Clever and suspenseful!
Harrison Lane and the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit are welcome additions to the crime genre., I loved the interesting premise, and the snarky humour that peppered the narrative. More please.

A breath of sky broke through the canopy of trees in the small clearing. A wooden cross had been pushed into the earth, and four candles surrounded the boy. He looked as if he was sleeping, but the rotting leaves upon which he lay were his grave.

In the early hours, Head of the Ritualistic Behavioural Crime unit, Dr Harrison Lane , is called to a woodland to find the lifeless body of a young boy. Scrawled across his chest is a Latin satanic exorcism prayer and scraps of paper covered in quotes from the Old Testament are stuffed in his mouth. Who would want this innocent child dead?

Harrison is certain the killer has links with a religious group, and the clue lies in the twisted individual’s childhood.

As he delves further, Harrison visits a cemetery and realises he’s been there before, dredging up a chilling memory from his past. When he was a little boy, his mother, dressed in a black cloak, had brought him there just before she died.

While Harrison tries to make sense of his traumatic flashback and how it might be linked to the case, a child goes missing while on his way to a leisure centre on a busy Saturday morning.

Can Harrison battle the demons of his own past and find the killer before the life of another innocent child is taken?

Really enjoyed this story. Could not find it in me to put it down until the last page was finished. Will recommend to others.

Young children are being kidnapped, and the body of a young boy has been found in a graveyard, surrounded by candles and a wooden cross.
Bible verses have been pushed into his mouth.

Harrison Lane has been called in to assist, He is an expert in ritual killings and practices.
He works with DCI Sandra Barker and her team to find a 7 year old who is in the hands of a psychotic religious nut, and the child has to be found before it is too late.

This is the first book in a series featuring Harrison Lane, and I think that it will be a really great series to follow. I can't wait for the next book!
The characters are being developed, and we have insights into their personal lives, which spills over into their professional lives.
In this first book, the characters have not yet settled into a team as such, but I think that they will, in time, become like a family.
I like Harrison, he has a way about him, he is methodical, smart and intuitive, and very observant.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Not a huge fan. I was really bored through the entirety of the book. I did not connect with any of the characters, and I just really wanted it to end.

I typically really enjoy crime mysteries, however I feel this fell flat in a few ways. There were so many characters and I never really felt connected to any of them. I found myself forcing my way through this book, even though I didn’t particularly care about the resolution. However, if you enjoy super detailed day to day tasks around solving a crime this book is for you. It just felt a little too on the nose; everything was written exactly as it was happening with little to no flair to the writing.

I was really interested I the idea of a ritualistic behaviour unit, yet having hot to the end of the first book in the series, I don't think I'm any the wiser.
This definitely felt like it was setting up a series with some predictably clichéd characters.
A lot of these characters fit moulds I've seen many times.
However, I read it in a few hours, it was interesting enough to keep me turning pages.
There were some slightly grim scenes that made me sit up straighter wincing.
Our main character has potential to be very interesting.
A mixed bag for sure.