This book is the first of Detective Dan Lockhart and Lexi Green series (I hope there are more). The story had me hooked from the first chapter. It begins with the murderer standing outside a wealthy woman’s house intent on killing her. DI Dan Lockhart is in therapy with Lexi Green following his PTSD after serving in the armed forces and his missing wife. Lockhart is soon assigned as SIO in charge of the murder assisted by his colleagues Max Smith and Mo Khan. A further murder takes place a couple of weeks later and Lockhart believes there is a serial killer on the loose in London. The 2 murdered woman are both well educated and successful in their respective fields. However a prostitute was killed sometime earlier and one of her clients is held on remand for her murder investigated by a different force in London.. Lockhart believes her murder is connected to the other two, they were all killed in the same way, by mechanical suffocation. Lockhart calls on Lexi Green to carry out a psychological profile but she is not taken seriously by Lockhart’s team members. Lockhart goes against authority to gain access to the man held on reman for the prostitutes murder in an attempt to crack the case. There is a serial killer with a twisted mind still on the loose and he goes on to kill yet again. It is a race against time to catch him before another woman is murdered in this horrific way. The plot is pacy, cleverly written and kept me guessing until the end a rare quality in a talented author who is so obviously well versed in police procedures. The book is tense, the characters well developed and I eagerly look forward to reading the next book in this series. My thanks to NetGalley, Bookoutre and Chris Merritt for this ARC

Love the book a bit of crime bit of silent witness and a bit of everyday living. Very good book edge of the seat reading

Crime thriller set in London.
Someone is killing women, supposedly unconnected, by forcing metal balls into the trachea until they suffocate.
DI Dan Lockhart and his team investigate and set out to discover why they are being killed and who is doing it.
Dan, ex army, is being treated by psychologist Lexi Green for PTSD following his deployment in Iraq and the disappearance of his wife.
Lexi is brought in to help the investigation, despite the reluctance of some of Dan’s team.
The story delves into male internet groups who feel that they are being emasculated by women.
This is a well written book with lots of twists and turns however it does paint the police as somewhat incompetent and hung ho.
An enjoyable story with enough excitement to keep the reader hooked.