My Review (5 stars out of 5)
Someone is on the hunt for new items to add to a grotesque museum – items that have something in common. A child with an unusual medical condition is in the killer’s sights, just waiting for the parents to make a mistake and leave their offspring at risk. Tasked with the job of finding the missing child, Detective Sergeant Etta Fitzroy has little to go on. When a second child goes missing, she finds herself with few suspects and little evidence to point to any of them.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it’s an absolute cracker. To say there are elements of horror and the macabre is no understatement, but it also has all the necessary elements of a properly gritty crime novel, featuring a heroine who has troubles of her own – not least a boss who isn’t convinced of her ability to do her job. It’s true the story builds slowly, but it is never boring. Ms Cummins has an intelligent and accomplished style, and writes in a way that draws the reader in with each new page, the threat of some new horror always on the horizon.
An electrifying and at times gory tale, with a thrilling denouement.
Colin Garrow 