I’m so excited to be telling you about this brilliant book. The third instalment in the DI Kate Young series, it has found a place in one of my top crime series.
Today I will be bringing you my first impressions, with a full review to follow in due course…
Synopsis
Nobody can get into the mind of an erratic killer—except an unpredictable detective.
When a young man is found lying on a station platform with a hole in his head, DI Kate Young is called in to investigate the grisly murder. But the killing is no one-off. As bodies start to pile up, she is faced with what might be an impossible task—to hunt down a ruthless killer on a seemingly random rampage.
Meanwhile, Kate has her own demons to battle as she struggles to come to terms with her husband’s death. And she is hell-bent on exposing corruption within the force and bringing Superintendent John Dickson to justice. But with the trail of deception running deeper—and closer to home—than she could ever have imagined, she no longer knows who she can trust.
With her grip on reality slipping, Kate realises that maybe she and the killer are not so different after all. But time is running out and Kate is low on options. Can she catch the killer before she loses everything?
About The Author
USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer’s crime novels have sold over one million copies and been translated into nine languages.
A move from humour to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and proved that Carol had found her true niche.
February 2021 saw the release of the first in the much-anticipated new series, featuring DI Kate Young. An Eye For An Eye was chosen as a Kindle First Reads and became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon UK and Amazon Australia.
Carol has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post. She’s also been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television.
She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr. Grumpy… who is very, very grumpy. When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.
To learn more, go to http://www.carolwyer.co.uk, subscribe to her YouTube channel, or follow her on Twitter: @carolewyer
Follow her at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carol-E-Wyer/221149241263847
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolwyer/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carolewyer
Website : https://www.carolwyer.co.uk
First Impressions
I loved the preceding books in this series (An Eye for an Eye and A Cut for a Cut which I reviewed last year), so I was super excited to see the email from Zooloo’s Book Tours about the latest instalment.
What I love about this series is the character of DI Kate Young and her small band of talented detectives. The characters are well-rounded, all with flaws but totally loveable. The thread of the death of Kate’s husband (the circumstances of which are revealed in An Eye for an Eye) make for a fantastic sub-plot throughout the series, complimenting the main action of each crime they are trying to solve.
A Cut for a Cut see Kate trying to piece together corruption that her husband was trying to uncover and the events from that book are playing out in A Life for a Life. If you enjoy the trope of the slightly maverick and unpredictable detective, then this series is certainly for you. Because this subplot plays quite an important part in understanding the MCs trajectory, I would definitely recommend starting at the beginning of the series to get the full tour-de-force that Carol Wyer presents. I mentioned in my review of A Cut for a Cut that I could see this series being adapted for TV by the likes of Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty). I stand by this assertion wholeheartedly.
So far in A Life for a Life, Kate and her team are investigating a series of murders which are apparently random, in which a person has been killed using a bolt gun. The prologue featured a family who were involved in a car accident, the outcome of which was left hanging. As well as multiple POVs from the detectives, there is also the POV of the killer, something which has featured in other books in the series. I find this incredibly engrossing as it is perfect for people like me who like to piece together the crime.
So far, I’m absolutely loving A Life for a Life. Will it be another 5 star read for me?! Fingers crossed!
Links
Amazon UK : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook/dp/B09BCPR894
Amazon US : https://www.amazon.com/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook/dp/B09BCPR894
Mikaela Reads 
Thank you for your initial review, glad to hear you are enjoying it so far! Cant wait to hear what you think x
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Mikaela, a huge thank you for taking part in the tour and for your thoughts so far on the book. I’ve loved reading them and hope this book lives up to expectations. Your praise has definitely put a spring in my step and as for a television series – as my mum used to say, “I’d give my eye teeth for that to happen!” Thank you for loving Kate and the team. I can’t wait to hear your final verdict xoxo
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