A Narrow Margin of Error

DI Hillary Greene #13

by Faith Martin

Ex-DI Hilary Green, now working as a civilian consultant to her former Thames Valley bosses, is happy to be handed another cold case murder file. Who killed a young Oxford student at his digs more than 10 years ago, and why? It doesn’t take her long to discover that the young man in question was something of a sexual athlete, and suspects aren’t exactly in short supply, and soon she’s concentrating her investigation on those he bedded and discarded. But tracking down a killer isn’t her only problem. She’s picked up a stalker, and his campaign of sending flowers and intimidating messages is heating up. But when his "gifts" begin to lead her to a number of missing women, Hillary Greene realizes she may have a much bigger problem on her hands than she thought.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, British Literature, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

Faith Martin is a pen name of English author Jacquie Walton, who is best known for her popular detective series, starring Detective Inspector Hillary Greene.

As Joyce Cato, she writes more classically-inspired 'cosy' murder mysteries, such as the Monica Noble mystery series.

As Maxine Barry, her latest romance novels are now available from Corazon Books.

As Jessie Daniels, her 'spooky' crime novel, The Lavender Lady Casefile came out in November 2017.

Reviews

[Louise Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

DI Hillary Greene #13

3.5 stars. Rowan Thompson was found stabbed to death with a pair of scissors ten years ago. Rowan was quite a lover, with many disgruntled partners. Did any of them have a strong enough motive to murder him?

Hillary's stalker is getting more aggressive with his messages and flowers. After her success solving her first case with the Crime Review Team she is asked to look into the murder of Rowan Thompson. She now has to rely on the forensics that were taken for, the crime scene ten years ago.

This book is more preoccupied with the stalker rather than being focused on the cold case she was investigating. We are also told the stalkers point of view. It's a decent enough read though.

I would like to thank Joffe Books and the author Faith Martin for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hillary Greene was about to begin her second cold case after returning to Thames Valley Police on the Crime Review Team (CRT) with the murder of a young Rowan Thompson her focus. He was a student, living in a home with three other students, plus the woman who owned the house was also on site, though separated from the young people. Now ten years after his murder, Hillary, Jimmy, Sam and Vivienne, and their boss Steven, were focused on discovering his killer.

Meanwhile, Hillary's stalker was gaining momentum. She'd been aware during her last case, but this time it was worse. She told her boss, and they came up with a plan. But would it work? Was Hillary about to face the worst danger she'd been in since joining the force?

Murder of a Lover is the 13th in the DI Hillary Greene series by Faith Martin and it was excellent! I'm looking forward very much to #14, with a spectacular finish to this one... Highly recommended.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

MURDER OF A LOVER (HILARY GREENE, BK 13) by FAITH MARTIN

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “A NARROW MARGIN OF ERROR.”

Hilary Green is back at work, investigating cold murder cases. Today she's been handed the file of a college student who was stabbed with a pair of scissors 10 years ago.

There are plenty of suspects as the student was well known to be a 'player'. He really liked the ladies .. married or single ... young or old ... male or female. He was always up for a new experience. Seems his life was full .. just someone cut it short.

Was it one of his sexual conquests? A boyfriend or girlfriend of one of his conquests? A parent looking at for his daughter? Greene has her hands full trying to sort this one out.

Meanwhile, she still has a stalker problem .. only he's becoming more insistent that she play his game. Along with letter and notes and filling her care with flowers, he's now sending her crosses with iniitals burned onto them. Who do these initials belong to? And what does that mean for Greene's safety?

This is a really good series ... I enjoy the character of Hilary Greene. She's more mature, settled into her life, more or less, and she's dedicated to finding closure for families and loved one of the victims. This time around, she has a new team ... the older retired policeman is in awe of Hilary. He knows class when he sees it. The younger guy is a trainee and is so appreciative of learning the ropes under Hilary's tutelage. The lone young female trainee has a thing for Hilary's boss ... but the boss seems to prefer the maturity of Hilary.

The stalker remains at large despite the efforts of Hilary and her boss to catch him in the act...leading to a cliff hangar. Hopefully this will be finalized in the next book of this series. I always look forward to seeing what happens next in Hilary's exciting life.

