Mediocre vampyr crime caper - 2 star

Detective Barbara Atkins is sent to Deadhart, a godforsaken place somewhere east of Anchorage. She is a Doctor of Forensic Vampyr Anthropology (try saying that after a few drinks :) A young boy has been found murdered, his throat cut out and the death has all the hallmarks of a "Colony" killing. The Colony is where Vampyrs reside and our viewed as second class citizens by Deadhart residents. There is an uneasy truce between those who view themselves as the rightful owners and settlers and Vampyrs who have been gradually isolated and blamed for any wrong going. If a murder could be attributed to the Vampyrs then law dictates that a cull would follow, an opportunity to kill and annihilate those who are viewed with suspicion and hate, and it is into this melting pot that Barbara jumps.
Although I found the writing good, I found the story poor. In essence this is just a mediocre crime caper, the enemy replaced by Vampyrs their removal paramount in the eyes of Deadhart residents, whether they are guilty of murder or not.

The true queen of crime! - 5 star

Slowly re-reading a number of Val McDermid crime novels and they are even better the 2nd time around :) A regional reMIT murder investigation team has been set up spearheaded by Carol Jordan. Carol is awarded carte blanche to recruit and operate as she wishes, and is soon joined in her new offices by DS Paula McIntyre, Doctor Tony Hill, hi tech wiz Stacey Chen, and ex demoted newly retired DCI Kevin Matthews. A number of unexplained suicides (linked to famous authors/poets) by strong independent women with a very notiecable online presence, soon has the team fully occupied. In the meantime Carol commits a stupid act, that could put her whole career in jeopardy, and will prove to have long and lasting consequences.Once again Val McDermid shows her undoubted skill as the queen of crime with a tighly plotted, imaginative, and highly readable novel. Carol Jordan is a true survivor, operating in a misogynistic police world, but refusing to be blindsided in her search for the truth. Truly wonderful story telling and a joy to read.

One word....brilliant - 5 star

I think if I was a police person I would welcome DCI Carol Jordan as my superior. She is dedicated (sometimes to the point of obsession) driven, and yet trusting of those within her department who display the same attributes. She is super efficient at managing a small team, allowing her most trusted sufficent latitude to get the job done, but woe betide anyone who takes advantage of this trust as they will become the focus of her extreme wrath. A teenager is found murdered, and mutilated in the most horrific fashion causing great concern and worry that the perpetrator remains unchecked. In the meantime psychotherapist Tony Hill is empolyed to help an adjoining police force when a similar incident occurs. As the body count rises Tony and Carol realize that this barbarous killing is not random, and they must work together efficiently to ascertain just why an apparently unconnected group of young people are being targeted.Carol has a newly appointed superior: Chief Constable James Blake, a pedantic and fussy little man more concerned with data and cost saving than actual crime solving. In the meantime Tony is unravelling the mystery that was his father Edmund Arthur Blythey, and what he discovers is not quite what he expected.This is crime writing at its best, yes it doesnt get any better than this! The Carol Jordan books are a little more gritty, and graphic than the DCI Karen Pirie series, but such descriptions are limited and essential if we are to fully understand the great mind and deductive skills of Tony Hill. A truly brilliant read that grips the reader from the start and once again shows Val McDermid as the queen of crime :)