Let The Dead Speak - Jane Casey

photo courtesy:goodreads.com

 Great story. Superb characters.

Disclaimer: I received this book as a part of goodreads giveaway in return for an honest review. 

I love psychological thrillers. Having read so many, I realise it is difficult to come up with a distinct detective duo when there are so many of them in crime fiction. I had never heard of Jane Casey before and it surprised me to discover she had written so many in the Kerrigan series. I loved Kerrigan and the way she and Derwent are such different personas and yet they work great together when it comes to solving cases. 

I read somewhere, Casey's husband is a criminal barrister. So that explains how she get the police aspect of the story so well. It was a joy to read the inner workings of the police system. Reminded me of the TV programme "No offence". Although the only similarity between the two is its focus on inner workings of the police system, it makes you appreciate the constraints under which these police officers operate.

Gist:

Chloe, an 18 year old girl returns home unexpectedly to find herself in a blood stained home and no sign of her mum.

Kerrigan arrives with her new rookie partner Georgia Shaw to investigate. Derwent joins in soon after and you realise these guys have a history. Kerrigan takes on the neighbours as she pieces together what happened and finds out some unsavoury secrets.

What works:

• The plot. It is interesting and hooks you at the outset.

• The characters. A bit confusing at first because there is a lot of them. However, the personas become clear as Kerrigan sifts through them to find out the truth.

• The insight into how thw working of a police team is great. I loved the conversation between Kerrigan and Georgia about the importance of being a team player.

• I loved the personas of the characters who solve the case. The two characters are intriguing and their partnership a distinct feature.

• The writing. Even after who" is revealed, the "why" bit keeps you going. It requires a certain amount of skill to handle this and Casey is good at it. The underlying psychological aspects work so well to explain the motive.

• I loved Maeve Kerrigan as a character: the not so perfect persona who is a great detective. 

• Also loved the equation between Kerrigan and Derwent. It is an interesting relationship and I am curious to know how they first got together. 

What doesn't:

• The reference to past makes you feel a bit lost especially if you haven't read the previous book. 

Overall a great book. It was great to find a thriller with such great characters and such a compelling story. Guess, I have goodreads to thank for it.