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley / Books n All Publicity for the advanced digital copy of this crime thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Cheryl (Taking A Break) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this got the heart pumping in a spectacular fashion!
The second of the books following Hillary's return as a civilian consultant in a cold case team, the solving of the murder of a promiscuous University student ran second to the chilling story of Hillary's stalker. The finale was an adrenaline filled showdown that showed her vulnerability in the face of a very dangerous obsession, but also her steely resolve to best the monster, now attributed to at least three other deaths, in the very near future.
A superlative episode in the long running series.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful

[Nicole (TheBookWormDrinketh) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This almost had a feel of a cozy mystery… It was like a cozy mystery had a baby with a Kathy Reichs novel. There was all the wonderful focus on character building that a cozy mystery would have, with a little more of an ominous scientific feeling to it.

I will say that I have not read the other books in the DI Hillary series, the nice thing is that I don’t think that this fact detracted from anything. I don’t know if this can be said of each book in the series, but this one could definitely be read as a stand alone without a problem. There were obviously some people and situations that I had to be brought up to speed with, but Faith did a wonderful job of explaining things without getting too descriptive or pandering.

DI (or retired DI by this point) Hillary Greene is a likeable and realistic character. She is beautiful and intelligent, even if she is one of the “wrinklies” as Vivienne says. (Apparently if you are 40 or above, this is the club you belong to. That had me laughing!)

Having retired from her position as DI she is now working with the CRT solving Cold Cases. I liked that this was very different from other novels. It’s definitely a slow burn because of this, it’s not quite the crazy roller coaster as the murder happened in the past, but the added suspense of Hillary’s stalker lends an urgency (and a little romance) to the present.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for great characterization and some somewhat cozy mystery and suspense. I’ll definitely be checking out the other books in the series!

[BJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting plot with a number of people who could be the murderer, so the story sort of plodded along until it became obvious to the h. Once again her interview technique is brilliant and then...her stalker traps her. The last chapter was fantastic and now I can't sleep without reading the next book.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://donnasbookblog.wordpress.com/...

I really enjoyed this book and I am really pleased that the series is actually improving as it progressing when after so many books already published they standard could very easily slip or the plots could all intermingle in to one, but I am delighted to say that it certainly wasn't a case of that with this book!

Hillary is a great character and she must be a joy to write about and use as the main character. The plot in this one is great, it flows very well and the writing style is superb as normal. I love that this isn't as hard hitting as some of the series out there and it isn't quite a soft as cosy crime - it fits just perfect in the middle for me when I want an easy read.

Five stars from me, I loved this added edge to her character as she is determined to solve the crimes that were too hard for the others...

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A REVISED EDITION OF A BOOK FIRST PUBLISHED AS “A NARROW MARGIN OF ERROR.”

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Murder of a Lover, the thirteenth novel to feature ex DI turned cold case civilian investigator, Hillary Greene of Thames Valley police.

After successfully solving her first case with the Crime Review Team Hillary is asked to look into the 10 year old murder of Rowan Thompson, an 18 year old student found stabbed to death by a pair of scissors in his room. More troublingly her recently acquired stalker is upping the ante and the solution of faking a relationship with her new boss, Superintendent Stephen Coyle, isn't making her feel any better.

I enjoyed Murder of a Lover which is a thoroughly pleasant read with a good mystery and some tension attached. The actual murder investigation is fairly perfunctory with Hillary and the team conducting a few interviews before a brainwave leads her to the perpetrator but, to be fair, this is not the main focus of the novel as it is mostly pre-occupied with the stalker plot line. Ms Martin handles it well with a slow build up, started in the previous novel, and uses this novel to cover his escalation, some of it funny to the reader on the outside, but mostly sinister in its intent. Hillary's uneasiness is apparent and she has some uncharacteristic moments of weakness, but who wouldn't in the same situation? The reader gets the stalker's point of view as well as Hillary's in this plot line so his identity and motivation are no secret but I'm not so sure it works. Yes, he is a fantasist and has some warped thinking but it's not detailed or deep enough to be really convincing or frightening, more a cosy view of stalker 101. It does, however, set up the next novel nicely.

