Narrated by : Emily Sutton Smith
I reviewed the first of the series : here
This is the second book in the series and continues on the note that we left it in. The city has descended into darkness because of a chain of events, and now in the aftermath, a new maniac comes to light. Again, we have multiple views on the case and watch the unfolding scenes from many eyes to give a better perspective.
The story is of Jude Fontaine doing her job while bearing scars from her abduction and imprisonment.
The killings(there are several) are particularly gruesome, but the author does not linger on it enough to cause any particular distaste. Jude has settled into a rhythm at work, there are additional instances of her life thrown in to make it more interesting. We have her burgeoning relationship with her cat, the way her downstairs neighbour is always just around the corner everywhere she goes and her tentative co-dependent relationship with her partner. All of these factors ensure that it is not just a thriller for the plot’s sake but a more cohesive group of characters coexisting on the page (or in my case, on audio). The narrator did a great job, even better than the first book.
I listened to the last book (as of now) available in very consecutive sittings. My rating for this book is because of my interest and how it kept drifting back to the narrative despite all the other things weighing on my time and mind. If cold cases (pun intended) are interesting to anyone, this is a book that should be on your radar. It dwells lesser on the details of actual crimes and more on the after and the incomplete threads. I liked how things tied up and the information that was thrown up. A couple of things I actually saw coming but did not begrudge its revelation. As I have mentioned in a few of my older reviews, this last bit is always welcome.
The story begins with an unnamed woman who has set out to get rid of evidence and escapes notice, but her actions have immediate consequences, she continues to add fuel to the fire with her plans. There are a lot of moving pieces, side emotional issues and substantial growth in Jude’s character. After her escape, Jude was a different person, but she is changing once again, and the transition was gratifying to watch in this last book. There is a lot more emotion thrown into this, and if you have stuck with the series for this long, then this comes as a just reward.
Of the three, I think the narrator did the best job with differentiating between all the people as well as keeping me hooked to the narrator
Superfluous Reading 