To Catch a Killer by Emma Kavanagh.
DS Alice Parr is trying to catch a killer. Bit he is playing a game of catch me if you can. Will she and her team find him?
I really enjoyed this book. I did like Alice. Twisty and gripping. Didn't see that coming. 5*.

To Catch A Killer by Emma Kavanagh features DS Alice Parr who is called to a vicious attack and gets caught up in a terrying cat and mouse game with a killer.

I love the way in which Emma Kavanagh writes and as always was totally gripped the whole way through this book. It's definitely one i'd recommend.

Unfortunately I didn’t love this one as much as I was hoping to. I liked the idea behind it and the storyline, but it fell flat for me. I can see why some people love this one, but it just wasn’t for me.

This is my first Emma Kavanagh book, but it certainly won't be my last. The first in a new series of books featuring British detective Alice Parr, this book hooks you in from page 1 and spits you out at the end. Set in both the UK and briefly in the US this cross-border crime story is full of interesting characters and has brought forth a new heroine in Alice Parr. Can't wait for the next one! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I finished this book early this morning, and wow. It was worth the little sleep I had last night, I just had to see who Wolf is, and if Alice could manage to catch him! This is the start of a new trilogy series, and I can see DS Parr taking this further! Really well done, can't wait to read some more soon.

Couldn't put this book down! Totally thrilling from the very beginning. I can't wait to read more from Emma Kavanagh!

A perfect summer holiday read for anyone caught up in the Killing Ever love. It’s a fast paced and high adrenaline procedural. It unravels it’s plot for you while you try and work out how it will end.
Just don’t blame me when your turning the last page at 3am. You have been warned: you won’t want to put it down.

Although I took a little while to get into this book I’m now so glad I persevered as I loved it.

It starts with a detective on her way to work coming across a woman who has just been seriously injured in an assault. From there we are led through various twists and turns, not to mention across the Atlantic and back, as the perpetrator is pursued. The characters really come to life as it goes and have left me hoping that this will not be the last we see of some of them.

I’d never read any of Emma Kavanagh’s books before so am now excited to have a new author and her back catalogue to enjoy.

Well written, and by far Emma Kavanaghs best worst (that I have read) This is thoroughly gripping stuff!

To Catch A KIller by Emma Kavanagh

When DS Alice Parr is first on the scene at a stabbing, it’s not long before she and the rest of her team understand that this is far more than a mugging gone wrong. Alice is changed by the attack. She holds the hand of the woman whose throat has been cut, only able to utter one word before she falls into a coma: ‘wolf’. Alice is determined to discover the identity of this woman and to catch the person whom, she’s more than certain, will prove to be a murderer. Alice’s boss and colleagues, especially her closest friend Poppy, worry for Alice. It’s not long since she survived a terrible fire. She carries the scars and the trauma. But Alice is not going to give this case away. But who is this victim? The clues she’s left behind will lead Alice on an extraordinary journey of secrets and lies, each more elaborate than the last. And watching it all will be the killer.

Emma Kavanagh is one of my favourite authors, and is one of the writers who got me back into reading crime fiction several years ago. I have much to be grateful to her for. Each of her books stands alone. They’re unusual, distinct and clever crime mysteries, asking questions about identity and relationships. To Catch a Killer demonstrates this yet again. But the first thing to mention is how beautiful the writing is. We spend much of the time in Alice’s head. And, despite the trauma of the recent fire, it’s an utterly believable place to be – Alice feels recognisable emotions, especially guilt and fear, and this is expressed by Emma Kavanagh with such feeling and empathy. I cared for Alice from the very beginning and this continued through the novel, enriching the real power of its complex and thoroughly satisfying plot.