Murder of a Lover is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Joanna Larum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the thirteenth in the Hillary Greene series, although it is the second since she retired and then returned to the cold case department. This time, Hillary is investigating a case from ten years previously when an 18 year old student was murdered in his bedroom in his digs, stabbed by a pair of scissors. Rowan Thompson was an attractive lad with a taste for women ( in the plural) and excitement. Once again, Hillary has to cover old ground, picking out information which may have been ignored during the first investigation and using it to solve the case.
The added complication this time is the news that Hillary's stalker has become more dangerous and we learn a lot about his past, which doesn't bode well for Hillary.
I believe that this is the best of the whole series of books and, with an ending which isn't a proper ending, leaves me gasping for more and quickly please! Faith Martin's novels about Hillary Greene have always been page-turners but this one goes a step further and left me with a desire to throw my kindle at the wall because it hasn't got the next one in the series on it! I seriously cannot wait for number 14. If you haven't read any of this series then I am jealous, because you have a wonderful time lined up in front of you.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the thirteenth book in the bestselling series featuring Hilary Greene. Aside from the first book in the series, I have read, reviewed and loved every book in the series and Hilary Greene has to be one of my favourite female detectives. I was excited to get a review copy of ‘Murder Of A Lover’ and I was not to be disappointed as I absolutely loved it but more about that in a bit
Hilary Greene is a really interesting female lead character. The first eleven books in the series sees Hilary in her role as a Detective Inspector in charge of a small team. The twelfth (‘Murder Never Retires’) and ‘Murder Of A Lover’ see Hilary return to work but she is no longer a police officer but she is a civilian employee, who works for the ‘Cold Case’ squad. Hilary is one feisty and determined lady but then she has had to be. Hilary was married to a bent police officer, Ronnie Greene. Fortunately she divorced him and she has been happy on her own, keeping her options open. It takes a little while for Hilary to get used to the fact that she is no longer in charge of the team but in a sense she is pleased to have the responsibility of being a manager taken off her shoulders. When Hilary investigates a case, you can bet your bottom dollar that she will investigate the case thoroughly and she will exhaust all lines of inquiry. She has a great gut instinct and if something doesn’t seem right to her then it usually isn’t. She also has a great internal radar system and knows when she is being lied to or if somebody is not being very forthcoming with vital information. Hilary has recently lost weight and she becomes aware that she is attracting male attention. Some of which she likes, some of which she doesn’t like. ‘Murder Of A Lover’ sees Hilary attract the attentions of a stalker. I am not going to tell you anymore about who it is as I don’t want to give too much away. What I will say is that the stalker set off massive alarm bells for me and I was ready to jump inside the pages of this book to stick up for Hilary.
This is another of those books that became an instant hit with me. As soon as I started reading ‘Murder Of A Lover’, I just knew that I would become seriously addicted to this book. The story hit the ground running and maintained the pace throughout. The author’s writing style is such that you can’t fail to be drawn into the story. So it was with me. The more I read, the more I got into the story and the quicker the pages turned. The pages were turning that quickly that it was almost as if they were turning themselves and before I knew it I had finished the book. I was concentrating so hard on the story, the characters and the investigation that I genuinely hadn’t realised how quickly I was reading the book. I had mixed feelings about finishing ‘Murder Of A Lover’. Don’t get me wrong I was pleased to finish because I knew how this story and investigation concluded but I was disappointed to finish because I was loving the writing style, the plot, the characters and the story so much that I just wanted the book to continue. Reading ‘Murder Of A Lover’ was much like being on an unpredictable and rather scary rollercoaster ride. There were lots of twists and turns and moments where I almost had to read through my hands because I genuinely feared what was going to happen next and I feared what was going to happen to Hilary.
I have to say that Faith Martin has another winner on her hands with ‘Murder Of A Lover’. The series featuring Hilary Greene just gets better and better. I can’t wait to read the next instalment of the series. I wholeheartedly recommend this author and this series to other readers. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

[Renee(Reneesramblings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the thirteenth book in Faith Martin's Murder series and I am still intrigued to see where Hillary will go next. DI Hillary Greene has retired, but life without work quickly lost its appeal(if it ever was appealing at all). Hillary has returned as a civilian consultant/employee assigned to the Cold Case department where she can utilize her former investigative skills to re-examine unsolved crimes.
As always, Hillary has quite a lot going on. She is investigating the ten-year-old murder of a college student, she has unfortunately acquired a stalker and she may have more than a professional interest in her boss, Stephen. Her new role is quite a change for her and she doesn't come across in the same manner as she did before. Rather understandable though since this is a new chapter in her life.
The murder investigation was well written and the identity of the killer was a surprise. I am hopeful that Hillary identifiers her stalker(soon) since he is definitely creepy and no good can come from his obsession. I still look forward to reading the next book, so for me, Hillary remains an enjoyable character.
Thank you, Faith Martin, Joffe Books and NetGalley for the complimentary digital ARC.

