Eek, only a week to go now, and I’m worrying about which books to include in the few posts that I have left. Today’s #bookvent post, showcasing my top reads of the year, was never in doubt though.
#Bookvent comes to you courtesy of the lovely Jen Lucas from Jen Med’s book reviews, who conceived the #bookvent idea.
My 18th choice is the latest book in the excellent Rachel Narey and Tony Winters series. In some ways, the partnership between DI Rachel Narey and her life partner journalist Tony Winters seem like an unlikely pairing, but they gel beautifully. Rachel is determined, insightful and doesn’t hold back when pursuing her criminal, while Winters is more conservative but equally determined and when he finds an injustice he will do anything to make things right.
Yes, the book that is no 18 in my top reads list is the fabulous…
The sergeant took some from each box and spread them around the floor so they could all see. Dozens upon dozens of them. DI Rachel Narey’s guess was that there were a few hundred in all.
Photographs.
Many of them were in crowd scenes, some just sitting on a park bench or walking a dog or waiting for a bus or working in shops. They seemed to have no idea they’d been photographed.
A dawn raid on the home of a suspected rapist leads to a chilling discovery, a disturbing collection hidden under floorboards. Narey is terrified at the potential scale of what they’ve found and of what brutalities it may signal.
When the photographs are ruled inadmissible as evidence and the man walks free from court, Narey knows she’s let down the victim she’d promised to protect and a monster is back on the streets.
Tony Winter’s young family is under threat from internet trolls and he is determined to protect them whatever the cost. He and Narey are in a race against time to find the unknown victims of the photographer’s lens – before he strikes again.
The Narey and Winters combination works incredibly well and though they are in different jobs with different employers, the narrative is always utterly plausible and entirely convincing.
I like the way Craig Robertson tackles difficult issues with sensitivity and The Photographer is certainly on topic, dealing with a rapist and the women who were the subject of his creepy and violent attacks.
The Photographer is a gripping, compelling read with taut prose, a strong and well told storyline and characters you can believe in.
You can read my review here
Buy the book Amazon Waterstones
Live and Deadly 