A Cut For A Cut - Carol Wyer

Reading Challenge Category: Free ARC from NetGalley

Official Blurb:

DI Kate Young can’t trust anybody. Not even herself.
In the bleak countryside around Blithfield Reservoir, a serial murderer and rapist is leaving a trail of bloodshed. His savage calling card: the word ‘MINE’ carved into each of his victims.
DI Kate Young struggles to get the case moving—even when one of the team’s own investigators is found dead in a dumpster. But Kate is battling her own demons. Obsessed with exposing Superintendent John Dickson and convinced there’s a conspiracy running deep in the force, she no longer knows who to trust. Kate’s crusade has already cost her dearly. What will she lose next?
When her stepsister spills a long-buried secret, Kate realises she’s found the missing link—now she must prove it before the killer strikes again. With enemies closing in on all sides, she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to bring them down. But time is running out, and Kate's past has pushed her to the very edge. Can she stop herself from falling?

My Thoughts:

This is the second instalment of the DI Kate Young series by Carol Wyer. The first book definitely needs to be read before reading this one to get the detective’s background story. Even though a few things are recapped, I think you’d still feel a bit discombobulated without knowing all the facts.
This is a good read and a perfectly adequate crime novel; however, I did feel it missed a little bit of the wow magic that the first book had. There was the large underlying twist regarding her partner Chris in the introduction; however, now that we know what is going on, it made the conversations a little annoying. You know it is all her thoughts, so instead of it being tragic and sad, it came across as more delusional this time. The investigation into what happened to Chris was quite interesting, but it did jar against the main storyline a little; it felt like reading two different stories.
The crimes that Kate and her team are investigating are heinous and interesting, but they did lack some of the Carol Wyer gruesomeness that I have come to expect. They were short of the truly horrifying details.
I had been really looking forward to the continuation of this new detective’s story. However, I was left a little disappointed. Like I say, it was a good enough read and nothing particularly wrong with it, but the first book was so phenomenal I found this one to be a letdown in comparison. I don’t know if my expectations were too high or if the first book just couldn’t be competed with. I will still continue with the series to see what the outcome will be in regards to Chris; I just hope the next book has a bit more spark. I’m torn between whether it is a three or a four-star read. I’m going to settle on four as I have high respect for the author, her writing and her dedication to her stories. Maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind going into this.

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