I will read almost anything but my preferred genres to review are psychological thrillers, crime procedural novels or women's fiction. I'm reserved because usually the characters don't quite mesh or the mystery is an easy one that will build in upcoming books. It's knocked me for six if I'm honest because it's just something that I did not see coming and it's the reason I immediately went onto Twitter to shout about how I had been left speechless by the ending. In fact there's only one upcoming 2016 book that I can even see being any competition for my crime fiction top spot. I wished, she was the first victim and Cody could add that to one of the reasons for being so morose.

I have no doubt his relationship with his dysfunctional family will provide us with plenty of drama in future books!I know most of the readers like to know more about the detective, their personal life when they read a detective series. Less successful for me initially (there was a slight look to the heavens) was the slightly awkward scenario of him being partnered up with a former lover, but my fears were assuaged as DC Megan Webley established herself quickly as acutely necessary to the unfolding of Cody’s story.

I don't know what made my ears bleed more - the awful cardboard characters or the ridiculous mystery behind it all. The majority of pages are undamaged with some creasing or tearing, and pencil underlining of text, but this is minimal. The mystery begins as Terri Latham is disturbed late one night by a ‘tapping, scratching, scrabbling noise at her back door’. I so wish it was possible to discuss what happened in this story because that last third especially just needs talking about.Cody has a very troubled past and is still battling demons so is far from the normal police detective often depicted in crime novels. This is a very good start to a new series and successfully introduces the characters in this blood curdling thriller. I was so totally engrossed in the plot from page one that I didn’t even see where it was going until it slapped me in the face!