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A review by brownflopsy
Monument To Murder by Mari Hannah
5.0
The discovery of human remains in the dunes below Bamburgh Castle, on the Northumberland coastline, sparks a challenging new investigation for DCI Kate Daniels and her team - especially when the help of a forensic anthropologist reveals that the sand holds more secrets than they realise.
Meanwhile, Kate's friend Emily, recently widowed and weighed down with grief, returns to her job as psychologist at a nearby prison, where a convicted sex offender has become obsessed with her - the very prison where Kate's former lover Jo is now working. The time of his release grows near, and Emily is increasingly concerned about the threat he poses to the public - and potentially to herself and her family. As his mind-games put her under pressure, and call her professional judgement into question, old sins are revealed that might just link to Kate's current case...
Monument to Murder is the fourth book in the DCI Kate Daniels series, and it picks up hot on the heels of book three, Deadly Deceit. As winter gets a grip on the Northumberland coastline, Kate and her team set up a new murder wall in the northern reaches of their operational area, to try to get to the bottom of a horrifying series of murders that have intriguing links to the history of the area.
The tale unfurls in two absolutely gripping threads - one covering the intricate police procedural ins-and-outs of an investigation into the murders of young girls in the north of England, and the other following Emily's side of the story behind prison walls. This is Hannah at the absolute top of her game, with perfectly timed reveals, and beautifully contrived twists, that serve to entwine both sides of the story - and there are more red herrings than you can poke a police baton at. This one really kept me guessing right until the end, as Hannah cleverly keeps the shocking truth of the matter murky enough to have you convinced of the guilt of more than one likely suspect. Along the way, Kate's personal family and relationship issues continue to run through the story, with all the will-they-won't-they suspense between Kate and Jo that Hannah does so well - I am starting to want to take them to one side and bang their heads together, so I hope there will be a resolution to this situation soon in the series!
For me, this is the book that throws up the knottiest issues to mull over so far when it comes to DCI Daniels' cases. Emily's role as a prison psychologist casts a lot of thought provoking light on the problem of tackling the release of serious sex offenders back into the community, particularly when it comes to the balance between allowing parole and keeping them contained until the end of their sentences. Lots of things to think about here around public safety, monitoring, and how we approach dealing with prisoners with psychopathic tendencies - both insightful and menacing writing from Hannah here. I will be thinking about this for quite a while...
This is definitely my favourite book of the series to date. The story flows with perfectly judged pace, and the pages fly by as all the little pieces of the mystery come together to make a thrilling whole - I devoured it! Well played, Mari Hannah!
Meanwhile, Kate's friend Emily, recently widowed and weighed down with grief, returns to her job as psychologist at a nearby prison, where a convicted sex offender has become obsessed with her - the very prison where Kate's former lover Jo is now working. The time of his release grows near, and Emily is increasingly concerned about the threat he poses to the public - and potentially to herself and her family. As his mind-games put her under pressure, and call her professional judgement into question, old sins are revealed that might just link to Kate's current case...
Monument to Murder is the fourth book in the DCI Kate Daniels series, and it picks up hot on the heels of book three, Deadly Deceit. As winter gets a grip on the Northumberland coastline, Kate and her team set up a new murder wall in the northern reaches of their operational area, to try to get to the bottom of a horrifying series of murders that have intriguing links to the history of the area.
The tale unfurls in two absolutely gripping threads - one covering the intricate police procedural ins-and-outs of an investigation into the murders of young girls in the north of England, and the other following Emily's side of the story behind prison walls. This is Hannah at the absolute top of her game, with perfectly timed reveals, and beautifully contrived twists, that serve to entwine both sides of the story - and there are more red herrings than you can poke a police baton at. This one really kept me guessing right until the end, as Hannah cleverly keeps the shocking truth of the matter murky enough to have you convinced of the guilt of more than one likely suspect. Along the way, Kate's personal family and relationship issues continue to run through the story, with all the will-they-won't-they suspense between Kate and Jo that Hannah does so well - I am starting to want to take them to one side and bang their heads together, so I hope there will be a resolution to this situation soon in the series!
For me, this is the book that throws up the knottiest issues to mull over so far when it comes to DCI Daniels' cases. Emily's role as a prison psychologist casts a lot of thought provoking light on the problem of tackling the release of serious sex offenders back into the community, particularly when it comes to the balance between allowing parole and keeping them contained until the end of their sentences. Lots of things to think about here around public safety, monitoring, and how we approach dealing with prisoners with psychopathic tendencies - both insightful and menacing writing from Hannah here. I will be thinking about this for quite a while...
This is definitely my favourite book of the series to date. The story flows with perfectly judged pace, and the pages fly by as all the little pieces of the mystery come together to make a thrilling whole - I devoured it! Well played, Mari Hannah!