A Soul for a Soul (Detective Kate Young #5) by Carol Wyer
Genre: Crime fiction, Crime thriller, Police procedural, Mystery
Read: 24th January 2024
Published: 30th January 2024
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
The syndicate have taken everything from her. It’s time to take them down—or die trying.
DCI Kate Young never meant to shoot Superintendent John Dickson at the reservoir that night—even if, as a scheming corrupt cop and head of the shady syndicate, he probably had it coming. But now Kate has photographic evidence that someone else knows her terrible secret…
Tormented by guilt and the voices of the dead, Kate is desperate to unmask the rest of the corrupt officers before her own sins catch up with her. When DI Harriet Khatri, awaiting trial for the murder of Kate’s mentor, claims she was framed by Dickson’s syndicate, Kate reluctantly agrees to help in the hope of finding answers.
Meanwhile, DI Emma Donaldson finds herself on the hunt for a double murderer—a man who incapacitates his victims with a powerful narcotic called Devil’s Breath. Desperate to measure up to her role-model boss, Emma finds herself hurled into the deep end in more ways than one…
While Kate’s grip on reality wavers and the syndicate closes in, and with the mystery killer taking a special interest in Emma, could this be the case that defeats both detectives?
MY THOUGHTS:
Where to even begin?
I have followed this series from the start so I'm familiar with Kate's flaws and foibles. Does she get on my nerves? A little. Especially with the constant monologuing with the dead William and Dickson. Chris' dialogue was enough but now we have her mentor and her nemesis to battle it out in her head!
OK, so if you haven't read any of the previous books, don't start this one until you have done so as the culmination of events and everything that went beforehand will make absolutely no sense. Some series you can pick up here and there and read without missing out on anything else. But this series is not one of them. In fact, the entire series hinges on Kate's relentless investigating into a corrupt syndicate involved in sex trafficking, drugs and murder - and that of the murder of her husband Chris. A syndicate compromised of corrupt police officers, some of whom were at senior level. It's like a series of "Line of Duty"...lol
Since the previous book, Kate has been promoted to DCI and taking the place of her mentor and friend William Chase who was brutally murdered by one of the syndicate, DI Harriet Khatri. Harriet, however, is protesting her innocence loudly though no one is listening. Least of all Kate who was not her biggest fan in the first place. But Harriet calls on Kate with a special request...but how will Kate react?
Since Kate's promotion, it has left room for her previous position as DI open as well as Harriet's also, since she now sits under house arrest with strict bail conditions awaiting trial for William's murder. And so Kate handpicks her two DS's, Emma and Morgan, to step into the Acting DI role until they can take their Inspector's exams.
Emma's first big case comes along investigating a killer who maims his victims with a psychoactive drug, leaving no trace in their systems. Or so he thought. It seems he is cockier than he is clever. But will he outsmart Emma before she can uncover the truth?
Meanwhile, Morgan has been tasked to Operation Moonbeam who are investigating the people trafficking and with a mole in their midst, Morgan is feeling frustrated with the slow progress, despite months of work. And it's affecting his home life with Emma.
On top of it all, Kate must maintain a professional integrity in overseeing her teams but she misses being in the thick of the investigation. But under the mantle of DCI she is also able to continue looking further into the syndicate and its remaining members, and attempt to bring it all down once and for all.
Then just when you think that's the end of it...Wyer delivers those final lines. Is this the end? Or is it not?
I admit to having further suspicions but in hindsight, I'd like this to be the end for Kate. To sit back and relax and just let it all go. To remain and continue digging would just be tempting fate.
The twists are delivered with fervour in this story but alas, I could not be hoodwinked. I correctly figured two out of three. That last one had me surprised. But the identity of the killer nor the first of the remaining syndicate members revealed were not. Sorry (not sorry!).
This series is so different from Carol Wyer's others and I could see how it could be so all-encompassing, when she locks herself away in her office for hours on end leaving Mr Grumpy to fend for himself. I think I'd be exhausted with navigating all this!
Overall, an entertaining taut crime thriller that will have you turning the pages until the very end, and then leaving you scratching your head.
I would like to thank #CarolWyer, #Netgalley and #AmazonPub for an ARC of #ASoulForASoul in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
A move from humour to the 'dark side' in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol, had found her true niche.
To date, her crime novels have sold over 800,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.
The much-anticipated new series, featuring DI Kate Young, was published on 1st February 2021 with the first novel, An Eye For An Eye, a second, A Cut for a Cut, published on 24th June 2021 and a third A Life for a Life to be published 15th March 2022. An Eye for an Eye was chosen as a Kindle First Reads and became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon UK and Amazon Australia.
Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ''Irritable Male Syndrome' and 'Ageing Disgracefully' and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines 'Woman's Weekly', featured in 'Take A Break', 'Choice', 'Yours' and 'Woman's Own' magazines and the Huffington Post.
She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy... who is very, very grumpy.
When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.
Social Media links:
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