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Friday, April 3, 2015

The Stranger You Know by Jane Casey

Jane Casey's series featuring DC Maeve Kerrigan is very quickly moving to the top of my "favorite series" list - very quickly.  I've now finished the 4th book, The Stranger You Know, and am pretty much desperate to get the 5th, The Kill.  Happily, though it has not been published in the US yet (seriously, what is it about the disparity of publish dates between the US and the UK??), it is available on Audible for my listening pleasure.  So, I'll be listening to The Kill once I'm through with my current audio book.

The Stranger You Know is a fast paced thriller of a book.  Lots of things happen and our characters' lives move forward.  Maeve is still on Superintendent Godley's special murder squad.  Her regular partner is still DI Josh Derwent, maybe the most sexist pig man that she's ever known.  However, I have a definite soft spot for Derwent and he finally comes to the forefront in this book.  Maeve's significant other, Rob, formerly her colleague but now working for another specialized team, spends most of the book off on training at the FBI.  And the new DCI Una Burt (can you believe that name?) seems to despise Derwent for some unknown reason.  There's got to be more to that story.

Three women have been strangled and mutilated in their homes.  The crime scenes are fairly horrific and the pressure is on to find the killer.  DCI Burt is in charge and DC Kerrigan is assigned to assist her in liaising with the other detectives that were on the first two cases.  Again, Godley is keeping Derwent out of the loop.  And then he tells Maeve why.  DI Josh Derwent is considered to be a suspect in these crimes.  It's not the first time that Derwent has been accused of murder.  As Maeve finds out, a girl that Derwent was close to in his teen years was killed in a similar manner and he was a suspect then as well.  Secrets that Josh has kept from his colleagues are revealed and Maeve finds herself in a position that she never thought she would be in - defending her partner.

As this series has progressed, my admiration for Kerrigan has increased.  She definitely has a knack for seeing the tiny threads in a crime scene that might lead to real clues.  Her mind jumps readily to possibilities and she follows up.  Some of this, she has learned from Superintendent Godley, but some of it she has acquired by watching Josh Derwent, who is very good at his job.  I like Derwent.  He's got a hard shell and he pokes fun at Maeve and makes her angry and frustrated, but he has a sense of honor and loyalty that just shines through when you know where to look.  His early life was hard and he keeps his innate kindness well hidden.  In The Stranger You Know, lots of questions are answered and we find out why he has such a shield on his true self.

If you haven't read Jane Casey's great series, I highly recommend it.  The first book is The Burning.  Try it, you might like it.

29 comments:

  1. I think this one might be my favourite of the series so far. I loved the way Josh was developed in it so that we got to see the good underneath his shell, and I thought the humour between them was fantastic. The next one is great too though... enjoy!

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    1. I'm listening to The Kill right now. Sigh. I'm about 3/4 of the way through it. May have to have a marathon listening session to finish. ;-)

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  2. This is my favorite so far, as well! Casey has become one of my favorite authors, and Derwent, that entertaining misogynist, a favorite character!

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    1. Jenclair, you're going to like The Kill. Trust me. I'm listening to it and am about 3/4 through with it.

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  3. Oh, wow, another series that sounds so good! Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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    1. This is a really good series for me. Thanks for coming by!

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  4. I have a stack of Jane Casey titles in my TBR. I know I need to get started - they sound fabulous!

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    1. Um, yes...I think you'd like these books. The Burning is the first one. Read it!!!

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  5. Dang it, this one sounds good, too! My TBR mountain chain will never survive your blog :)

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    1. It is good, Susan. I know - my TBR is awful too. I'm trying to be very narrow of focus and just concentrate on a few series at a time. Else, I'll go crazy wanting this one and wanting that one. :-)

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  6. Thrillers are some of my favorites, thank you for reviewing this. Sounds exciting and fantastic.

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    1. I liked it a lot, Jillian. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. I still haven't read her books yet! The only book I've by her is in the middle of the series. I need to get that first book first! ;)

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    1. The series is not too long yet. Now is the time to start it. LOL

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  8. I just picked up the second book from the library and now you really have me excited to read it! I enjoyed The Burning so I have high hopes. Glad to hear that you are enjoying this series so much!

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    1. Oh good. I'll be interested in hearing what you think about it. Yes, I am a big fan of this series.

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  9. This is another series where I just read the first one. I enjoyed it but haven't looked for another one because I already have too many books. But someday I will get to it.

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    1. I know exactly how that is. Maybe one day you can get back to it. :-)

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  10. Just put a hold on The Burning. I think we have similar tastes, so I'm looking forward to this! Plus it's always so nice to have several books in a series to read through!

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    1. Well, it appears I already had a hold on it! I'm pretty sure it was because of the last book in this series that you'd read :)

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    2. That's funny and sounds like something I would do. Yes, I've been ready this series at a fairly steady rate. Hope you like The Burning.

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  11. I've got The Burning on my wishlist now. I hadn't heard of this series but it really sounds like something I'd enjoy. Can't wait!

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  12. I'm so glad to hear this series keeps delivering a good story and great characters!

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  13. I probably sound like a broken record, but this is another for my tbr list. :)

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!