‘The Raven’s Mark’ by Christie J Newport

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

(Audiobook)

A brutal murder heralds the start of a cat-and-mouse game for Detective Chief Inspector Beth Fellows as she faces a case that could change her career – or bring it to a crashing end. Realising the killing could be linked to an earlier attack, gives Beth a few clues, but with the victim – 14-year-old Celine Wilson – in a coma, she must turn to the girl’s family for help. Meanwhile, the killer plans to disrupt Beth’s investigation when he sends her a mobile phone – a phone she must keep secret or suffer the consequences.

This is Christie Newport’s first novel, and it gets off to a great start. A police procedural, it centres on the heroine, Beth, as she tries to get to grips with a murder that may signal the police have a serial killer is on their hands. Written in the present tense (which I always prefer), we see everything from Beth’s point of view. Following an enticing start, the pace slows down a little before picking up speed again. For the most part, the writing is pretty good, though there are a few words in the dialogue that don’t quite hit the mark, given the book’s northern setting. However, once things really get going, the author builds the tension with several suspects, lots of clues and plenty of dead ends. Admittedly, I did see the ending coming, but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment.

An exciting thriller that’ll appeal to lovers of down-to-earth cop dramas.

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