Cover Image: The Killing Kind

The Killing Kind

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This book was brilliant . It kept me on my toes and guessing all the way through . Just when I thought I had it worked out it would throw another twist and I was trying to work it out all over again. A fast paced gripping read that will keep you hooked .

Was this review helpful?

The Killing Kind is a dark and disturbing psychological thriller where nothing can be taken at face value. Ingrid is a barrister who has had dealings with John Webster in the past; now he’s out of prison, but is he up to his old tricks? Ingrid fears the worst, that her life is in danger, but he claims to be trying to protect her. Every time you think you know what’s going on, Jane Casey takes you off in a completely different direction. The well-plotted and gripping narrative jumps back and forward in time until all the layers are exposed and everyone is under suspicion.
The characters are well developed so that, even though there are a lot of them, they are easily distinguishable. John Webster is an interesting character; a manipulative conman whose behaviour is deeply unsettling even when he professes to be telling the truth. Though she is an intelligent woman, Ingrid is also under a lot of stress and for this reason sometimes behaves with complete disregard for her own safety.
I enjoyed The Killing Kind, with its insights into the world of the legal profession, and stayed up late into the night in order to finish it. This is the first book I have read by Jane Casey, but it won’t be the last; I now have the Maeve Kerrigan series to look forward to. Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of twists and turns. I was thrown off the track so many times because I questioned the innocence of most of the characters at some point through the novel and I love that it kept the suspense right until the very end. It was great read that I highly recommend. The characters were well written, realistic and highly credible. The editing was done to a tee. I give this book 5 stars!!!

Was this review helpful?

This is such an excellent twisty psychological thriller and I loved it!

Ingrid Lewis is an up-and-coming barrister who in her early days defended master manipulator and conman John Webster - and helped him escape justice, according to the police. She now believes that he is stalking her and has tried to kill her, but he claims that someone else is responsible and he's only protecting her. We accompany Ingrid through her disbelief, anger, fear and confusion as she tries to work out who is telling the truth, and it eventually becomes clear that all is not as it seems.

The book is carefully crafted and brilliantly worded. There are no plot holes by the end. It's also a great insight into the world of the legal profession and court proceedings (but certainly not to the point of boredom, it's all there for real context with several court transcripts shown).

A very enjoyable read and worthy of 5 stars in my opinion.

Was this review helpful?

A well plotted and well written book with a few unseen twists. I liked Ingrid, the barrister and warmed to the other main characters as the book progressed. I did find the ending slightly contrived and a little irritating but I really like Jane Casey’s style and imagination. There are a lot of people in the book, so probably read in one or two sittings as it’s easy to lose track of all the characters.

Was this review helpful?

I think I've found a new favourite author!! I've not read any books by Jane Casey before, but will definitely be looking to read her back catalogue and any future books by this author. This was a really good psychological thriller with really interesting characters and was I was hooked from the start.

Ingrid Lewis is a successful Barrister and used to dealing with tricky clients, but no one has ever come close to John Webster. After Ingrid defended Webster against a stalking charge, he then turned on her – following her, ruining her relationship, even destroying her home. He tells you he wants to protect you…
Now, Ingrid believes she has finally escaped his clutches. But when one of her colleagues is run down on a busy London road, Ingrid is sure she was the intended victim. And then he shows up at her door...

I loved this book from beginning to end and gives you a real insight into her life and what has gone on before and what she must do to try and find out and catch Webster in the act. Can he be trusted. Can anyone be trusted? I loved all the twists and turns and was only disappointed that it came to an end and I turned the last page.

I'd love to see this book made into a movie.

A big thanks to HarperCollins UK HarperFiction for the invitation to review this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can.t wait to read more like this.

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely riveting. I had no idea who was telling the truth, even close to the end. It is the stuff of nightmares, who can you trust, can you trust anyone? A gripping read.

Was this review helpful?

Jane Casey is a favourite author of mine, but for the excellent Maeve Kerrigan series. This was the first standalone I have read by her, but it definitely will not be my last.

This was an excellent read, full of psychological tension as you tried to figure out who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. I read this within 24 hours as it kept me hooked and wanting to find out what was going on and who was behind the various murders in the book, and why.

If you like a good psychological thriller the. I would strongly recommend this well-written book. Jane certainly knows how to tell a good story that keeps you guessing till the end and keeps you changing and adapting your theories about what is going on. I can’t wait to pick up the next Jane Casey book, but hope she won’t keep us waiting too long for the next Maeve Kerrigan book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for me, for an an open and honest

Was this review helpful?

Brilliantly written thriller that give you goosebumps and the way it ends its breathtaking loved everything about it

Was this review helpful?

Complex,layered thriller that will keep you guessing. Characters that develop through the story and plenty of twists.

Was this review helpful?

A great thriller. Casey is an excellent author, I've loved her previous books and this stand alone doesn't disappoint.
I'm a big fan of novels that play on the relationship between the villain and the victim to solve a mystery - like The Silence of the Lambs and this was great.

Was this review helpful?

Jane Casey is one of my favourite authors at the minute. I have enjoyed all the books I’ve read written by her. She is a brilliant storyteller and with this one there is never a dull moment. I was hooked from the first page right through until the end. It’s a fast moving story and kept me on the edge of my seat and awake until the early hours, with a few twists and turns along the way. I loved all the characters but the story shows that you just don’t know who you can trust. A brilliant read.

Was this review helpful?

This was my first Jane Casey’s book and I throughly enjoyed it. I could not put it down and finished it in three days.
The story is really gripping, full of twists and turns with a surprising ending (which I proudly half-guessed!).
Really look forward to reading some more of Jane Casey’s books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for letting me review this book.

