For some reason, even though I enjoy the crime genre, I have never read a Leigh Russell novel. I was inspired to read this from reading the synopsis on NetGalley, but hadn’t read any of the previous novels in the series. I was very pleased to find I was able to read this without feeling there was a massive piece of story missing or that I didn’t know my central character. I was mainly interested in the fact that this was a crime procedural set within the homeless community, a community I feel is very overlooked and mistreated in today’s society.

We meet DS Geraldine Steel as she has been demoted to sergeant and a serial killer is targeting the homeless in the city of York. The first killing is discovered when a homeless man is found strangled in a city centre doorway, The police believe they have the killer, but realise their mistake when a van is pulled for having no MOT and another homeless man is found grilled up, dead, in a carpet. I enjoyed getting to know Steel, who is as strong as her name suggests, She is thorough and soon realises there is a toxic web of love and passion at the centre of this investigation. We hear the story through several narrators, which lets the story unfold gradually and from other perspectives. I really appreciated that the author examines the plight of those living on the streets carefully and with clear research. I think people forget that we are all only a few missed rent payments or a redundancy/relationship breakdown away from living on the streets, I felt this book put a human face on people who are often dismissed and abused.