*Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* I am a huge fan of Carol Wyer and in particular, love her Detective Natalie Ward books. 'A Cut for a Cut' is the second book in a series based around the detective work of another strong female lead, Kate Young. Young and her team are investigating the crimes of a serial murder who carves the chilling word 'MINE' into all of his victims. The investigation of the modern day travesties are interwoven with ghosts from the past who come back to haunt Kate Young. A thrilling and enjoyable read.

Kate Young is determined to get the man who ordered the murder of her husband. A journalist, Chris Young had been investigating corruption on the police force that involved the trafficking and sexual abuse of children. Kate was largely unaware of her husband’s investigation until after his death. He had intentionally kept her out of it since some of the officers he was investigating were in her department, were in fact her superiors. One of them, Superintendent John Dickson, is likely the man behind Chris’ murder.



She has to be extremely careful, though. Dickson is her boss’s boss. One false step and she could be reprimanded, demoted, reassigned, blacklisted, or fired. He cannot find out she is investigating him. And she must make certain that she stays fully focused on the other cases that come across her desk. Particularly this one, the brutal rape and murder of a young yoga instructor whose body was left in a garbage dumpster.



The killer was extremely careful. No bodily fluids or fingerprints were left. The attack was unseen, in an area with no video surveillance. The victim was a newcomer to town with few if any local friends and no apparent connections with anyone who might have wished her harm. Kate’s team is stuck.



Then a second victim is found. This one a civilian employee of the police department. One of their own. Then another attack, one which the victim survives. The killer is escalating, perhaps getting sloppy, and clearly will not stop until he is stopped.



Carol Wyer’s protagonist is brilliantly written. Kate Young is driven, intense, a no-nonsense investigator committed to seeing justice done. She also carries on conversations with and sees images of her late husband. She is sane enough to know they are tricks of her mind. She is unwell enough to want them to continue. Visual and auditory hallucinations do not necessarily prevent people from engaging with the real world. They are not healthy, though, and over time can blur the lines between imagination and reality. This is particularly true when the hallucinations are of someone or something desirable, something you want, someone you miss. DI Young recognizes that her husband exists only in her memories and in her imagination. That doesn’t change the fact that she desperately wants to hold that connection tightly.



DI Young is a woman on the edge. She has no one she trusts enough to confide in. She has to excel in the cases that come before her, but she is compelled to investigate the case she should stay far away from. She is committed to the law and justice, but can you catch dirty cops without crawling in the mud yourself? I am eager to see where she goes next, propelled forward by shadows that refuse to let her go. Sanity may not be a luxury she can afford any time soon.

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?

What Did I Just. Read??? Twists, conspiracies, threats from every corner and no one to turn to...this was an engaging, thrilling, rollercoaster of a ride.

Just when I think Natalie Ward is my favorite investigator, along comes Detective Kate Young. I thought the introduction of this character in a new series was excellent and was excited to read the second installment.
I expected to be wowed, and boy, was I! No sophomore slump for Kate.
One of the things that I love most about this author’s books is the way the author creates characters who are real. They’re never caricatures or composites or seem fake in any way.
Honestly, when I read her books, I feel like she must have just followed a person around and simply wrote what they did throughout the day. That’s how realistic her characters are.
I also like how they’re intelligent women. They’re not ball-breaking feminists who think they have to be like a man to be respected – they get there on their own merits. But, at the same time, they’re vulnerable and subject to the emotions that go along with being female.
I know that might seem like an odd thing to say, but with gender such a subject of discussion, I think it’s important to recognize that women are unique and what some people may see as weakness may actually be a woman’s strengths.
For example, in this book, Kate is still getting advice from her husband Chris – you’ll know why this is important if you read the first one.
And if you haven’t read the first one, stop reading this right now and go read An Eye for an Eye. Then read this one. Then you can come back to the review.
Anyway, back to Kate. Some would see her need to still talk to him as that she is losing a grip on reality, but I think it actually shows the importance of bonds between people and how they can remain strong, even when people are apart. (No spoilers).
The author weaves an intricate story, continuing with the investigation started by Chris that Kate has now picked up. The ins and outs of this plot line are multiple and masterfully related in the context of the immediate investigation.
This one has a personal angle for Kate as well. I’m not going to say much more on it, but in the course of investigating both threads, Kate realizes that the web being woven by certain characters is much bigger than she imagined.
She also realizes that the number of people she can trust is dwindling, which makes for some very tense moments.
As I have mentioned in the past, crime thrillers are difficult to review because I hate to give away any plot points that could ruin the investigation for other readers. At the same time, I want to convey how good a book is and why someone should read it. Quite a tightrope to walk.
I hope that I have done enough to convince you to read both books featuring Detective Kate Young. It’s early in the series and there is still time to get in on the bottom floor. Now is a good time before the through plot gets more complicated, which I’m sure will happen.
Reading this series is like watching a movie, and a great way to spend a few hours of your summer. You won’t want to put it down.