[Misfits farm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ex Di Hillary Greene now works for CRT(Crime review team. The cold case unit by another name. The body of a student was found ten years ago, stabbed with a pair of dressmaking scissors and the perpetrator was never apprehended. Hillary has a second to none success rate- or at least did have when she had her official badge. Now as a civilian she has to reply on the forensics done at the time but can try and open new leads. She still has her admirer who is now becoming more of a stalker. Will a pseudo romance put him off? I love Hillary. She comes across as a likeable person whilst at the same time taking no nonsense from those around her- either villains or work colleagues. A girl who calls a spade a shovel. These are always wonderful easy reads that you can curl up with and enjoy the ride without anything too gory along the way. An excellent plot, an interesting sub story and a highly enjoyable read.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Hillary Greene is working another cold case at the Thames Valley Police HQ. She is a consultant with the Crime Review Team. Ten years ago, Rowan Thompson was found stabbed to death with a pair of scissors in his student house. Rowan was known for being quite the ladies man, and not one at a time either. Is it possible that one of his scorned lovers is the murderer? Meanwhile, Greene's stalker is becoming more aggressive with the notes and flowers. Maybe she should re-think how she is handling this person. Can the Crime Review Team and Greene find the killer of Rowan Thompson after all this time? Greene better watch herself, because her stalker certainly is. I would like to thank both Net Galley and Joffe Books for a copy of this story. I voluntarily reviewed it and this is my opinion of it.

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ‘Cold Case’ investigation was fairly straightforward and provided a decent read, the tension in this book came from the continuing ‘Stalker’ story, the problem for me was that this didn’t seem very believable.
To start with the stalker seemed to have endless time to set up his activities yet he had a full time job, didn’t anybody question what he was doing? However, more annoying was;

There's probably a psychopathic serial killer working in the police station, but nobody is doing anything about it. He appears to have killed several women already and might be preparing Hilary to be the next one, surely this must be a major priority for the police?

I also didn’t like the ending to the book, which is why I have only given two stars.

[Martina Kovaříková · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, small spoiler. Do not read book 14 before this one! The story in book 14 actually starts in this one. But then you would know who is behind it all from the start, since the name of the killer does appear here, while he stalks Hillary.
Plot wise, I really enjoyed it! I mean I did not like Vivienne and I am wondering what will happen to her in the next book, but the plot was interesting. Maybe just wish there was bit less interuption from the stalker side of the story. And it was more in the next book. But having the point of view from several people is a interesting experience, especially since you get glimpses of Hillary's stalker. And it really makes you wonder what will happen next.
The main story is about the old murder and in the end I was able to guess who was behind it, but I missed the reason why. It is not fully obvious and I think the why is even trickier to guess, but I at least suceeded who did it. And it made me feel bit sad, to be honest.
Overall, I can recommend the book.

[Janet Newport · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this arc.

Also, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to post this review. Once I'd finished this book, I HAD to go back and read many of the previous dozen books in the series as my conscious would let me. I LOVED Hillary! Smart, intuitive and tough. She doesn't suffer fools much but is pragmatic enough to deal diplomatically with most of them. This is # 13 in the series, but my first one to read. There's enough backstory here to understand Hillary, but easily comprehensible as a stand alone. I highly recommend for fans of Angela Marson's Kim Stone series

[Greta Halliday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic episode in the Hillary Greene series but this one surpassed them all. What a page turner this turned out to be. It had everything and the ending topped the lot. Impatiently I await the next book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

That is the series on kindle to date so far, last 3 back to back and it is excellent, can't wait for number 14 to be released.

[Brocks · Rating 1 out of 5]

A weak main story line leading to a weak climax of exposing the murderer. To me the whole book was simply used as a hook to ensure that the next book in the series must be read. I thought all the way through, although dearly hoped to be wrong, that the finale would leave one hanging and would be inconclusive. So very disappointing. If book 14 doesn’t improve I will not read any more Faith Martin.

[Cherry London · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, come on, has Hillary lost her mojo since doing that early retirement stint, what lazy kind of policing is this, now you have a stalker going at you and all you can do is get like a lame duck, shocks man, you killing me here. Although the storyline is a great one, taking two books to catch this stalker isn’t cutting it with me. Don’t get me wrong Hillary is still a strong character, just a bit lame right now, I guess she is still in limbo about her choices. Now as much as the characters are great, it seems like the stalker is in charge of this book. It feels like this book is missing a few more vibrant characters, to give it that old excitement that grips you, hey, don’t mind my ranting, I’m still a fan and look forward to the next and please no more cliffhangers argh, they just kill my appetite.

