The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields

The Last Girl To Die by Helen Sarah Fields
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Avon Books

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

The island watched and wept…

In search of a new life, sixteen-year-old Adriana Clark’s family moves to the ancient, ocean-battered Isle of Mull, far off the coast of Scotland. Then she goes missing. Faced with hostile locals and indifferent police, her desperate parents turn to private investigator Sadie Levesque.

Sadie is the best at what she does. But when she finds Adriana’s body in a cliffside cave, a seaweed crown carefully arranged on her head, she knows she’s dealing with something she’s never encountered before.

The deeper she digs into the island’s secrets, the closer danger creeps – and the more urgent her quest to find the killer grows. Because what if Adriana is not the last girl to die?



My Review

This is a standalone. A young girl has gone missing, the police don't seem overly convinced, the family are at their wits end so hire a private detective, Sadie. The police don't like her interfering and worse when she finds Adriana, dead and mutilated. There is a killer on the loose, Sadie and the police are at logger heads, the locals are shaken, some helpful, some not so much and as with all small towns, lots and lots of secrets.

Oh guys Sadie is feisty! She will not take any nonsense from the local police, nor will she be threatened nor bullied out of town. Her promise is to her clients, the poor girls family and she won't stop digging until they get the answers.

Some of the scenes are absolutely brutal and what is done to Adriana, graphic descriptions as Sadie is a PI and going through her findings and us with her as the reader so be warned. There is a lot of anger, hostility, threats and brutality, Fields doesn't shy away from creating scenarios and characters that are reflective of the uglier sides of humanity.

It has a good pace, horrific murder and then trying to pull through secrets, lies and sure is there not always folk hiding stuff for one reason or another. Sometimes Sadie annoyed me I was like don't do that, don't say that, ahhhh why are you touching that! But she was also fierce and despite being scared in X situations she never backed off from trying to get answers and keeping her word. 4/5 for me this time, I do like Fields books and whilst this one had a few graphic shocks (I have a shell we got on the beach I can now never look at the same way) along the way it is gripping and well for me anyway, kept me guessing.

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Lennox by Criag Russell

Lennox by Craig Russell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 425

Publisher - Quercus

Blurb from Amazon

Glasgow, 1953: the war may be over but the battle for the streets is just beginning. Three crime bosses control the murky streets, but a small-scale con is trying to invade their territory. The balance is shifting. Lennox, a hard man in a hard city at a hard time, finds himself caught in the middle - a dangerous place to be.

One night, a body is discovered on the road, his head mashed to pulp, and Lennox is in the frame for murder. The only way of proving his innocence is to solve the crime - but he'll have to dodge men more deadly than Glasgow's crime bosses before he gets any answers.

The first in a unique and memorable crime series, Lennox is gritty, fast-paced, mordantly funny and totally compelling.



My Review

It is Glasgow, 1950s. There are crime bosses and small time criminals trying to carve a bit of business out for themselves. When a particularly brutal slaying of one of the small time players is carried out Lennox is called upon to investigate. Lennox is a private eye, has fists of steel and an attitude to match. He has no intention of getting involved until suddenly he is being fingered as a suspect and the police are turning up the heat. Can he uncover the killer before he goes to jail, or worse, is taken out!

This is the first in a series, Lennox is a hard man, not entirely likable to be honest, he is a bit of a cad to the ladies although his background gives some insight into his thought process and actions. He is intelligent, sly like a fox and tough enough to keep himself protected although manages to annoy and bring violence where he goes.

Good paced story, certainly a good start to a series, I liked reading a tale set in old Glasgow. It is littered with coarse language which some readers may find offensive. Can't say I loved any of the characters to be honest although they are cleverly created in fitting with the theme of the tale. 3/5 for me this time, I would read this author again.

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