This is the second book in the series featuring DI Kate Young. Kate is recently widowed as her husband Chris, a fellow police officer, was murdered and she is determined to find his killer. Kate is investigating the murder of a young woman who was raped near her home and the letters ‘MINE’ were carved on her back and when there are more attacks with the same carving she is convinced it is the same person. Kate is also investigating privately corruption that appears to be occurring in her team and she is determined to get to the bottom of it and bring them to justice. Kate stepsister returns from Australia with her young son Daniel. Their relationship has been strained as her husband, who she is has separated from, was Kate’s fiancé but they are hoping they can work things out. Parts of the story are carried on from the first book but it still reads well as a stand-alone. The story is told mainly from Kate’s point of view but also some chapters from the killer’s viewpoint. A highly recommended read and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Merced for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'll admit it, it is my fault...i shouldn't have completed it, it was really bad, and here's a list of reasons why:
1- why two plots?!! I guess it's kind of a series, but seriously it was like two main plots crashing onto each other, reading the details about both plots at the same time was exhausting and boring.
2- the main character was such a bore, when you read a thriller where the main character is a detective, you expect an attractive personality, someone with sharp intelligence and dry humor, not a detective with no leadership skills, or crisis management skills.
3- the main plot ( at least the one in the synopsis) was really boring, it was purely police procedure stuff, not wild theories, or confusing suspects, it was really bland.
.

* I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review via netgalley and the publisher*

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the characters and relationships in this murder mystery. The ending was anticlimactic. I hoping for a sequel to resolve the loose ends.

I have read several of this author's books and enjoyed them very much. I was looking forward to this and it did not disappoint. Full of twists and turns and an absorbing storyline.

I love this genre by this author and am always waiting for the next book to come out.
When I started reading this one things were a bit different, second book in the series and a background storyline continuing I found myself more drawn to the solving of the background dilemma than the current case. This may have partly been due to the fact that I guessed the killer pretty early on, though as this author is well known for red herrings and spanners in her stories I kept looking for other options.
I feel sorry for this team, I'm hoping book three ties up the background story and gives the whole team a promotion well earned as they have had to be this small unit shut off in a tacky little office away from others for far too long now and deserve some recognition.

I love carol wyer she is one of my favourite crime authors.
After reading Natalie ward I wasn’t sure if I would like this new series but I am very wrong.
I really enjoyed the first 2 books and I love the characters.
Carol always has well thought out storylines and the plots have such good twists.
Definitely one for the bookshelf to keep.

Carol Wyer is one of my favourite authors, I love everything she writes. This great book was no exception is was bloody fabulous. Carols writing gets better and better with every book and I for one have a hard job putting a novel down that Carol has written. Love love love 5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

After reading book one I was super excited to get my hands on book two so jumped at the chance to review a cut for a cut straight away.

Just like book one we pretty much jump straight into the action which I always love as it really sets the pace of the book and gives me a feel for how this book is going to go.

I really love how Carol really takes us through the investigation step by step and we learn all these clues along with DI Kate Young and put it together along with her which I find really fun.

Just like in book one we do have the main mystery but also an underlying mystery involving trauma Kate has suffered in the past.

In this story we also get little snippets from the perpetrator which gave us an in depth look at who they are and how they think which was awesome.

A cut for a cut also explores the scars of rape and how it affects people even many many years later which really hit me hard and is really needed to be talked more in books.

This book does contain some graphic images and includes sexual assault so if any of this is triggering for you be fore warned.

This is definitely a series I would recommend and can't wait to read more from this author.

My thanks to Mercer an Thomas, Amazon. publishing blah and blah!
Sadly, this was just a.bushel full of Meh. Nothing but meh. And all.day, meh!
Should you read it? Meh?

Have loved everything by this author. Didn't really enjoy the first in this new series and found this one difficult to get through. Too many authors jumping on the 'corrupt' officer story. Unoriginal.

I love this author.
This book is second in the new series
D.I. Kate Young is hunting a serial rapist and murderer and also trying to deal with corruption in her team.
This can be read as a stand-alone book but you will find out more about Kate and the corruptions.
Another great book
Thanks NetGalley

I read the first book An Eye for an Eye and enjoyed following DI Kate Young in this police procedural so I was looking forward to reading this second book.
Kate and her team have to catch a serial rapist while Kate also secretly tries to uncover corruption within the department.
Can not wait for the third installment.

I am hooked on this series. Being a fan of J. D. Robb who has a strong female detective lead, this was right up that alley. With the on going investigation of the mystery behind her husband's death, this series has me hooked for future books. Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to discover this wonderful author.

I would have given it a 3.5 star rating, but truly think it needed a stronger mystery element to get the 4 star rating.

I had a few issues with the plot, in particular the villain being so obvious. I was truly hoping for a twist and surprise revelation.
I would probably read the next book in the series to see how DI Kate Young progresses exposing the corrupt elements within the force.

Really good and fabulous book, loved the style of writing and the twists and turns. Fab characters and thrilling and unique take on the crime genre.