Detective Jackie Cooke #2
She was lying as if asleep on the wooden kitchen floor, beneath the fridge covered with a child’s colourful crayon drawings. But her frozen expression showed she would never wake again…
When Detective Jackie Cooke is called out to the scene, she’s expecting a routine check. The bottle of pills on the kitchen table, next to the note with the single word SORRY written in a shaky hand, make it seem obvious what’s happened. But Jackie is shocked when she recognises her old schoolfriend Claire – and she is convinced Claire would never take her own life.
Determined to dig deeper, Jackie soon discovers evidence that proves her right: a roll of notes has been thrust down the victim’s throat. And when she finds another woman killed in the same way, she realises someone may be targeting lonely single mothers. As Jackie talks to Claire’s distraught children, one of them too young to understand his mummy is never coming home, she vows to find answers.
Both victims were in touch with someone calling himself Nice Guy – could he be the killer? Pursuing every clue, Jackie is sure she’s found a match in dead-eyed Tyler, part of a dark world of men intent on silencing women for daring to reject them. But just as she makes the arrest, another single mother is found dead – a woman who never dated at all.
Forced to re-evaluate every lead she has, with her boss pressuring her to make a case against the obvious suspect, Jackie knows she is running out of time before another innocent woman is murdered. And, as a single mother herself, she cannot help but wonder if she is in the killer’s sights. Can she uncover his true motivation and put an end to his deadly game… or will he find her first?
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Review
Life as a police detective is not simple. You don’t really have any room for a lot of things besides your job when you are hunting down a killer or handling any urgent case. No time for family life, hobbies, friends, …
You don’t know anymore when one day ends and a new one begins. Your only focus is on the research, interviews with witnesses and suspects, …
Maybe it’s even harder for the female detectives who are moms or single moms too. You always have to count on someone’s help to take care of your little ones. It must be heart breaking to miss another bed time story, another good night kiss, another school run,…
It’s tough, but by putting the baddies behind bars, you help to make the world a better place, a safer place for your children to grow up in. Maybe it’s worth it in the end?
Detectives Cooke and Tang make a great team and although it seems like they are dealing with a clever killer, they keep digging until they hit pay dirt. Jackie’s penny dropped a few minutes too late unfortunately. This means that the killer slipped through her fingers… for now. They know Cooke and Tang are on to them and his challenges them. The race against the clock has just begun.
I like this duo as well as Shazia. The boss woman though… she really is one despicable person.
I loved this story. The author knows how to keep her readers engaged and on the edge of their seat.
Goodbye for now, Jackie, but I hope to see you again soon. 5 stars
Thank you
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About the author
Marnie Riches grew up on a rough estate in north Manchester. Exchanging the spires of nearby Strangeways prison for those of Cambridge University, she gained a Masters in German & Dutch. She has been a punk, a trainee rock star, a pretend artist and professional fundraiser.
Her best-selling, award-winning George McKenzie crime thrillers were inspired by her own time spent in The Netherlands. Dubbed the Martina Cole of the North, she has also authored a series about Manchester’s notorious gangland as well as two books in a mini-series featuring quirky northern PI Bev Saunders.
Detective Jackson Cooke is Marnie’s latest heroine to root for, as she hunts down one of the most brutal killers the north west has ever seen at devastating personal cost.
When she isn’t writing gritty, twisty crime thrillers, Marnie also regularly appears on BBC Radio Manchester, commenting on social media trends and discussing the world of crime fiction. She is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at Salford University’s Doctoral School and a tutor for the Faber Novel Writing Course.
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Author Links
https://www.facebook.com/MarnieRichesAuthor
https://www.instagram.com/marnie_riches/
https://twitter.com/Marnie_Riches
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Book Link
B for Bookreview 