That brings me on to one of the main reasons why To Catch a Killer stands out. It constantly shifts the ground from under the reader’s feet. So little can be taken for granted. But the plot is grown through the most fascinating detective work by Alice and her team as they follow an astonishing trail of clues. Alice is an instinctive detective. We see how she pulls things together, making leaps into the dark and discovering results. But there is a strong sense that understanding remains beyond reach, that the killer is always at least one step ahead and knows it. The reader constantly has to reassess their opinions. Yet it’s not done clinically – there’s emotion here, quite a lot of it. And we get completely involved in the story of this mysterious woman found so close to death by Alice.

A new novel by Emma Kavanagh is always such a treat and To Catch a Killer is especially good. It’s engrossing and extremely difficult to put down as we’re taken deeper and deeper into its layers of mystery. You might work out some of it, as I did, but there will be so much here to surprise you. I was left with an even deeper admiration for Emma Kavanagh’s skill than I had before. I’m not going to forget Alice in a hurry.

I’m delighted to review To Catch a Killer as part of the blog tour to celebrate its publication on 24 January. For other stops on the tour, do take a look at the poster below.

Other reviews
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The Killer on the Wall

I have to say that I was really looking forward to reading this, but unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations.

I found it quite slow to start, and there was a certain feeling of predictability. Having said that there was a definite feel of a person being able to hide in plain sight and that causes you to be constantly looking over your shoulder when leaving home.

As the title suggests To Catch a Killer sees DS Alice Parr in the wrong place at the right time as a call comes through as she's on her way to work, a young woman has been brutally attacked near to where she currently is. The first officer on scene Alice quickly discovers the victim barely alive, being worked on by an off-duty paramedic, but the woman clings firmly onto Alice's hand with her eyes focused solely on her and is able to whisper one word before she is taken to hospital.

Normally when Alice is assigned a case her victims are already dead so the fact that she stumbles across the woman still alive makes this feel all the more personal and she wants to do everything in her power to bring the attacker to justice. But with no name to the woman, the first job on their hands is to identify who she is so that they can inform her family especially as there have been no missing person reports for anyone matching her description.

What follows is a cat-and-mouse investigation where the attacker seems to be one step ahead of the police at every stage. When the team finally make a discovery of the woman's identity, evidence at the woman's flat would seem to suggest that this was not quite the random attack as first thought. But every time a new lead is discovered, the evidence is either missing or has been destroyed before Alice and her team can get there. Will they ever catch a break and get their man?

As well as the complex investigation aspect of the storyline which eventually leads them overseas, we also get to see an emotional side to the story through Alice's own personal experience that has left her physically and emotionally scarred. At work she is a strong dependable member of the team but then we get to see the private side to her, and you could really sense her pain and she seemed so vulnerable. I'm really hoping that this is not the last we've seen of Alice especially with the way things were left...

Emma Kavanagh clearly has a criminal devious mind, although I think that has more to do with her former work as a police psychologist, as she really gets into the mindset of the criminal to show what makes them tick. The writing feels so authentic and as a reader you're drawn into what turns out to be a highly addictive, edge of your seat read that you will simply not want to put down.

To Catch a Killer is the first novel in an apparent trilogy of British police procedurals, and having read Kavanagh's previous books I can safely say that this is the best work she has produced to date. It's rare now that a title from the crime genre blows me away, but this is superb and manages to combine all the crucial elements to create a story that gives the reader exactly what they're looking for; twists and turns, incremental developments, evocative scenes, thrills, a deadly game of cat and mouse, a crazed killer, blood and gore, humour, fast pace and immersive writing.

The killer appears to get his kicks from taunting the police and clearly believes himself to be uncatchable. Then ensues a game of cat and mouse that features plenty of thrills and the possibility that this guy could be about to strike again and there was nothing the police could do about it gives a sense of dread to proceedings. The fact that this is so fast-paced and action-packed fortunately does not give rise to a lack of characterisation; each character is well-drawn and believable. Of course, the reader needs to suspend disbelief to an extent as both the killer and the police have some remarkably lucky developments which likely don't happen in real police work, and the conclusion is somewhat of a cliffhanger which no doubt leads into the next instalment. I can't wait. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.