Was this review helpful?

This was actually my first Jane Casey book and I found it less daunting to begin with as it's a standalone rather than part of a long-running series! Without spoilers, this kept me guessing right to the end. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong! It was gripping and fast-paced and once I hit the first 100 pages I couldn't put it down. I would happily recommend this to library patrons in search of a new crime fiction title.

Was this review helpful?

As a barrister, it's Ingrid's job to get dodgy people off the charges brought against them. A few years ago Ingrid kept her Machiavellian client John Webster out of prison by getting him off stalking charges, despite being pretty sure he was guilty. It's her job, you see. So when his obsession turned to her and making her life hell, some might say there's a bit of Karma in there somewhere. Eventually John's crimes caught up with him and he was sent to prison. He's since been released, and thankfully, Ingrid's not seen hide nor hair of him for some time, but when a colleague similar to her in stature and dress borrows her umbrella and almost immediately afterwards becomes the victim of a tragic accident, she starts to think that it's a case of mistaken identify and John is up to his old tricks again, trying to finish her off for the last time.

More 'accidents' follow and Ingrid follows the breadcrumbs to find the link. Once she does, it's clear that her life is in danger once. There are lots of characters in this book, it's fast paced and twisty and if there's a moral to this tale it is that you really cannot trust anyone.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book - it was clever, engaging, the details were drawn out carefully so as to intrigue but not give too much away. However the further we went and the more the danger increased, the more Ingrid stopped behaving like the strong, decisive, intelligent female she was supposed to be, and started making very bizarre decisions. If you think a stalker is trying to kill you, and you've changed all your locks, would you give spare keys out willy-nilly? I think not. For someone with experience in criminal law, and as a victim of an actual stalker, I don't think her actions fit at all and felt forced to further the storyline -but I suppose it could have been done so as to paint Ingrid as an unreliable narrator or someone losing the plot. Also, as with many thrillers, the ending was way over the top and unrealistic compared to the rest of the book, so you'll need to suspend disbelief as you head towards the finish.

Despite that though, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it's definitely one I would devour in one go on a plane or on holiday. It was fast paced and cleverly written. There was quite a large list of characters but well developed and explained so they never got confusing or lost. The plotting of reveals was well done and more of a slow release than a big 'ta-da' reveal of everything at the end. There were times when I felt things were signposted really heavily and then they wouldn't happen, so that was cleverly done too although I did guess the motive and the people involved but then I've read so many thrillers that it's a rare occasion when I don't!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this book.

Was this review helpful?

Ingrid is a barrister who helps Webster a stalker to walk free....but now he seems to be stalking her and a policeman is on hand to help her uncover the truth....what is the truth as layers come away there is a lot more to understand....twists and turns right to the end....totally recommend

Was this review helpful?

I was intrigued by the premise of a stalker-turned-ally and I thought this book does deliver that to some extent. Webster is a fascinating character - a potential sociopath - whose behaviour is seriously alarming even when he's supposed to be on the good side. Ingrid is an appealing character, but I did find that for a lawyer she was acting naively in many instances. So it was hard to believe the decisions she'd make. The storyline has surprises along the way and I liked that I was constantly guessing. The book deals with themes of morality, justice, and law but it never sounded preachy. I really liked the legal aspect of the book. But overall, I wish the story is more convincing especially as it builds up towards the end.

Was this review helpful?

The Killing Kind is a truly gripping, intense novel that effortlessly combines mystery, tension and a good dose of danger without feeling overly dramatic.

The story focuses on Ingrid, a barrister whose work means she encounters (and often defends) an array of less-than-savoury characters - but that's her job. When one of her colleagues is killed, Ingrid is sure it's down to one of her previous defendants, John Webster, mistaking the victim for herself. From then on, it's a tense race against time to ensure Webster (if he IS the culprit) doesn't strike again...

This may sound a bit like your typical action-packed thriller, but it's so much more considered and tense. There's lots of great character development - I felt like I got to know Ingrid, despite very much disagreeing with some of the work she's done to defend questionable characters, and I was rooting for her to find out what had really happened.

There are surprises and twists along the way (some of which I guessed, and many I didn't) so I don't want to say too much about the plot in case it ruins anything. I've read and hugely enjoyed other novels by Jane Casey but those were part of the Maeve Kerrigan series so I wasn't sure if this standalone novel would grip me as much, but it really did. The writing and plot are completely absorbing and gripping, and it had just the right level of action vs character development for me. I would definitely recommend The Killing Kind to anyone who enjoys intelligent crime fiction and/ or psychological thrillers - this one will keep you reading late into the night!

Was this review helpful?

John Webster, accused of stalking, requires the services of barrister, Ingrid Lewis. After Ingrid successfully defends Webster, he then turns his attention on her following and harassing her, and uploading videos designed to damage her reputation. One day, one of her colleagues, Belinda Grey is involved in a road traffic accident and dies. Ingrid is certain that she was meant to die, not Belinda...

This is an amazing and riveting psychological thriller with some fantastic characterisation. My third book by Jane Casey (I've read a couple of books from her brilliant Maeve Kerrigan series) completely blew me away. The author certainly has a talent for blindsiding twists and deviously complex characters. In a multilayered story that shifts from the past to the present, Ingrid is beset by paranoia as Jane Casey expertly weaves her magic and the reader is treated to a wonderfully oppressive, fast-paced thriller. The horror of Ingrid's life falling apart is depicted in detail and I was hooked from the opening chapter. With intelligent, well-drawn characters that mesmerised, I recommend The Killing Kind very highly.

A special thank you to HarperCollins, Jane Casey, NetGalley and Pigeonhole for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my unbiased opinion.

Was this review helpful?