Val McDermid - Killing the Shadows
I have read a few of this authors books and there were one or two I didn't
like (Blue Genes springs to mind) but generally I do like her writing, although
I never read the 'wire in the blood' series.
I wasn't sure about this book to start with - I was struggling a little to
get interested and I seriously considered giving up but I hate to quit on a
book. By mid-way it started to pick up.
The story starts with the case of the murdered woman in the park. The woman had her children with her at the time. The suspect was profiled by a
criminologist/psychologist and then baited by a lure set up by the London Met. The suspect had been in jail for 8 months but was being released as the evidence was too flimsy.
Fiona Cameron is also a psychologist who uses computer technology to track
serial offenders. Fiona used to work for the
Met but they took her off the 'Murder in the Park' case brought in another criminologist. The Met went
against her advice and screwed up the investigation, so she vowed never to work
for them again. Fiona has been asked to help the Spanish police in their investigation into
serial killings in Madrid.
The next murder happens in Edinburgh. The man is a crime writer who
has had a book made into a tv film. His killer uses the plot
line of that particular book to kill his victim.
Another writer is murdered in Ireland again in a way described in their serialised book but nobody suspects a link to the
Scottish writers death.
Fionas partner Kit, is also a crime writer,and he has had a threatening letter but they both put it down to some sort of crank fan. When a friend of Kits, also a succesful crime writer, goes missing they begin to suspect there is a pattern that the writers could be the victims, especially
when they had both had threatening letters. The police as very sceptical about
the claim. However, when the missing writer turns up dead, killed in the same way she described in her book, the police have to accept that there is a link.
At a press conference a member of the public bursts forward and claims to
be the killer.
The Met, Fiona & Kit are confident that the killer is now in
custody and they are safe.
When Fionas partner goes missing she begins to doubt that the right person
is in custody.
The killer is still out there and now Kit, her partner, could be the next victim.
I found it got very confusing towards the ending and I still can't see what the 'Madrid' murders had to do with the story. A also found it frustrating/illogical that Fiona wouldn't accept the link of the writers being the victims earlier on - she is after all supposed to be a profiler. And who really did the murder in the park - I just don't know!
I found it got very confusing towards the ending and I still can't see what the 'Madrid' murders had to do with the story. A also found it frustrating/illogical that Fiona wouldn't accept the link of the writers being the victims earlier on - she is after all supposed to be a profiler. And who really did the murder in the park - I just don't know!
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