An interesting but strange story. I had guessed who the mystery man of many face was just over half way through the story, it continued traveling from America to England and back to reach a very surprising conclusion. Could there be a continuing investigation for D S Alice Parr in another book.

With thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for a free and advanced copy of this book for an honest and impartial review.

This is the first book I have read by Emma Kavanagh.

The story is told from Detective Sergeant Alice Parr's point of view and starts with the attempted murder (*Spoiler* and subsequent murder) of a woman, stabbed and throat slit in a park in London. DS Parr is close by when the call comes in and makes it to the scene to help the paramedic already on site to curb the bleeding until the ambulance arrives.

The story races along nicely, as they first identify the victim then realise all is not as it first appeared.

We are taken from London to New York on the hunt for the killer as DS Parr pairs up with Capt Otero of the NYPD, and now the killer has DS Parr in his sights.

A totally gripping read, with lots of twists and a cliffhanger ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be reading more books by this author.

Where do I even begin?! There's a killer on the loose. The thing is, the police know WHO he is....ish, but they have no idea where he is or how they keep missing him. One minute he's in the vicinity they want, and then the next he has disappeared into thin air. Will DS Alice Parr, and the rest of the team, finally get their hands on their man?

I really wasn't sure of this book to begin with as I felt like I had just walked into the middle of someone else's thoughts, missing the vital first half. Should I have been aware of anything before I began reading? It felt like it, but I don't think so...now anyway. The thing is, 'To Catch A Killer' is hugely psychologically based, and the fact that readers are deeply rooted into Alice Parr's brain throughout the duration of the blog, makes the storyline one of the most complex and intense books I think I have ever read. I'm not complaining at all - it just took a little bit of getting used to.

Once I was a little more familiar with Parr's train of thought, I was able to sink my teeth further into the storyline and get stuck into the nitty-gritty. By golly there were a lot of them!!

I had never picked up an Emma Kavanagh novel before now, so I really had no idea what to expect in terms of the writing style or the way in which the author approached certain things. Now, having read 'To Catch A Killer', I can guarantee that it will not be the only book I delve into from this author.

The storyline was fast paced and highly complex in both a confusing, and suspenseful way. It just goes to show that over thinking is the devil, and that sometimes things are, more often than not, stuck under your very nose, with the realisation hitting far too late.

DS Parr is one intriguing character, I have to admit. Her approach to work is rather interesting, although it's clear that she struggles to keep the emotional aspect away from her job. I can't blame her really, although in that line of work, if you became emotional during every single case, you'd end up being off work with stress.

All in all I thought 'To Catch A Killer' was a psychological work of art, and the way Kavanagh thought outside of the box with her dynamic and multi-layered storyline was pretty outstanding. This book kept me guessing until the very last page and had me gasping in shock at the truth. That said, whilst the truth is revealed to an extent, the storyline does end on an Eastenders dun dun dun....moment, so be prepared to be slightly frustrated! For me, this is what a thriller should be all about. Okay, yes, I was confused at times, but the fact I couldn't put the book down just goes to show that the storyline held me hostage and, as weird as this sounds, I would quite happily be held hostage by Emma Kavanagh again!

As a big Emma Kavanagh fan, I couldn’t wait to get started on To Catch A Killer as soon as I could! Her books have always been brilliant reads in the past but I have to say that this one really stood out for me. DS Alice Parr is a new character creation but one that will hopefully not be shelved. I would love to meet her again and think she has a lot more layers to reveal to both author and readers!

I actually warmed to Alice straight away and her reactions to the crime scene she comes across in the park felt authentic from the start. An attempted murder of a beautiful woman in broad daylight takes a lot of guts but our killer just seems to get their kicks from being able to hide in plain sight….and that’s not their only trick! As Alice becomes more deeply involved in the case, it becomes more difficult to understand who has committed this crime and why. But it also becomes obvious that Alice herself has a major part to play in the investigation when it becomes personal. Once her past was more fully understood, it became easier to see how it played such a huge part in the decisions she made and the paths she followed. I loved the slowly unraveled personal developments and how they contrasted with the furiously fast pace of the plot lines.

