Dark Water
"..add Caro Ramsay to the top of your next-book-to-be-read pile. "
Synopsis:
It's a frozen February in Glasgow and hanging from a rope in the attic of a deserted tenement building is the body of a criminal thought to have been hiding out on the Costa del Sol for the last ten years. His face has been horribly disfigured. Investigating officers DI Anderson and DS Costello believe the dead man to be a suspect in a decade-old case: the rape and attempted murder of a young student by two men.
There are other, similar cases on the books. But what has happened to the dead man's accomplice, 'Mr Click'? And with the discovery of another young woman who has been brutally attacked, detectives Anderson and Costello realize this terrifying psychopath has started working once again. They must use every trick in the book to stop him. For Mr Click has developed a hunger for his bloodthirsty trade. And to satisfy his lust he is sure to strike again and again.
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Review:
The freezing fog that envelops the city of Glasgow during this story is like an extra character in this chilling read. It lends itself to the atmosphere and the reading experience so effectively that the book feels cold in your hand as you race through the pages. Anderson and Costello are the detective dream team in literary Glasgow and their ongoing working relationship is one of the pleasures of Caro Ramsay's excellent series. They are beautifully observed, as are the petty politicking and the office intrigue that threatens to shadow the investigation. The pace is spot on, the investigation weaves in and out like willow in a basket and the characters have you eating out of their collective hands. While balancing out the narrative, Ramsay also manages to get in a dig at society's celebrity obsessions and carefully satisfies our urge for murder and havoc. You like Police Procedurals with colour, intelligence and heart? Do yourself a massive favour and add Caro Ramsay to the top of your next-book-to-be-read pile.