home, or just give them wings they didn’t know they had. Carys particularly shone in this installment and I could feel a sense of something coming. Change? Well, it just doesn’t affect us. Characters live and move on. This is not a spoiler, by the way! The dynamic between Kay’s well-balanced team was as wonderful as ever, taking the role of X factor that takes a book from good to fabulous. Barnes, Gavin, Sharp, they all have room in my heart and their development is a key factor in every job they encounter.
Why kill a man and abduct a little girl? I dare you to guess that one!
With appearances from secondary characters, such as the lovely Adam and the newest animal addition to the Hunter house, or Kay’s parents, it is easy to remember Kay is also a woman, a daughter, a wife, and so much more. Poignant moments made this novel both heart-wrenching and warm. Kay is not known for giving up, and this time again fueled by the love of those around her and her stubborn urge for answers, she digs as deep as needed to get to the bottom of a dark family story that takes the reader across the Channel. The danger is not obvious, and it takes an eye for detail and thorough investigation under real tension to untangle another complex race for justice and the truth.
If you are looking for a strong police procedural with a close-knit team and an author with her finger on the adrenaline button, grab your copy of Cradle to Grave!