This book is an amazing thrill ride and I can’t wait to read more by this author. Highly enjoyable, edge of your seat, and unputdownable. Must read!

This is a really fast-paced crime novel and the second in the DCI Rachel King series by Helen H. Durrant. Containing only 208 pages, the story has to move swiftly and be succinct; there isn’t the space for wasted events nor descriptions. This really keeps the story moving and the reader turning the page to find out the outcome.
I don’t think this book can be read as a stand-alone, there are some references to past events, but unlike similar crime series, there are no unnecessary recaps. The author is assuming you have read the first book and doesn’t need to explain anything.
In this novel, DCI Rachel King is tasked with solving the murder of two women. The deeper she delves, the harder it is to piece all the pieces together, and she stumbles across another detective’s case involving human trafficking. She is up against it with her superiors, the other detectives and her past. Her past is coming back to haunt her once again, will she ever be free of a mistake she made 18 years ago?
The story itself was really gripping, but the page count worked against it slightly as you didn’t feel like you were completely along for the ride with DCI King. Unfortunately, I read this straight off the back of another crime book where you are privy to every movement the police make and you feel part of the investigation. Here I felt a little out of the loop in places. Rachel is also very abrupt with her manner, and it bordered on unprofessional. I’m not sure if this was intentional or whether this is how the author thinks police detectives should speak to their peers and even the general public. It left me feeling a little uneasy. It is for these reasons I am only giving four instead of five stars.
Overall, however, it was a quick and relatively light read (regardless of the subject matter), and I did enjoy it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Two Victims, the second novel to feature DCI Rachel King of the East Manchester police.

Rachel and the team are called out to a murder on a building site. A woman, later identified as Agnes Moore, has been recently killed by a shot to the back of the head. While searching the site the forensics team find a second body buried deeper but shot the same way. Who is she and what is her link to Agnes?

I enjoyed Two Victims which is a solid police procedural with an unexpected solution although the subject matter (no spoilers) makes for uncomfortable reading. The novel is told from various points of view to give the reader a wider perspective on events but fortunately, because I hate the cod psychology that goes with it, no mention of the killer or their thoughts. I like that Ms Durrant keeps that well hidden until the reveal - I would never have guessed. The plot is well done with the team struggling in the dark until gradually a clearer picture emerges. I love the winnowing process of a good procedural. Much of Rachel’s case is taken over by DCI Kenton and his separate investigation, so the fireworks around that are entertaining. This, however, looks like part one of an ongoing plot line and will, I assume, be continued in the next book.

Rachel King is an interesting protagonist. She is a single mum with two teenage daughters so their upbringing and crises are part of the narrative although it’s a bit coincidental that they always seem to get involved in her cases, pushing the narrative along with timely information.

Two Victims is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Rachel King has to solve the most horrifying case yet that deals with human trafficking when a woman is shot and found in a building then a another is found similar and top off the father of her younger child Mia may be involve.

As she tries to get to the the truth there are twist and turns that leaves to a dramatic end it's sad that this is going on in the world today. It's a well written mystery thriller and great introduction of the second book in this series.

I’d like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Two Victims’ by Helen H Durrant in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The body of a woman beaten and shot is found dumped in a trench on a building site, then soon after a second woman is found nearby who appears to have died in similar circumstances. These murders are probably the most difficult cases DCI Rachel King of the East Manchester CID will ever have to solve especially as businessman Jed McAteer, Rachel’s ex-boyfriend and father of her daughter Mia, is somehow involved. Can Rachel discover the truth before DCI Mark Kenton of Salford CID takes over?

‘Two Victims’, the second in the DCI Rachel King series, is a well-written thriller with an interesting plot involving slavery and human trafficking, unexpected twists and turns and dubious suspects, all building up to a tense and dramatic conclusion. I like the characters of Rachel King and her sergeant Elwyn Pryce and was gripped from page one, but as we’ve been left with a cliffhanger I’m very much looking forward to book number three.

Another good book from Helen H Durrant. I admit that I look forward to each of her new books. Set in Manchester, a city I know well, she has a feeling for it and its environs. When a body is found in a building trench DCI King is surprised to see that there is another one underneath, and there begins the chase to identify the dead and bring their killers to justice.

Loved it.

I received a free advance review copy. This review is voluntary, true and my own views.

This is my first time reading Helen Durrant. TWO VICTIMS was a good solid police procedural. Rachel King is a single parent to 2 daughters and happens to be a senior police officer into the bargain. This story dealt with the human trafficking trade in the Manchester area and the sleazy sordid characters who inhabit that world and run the rackets for huge profits with no thought given to the misery and heartbreak it brings about. Durrant did a nice job fleshing out the various characters and I'm looking forward to more of Rachel King and her family if Durrant follows up on the series. I for one certainly hopes she does! Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.