This definitely felt very different from Emma Kavanaghs previous books which I felt took on more of an emotional backdrop to crimes that had taken place, whilst To Catch a Killer was much more of a twisty police procedural. And when I say twisty, boy, do I mean twisty!! Just when you think you have very smugly decoded the clues then….BAM! Along comes a twist to knock your socks off! And they just kept on coming!

This is an involving, high octane chase for DS Parr. Emma Kavanagh doesn’t pull her punches, delivering the unexpected right up until the very end. I loved it!

This is a gripping read that will have you racing through the pages trying to work out who the killer is.
DS Alice Parr is called to an incident in the park where a woman has been brutally stabbed. She’s lost alot of blood but somehow is still alive so Alice does all she can to help until the ambulance arrives.
With no ID, Alice and her team struggle to work out who the woman is but after digging around a bit, they find out.
It comes to light that this woman may be involved with something quite complex and as one clue leads to another, Alice is left dumbfounded by what is really going on.
With the victim in a coma they can’t get the answers from her so Alice has to dig even deeper.
The killer then flees to America and with a point of contact there, Alice tries to track the killer down.
She then receives a threatening phone call telling her to stay away, but this just makes her more determined.
Alice has been scarred by a serious fire incident and the killer uses this against her as he’s managed to find out everything about her.
This is a great crime thriller and will keep you well and truly hooked throughout.
Thanks to Orion and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Emma Kavanagh manages to write crime fiction almost in the tone of someone who has experienced the very events herself. Perhaps this isn’t so surprising given her background as she spent many years working as a police and military psychologist, training firearms officers, command staff and military personnel throughout the UK and Europe. In other words she knows how people behave in moments of peril!

To Catch a Killer opens in the middle of just such a moment, the kind of moment that I suspect I am alone in being able to thankfully say, I have not experienced in real life. Just as well because the book scared the bejeebers out of me! The memory of a day, one just like any other until the day DS Alice Parr answered a call on the radio to assist a paramedic save the life of a woman who had her throat cut. Warning, do not read this book if you are squeamish or eating your dinner, that feeling of being in the moment results in those heart-thumping moments you get viewing hospital dramas – you know it is fiction but even so…

Once the victim has been taken to hospital of course the police have to work out who the perpetrator of such a crime is and given that the attack took place in a London park, in the morning, how could they commit such a bloody crime in broad daylight with no one spotting what was going on?

So the reader has plenty to ponder and be warned although initially you may feel the pace is reasonable, it soon becomes quite fast and furious and given that the plot is complex, you need your wits about you. In other words this is a book to set aside some time to really get the best out of it. Fortunately to offset the blood and gore we have two female police officers who work well together, Polly’s somewhat less serious nature while not detracting from the crime does give the reader some smiles to lighten the load along the way.
We also get to visit another location, unusual in British crime fiction which normally tends to stay fairly close to home with a big deal being made if officers cross into the next county. In this book they have to get on an airplane to carry out some of the investigating which adds a whole different feel to the storyline.
The result of all this is an immensely satisfying crime fiction novel that really held my interest throughout and although I did manage to work out a tiny bit of the puzzle, the rest worked their magic and left me reeling at the outcome. This is the first in a trilogy that will feature Alice Parr a fact I was unaware of until I read the cliff hanger at the end which I have to confess isn’t my favourite way for a book to end as I suspect I will have to recap before the second book is published, but I will definitely be making sure I read a copy.

I therefore must say a huge thank you to Orion Publishing Group for allowing me to read a copy of To Catch a Killer prior to publication on 24 January 2019. This unbiased review is my thanks to them.