384 pages

4 stars

DI Matthew Venn and his partner DS Jen are called to the scene of a murder at an artist's studio. The studio belongs to the victim's daughter, Eve. Eve is a friend of Matthew's husband Jonathan.

Matthew and his team are on the case immediately. The victim is Dr. Nigel Yeo. He is a retired physician who is now heading up an organization that supports the rights of patients and looks into any possible abuses by the medical profession.

Dr. Yeo was looking into the suicide of a young man who was released from a mental institution after only a day. They said they didn't have room for him. He was suicidal and later committed suicide.

When a similar murder occurs, the case ratchets up. The police officers meet many people who supply various stories, some of questionable honesty. The case moves rather slowly, and more deaths occur.

Matthew's team has a real problem on their hands with pressure from the top.

The identity of the murderer turns out to be a surprise. The reason is somewhat psychopathic.

This is a well written and plotted little thriller. It sags in some places and seems to move slowly in others. This is not Ms. Cleeves' best work.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a great book for the first 85%, but the ending let it down. Various characters were familiar from the first instalment, and they were well-developed here, although I continue to feel it is a good thing that the author tells us how much Matthew loves Jonathan, since his actions never really show this. The plot was fast-paced and logical until the denouement, which required the murderer to have used incredibly complicated methods. I felt the motivation for the later murders was a little unconvincing.

Still, I thought this was stronger than the first instalment and look forward to the next.