Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘An Eye for An Eye’ by Carol Wyer, organised by Damppebbles Blog Tours. It was a pleasure to read this one, and I hope that you will check out the other blogs on the tour (see the banner below) as well as the author and this fantastic first installment in a new series.

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*Disclaimer: ‘I was given a copy this book in exchange for an honest review.’*

Book Summary:

A killer running rings around the police. A detective spiralling out of control.

DI Kate Young is on leave. She’s the force’s best detective, but her bosses know she’s under pressure, on medication and overcoming trauma. So after her bad judgement call leads to a narrowly averted public disaster, they’re sure all she needs is a rest.

But when Staffordshire Police summon her back to work on a murder case, it’s a harder, more suspicious Kate Young who returns. With a new ruthlessness, she sets about tracking down a clinical, calculating serial killer who is torturing victims and leaving clues to taunt the police. Spurred on by her reporter husband, Young begins to suspect that the murderer might be closer than she ever imagined.

As she works to uncover the truth, Young unravels a network of secrets and lies, with even those closest to her having something to hide. But with her own competence—and her grip on reality—called into question, can she unmask the killer before they strike again?

The Review:

My first crime thriller of 2021, and what a book to kick off with.

   The titular character of the series DI Kate Young is a complex, well-written character who really carried the narrative for me. While the crime thriller aspect of the plot is dominant and full-on, Wyer takes the time to explore Young as an individual, and throughout the book, we get to learn more about the traumatic experience that had resulted on her being on leave at the beginning. It shapes her interactions with her colleagues, and others involved in the investigation, as well as how she processes the case, without ever detracting from that storyline. Instead, what we are treated to is a multi-faceted character, who is believable and incredibly human, who is as integral to the events of the book as the murders and forensics themselves.

   It is also the fact that we are seeing the events through Young that really highlights her as a character because there are many places where she cannot be considered the most reliable narrator to events due to her use of medication, and the flashbacks and paranoia she endures, and it adds a different dimension to the book that you rarely see in this way. It is clear that the author has done considerable research, and it pays off in spades.

    That isn’t to say that the other characters lose out, and I particularly enjoyed the other members of Young’s team, DS Meredith and Donaldson who were great counterparts to Young. The fact that this focused on a small team rather than a large force, meant that we had the time to get to know them both as individuals, but also in their roles in the team, and their shared concern about Young. Another fantastic character is Kate’s husband, who is a great sounding board and foundation for her, and their relationship as with everything about this book was well-written, rich and believable.

      The plot and pacing of this book were full-on, and it hits the ground running in rather grand fashion and doesn’t really let up, especially in the latter half of the book. There were red herrings, twists and turns, and between lies, suspicions and Kate Young’s sometimes unreliable view, you are kept guessing right until the very end, and just as you think you might have grasped what is happening, something else happens. The plotting is tight and very clever and does an excellent job of balancing the various aspects, keeping you on the edge of your seat and needing to know what would happen next. While the conclusion was spot-on, tying together the threads – even the ones that I couldn’t work out how they were going to fit the pieces together, and setting the groundwork for future books, without losing the satisfaction of the ending for this book.

  I’ve not read any of Carol Wyer’s other books, although I will certainly be checking them out in the future, so it was great to dip my toes in with the start of a new series and one with a fantastic main protagonist. This was a gripping read from start to finish, and one I would highly recommend.

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.

A move from humour to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol had found her true niche.

To date, her crime novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy… who is very, very grumpy.

When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.

Social Media:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Linkedin | Goodreads

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Bookshop.org | Topping & Company | Waterstones

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If you’ve read it, or read it in the future, please feel free to shout at me about this fantastic book.

Rowena