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pace throughout this story, as well as the series in general, steadily builds until you are practically racing to the finish. Hillary’s character is a wonderful mix of maturity and intelligence, with just enough softness and humor to really make you like her. I also enjoy the burgeoning relationship between her and Steven, and how the author seamlessly blends it into the storyline. Finding out what happens next makes book 14 a must have.
Lototy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More

[Caron Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first of Faith Martin's 'Narrow' books that I've read, and I really enjoyed it. It was pacy, realistic and I enjoyed the frisson of 'romance' between the detective, Hillary Greene, and her colleague. I also really liked the glimpses of life on board the boat. Although this is quite late in the series, it stands alone nicely and makes perfect sense even if, like me, you haven't read any of the earlier books. A real find, and a great foil to the lighter Jenny Starling/Travelling Cook books. This book ends on something of a cliffhanger, and I've already got the next one!

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilary had picked up a stalker and strangely there were times when I felt I couldn't be bothered with that part of the book. It was distracting me from the case she was investigating. Needless to say, though, Hilary was barely distracted and able to solve the cold case while at the same time, to some extent, directing the actions of the stalker. Another cliff hanger of an ending.

[Tiferet9 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favourite author!!! What a fantastic novel!!! It has everything : a twisty plot full of surprises, well written characters with depth, and a super ending!!! A real page turner!! Absolutely love it, and downloaded another 10 in the series straight away. Absolutely wonderful read.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm SO hooked!

This story, like all of Faith Martin's books, makes it evident the she is a very accomplished storyteller. I've read all of the D.I. Greene stories and can't wait for the next one.

[Freda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ò! My

I love this book could not put it down so much happening keeps you engrossed in the and guessing to the end

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Kindle edition.

5 stars

Former DI Hillary Greene’s stalker from the last book is getting more brazen. Her boss Superintendent Stephen Crayle and Hillary believe that he works at the station, either as a civilian worker or as a police officer.

Meanwhile, Hillary and her small team take on the case of Rowan Thompson. He was a young college student who quite fancied himself as a ladies’ man and was very successful at it. He was found stabbed to death with a scissors in his room which he shared with four other college students and the home’s owner.

Early on in the book, the identity of Hillary’s stalker is given. He is truly a twisted individual. Stephen and Hillary’s plan to bring her stalker into sight is working beautifully. The stalker goes into a rage after hearing office gossip about Steven and Hillary being an item. As the book goes on, the reader discovers some horrifying things about him.

Hillary and her team of Jimmy Jessop, a retired sergeant, Vivienne Tyrell who has a major crush on the boss Stephen Crayle and Sam Pickels start investigating the murder of Rowan Thompson. They are checking backgrounds and interviewing witnesses. Vivienne turns down Hillary’s offer to go along to an interview because she wants to hang around the office to keep an eye on Stephen.

The interviews with the roommates, family and friends of Rowan’s give little additional information beyond the initial interviews of ten years earlier. But some new interesting little factoids do come to light. The team keeps plugging away at the facts of the case. Meanwhile, Hillary’s stalker has upped the ante. Hillary and Steven’s search for him steps up as do the stalker’s threats. Jimmy is let into the plan and he arranges for some other retired coppers to surveil Hillary’s narrow boat and car. One of them manages to see the stalker do something inside her car, but he gets away before the retired copper can get a look at his face.

Hillary has one of her epiphanies and they arrest the main suspect in Rowan’s murder. The identity of the killer came as a total surprise to me.

This book is well written and plotted, as are all of Faith Martin’s novels. It is full of twists and turns and keeps the reader on the edge of their proverbial seats. It was very well done. Ms. Martin keeps getting better and better. Jimmy has turned out to be a solid sidekick for Hillary. Sam is trying hard and learning very fast. He is intelligent and tries very hard. Vivienne is a waste of space. Other than Vivienne, the team gets along well together and respects one another. I like this about Ms. Martin’s novels.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this absolutely great book to read, enjoy and review.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Hillary Green may no longer be a busy DI, but she is quite busy nonetheless. She is now a member of the Case Review Team, and is investigating cold cases. Having successfully solved the case in her new job as a civilian consultant, she is now investigating the murder of Rowan Thompson, a twenty-year-old killed ten years ago. Rowan had a reputation of being quite the Lothario. Could one of his previous partners been disgruntled enough to have found cause to brutally kill him?

Also, Hillary's stalker is still looming, and he is becoming far more aggressive with his messages and flowers. Her new boss, the ultra yummy Steven Crayle, has devised a plan to pretend that they are a couple to see if a bit of jealousy will draw the stalker out. This proves to be more of a challenge for Hillary because she is quite drawn to Steven. The feeling proves to be mutual. It is at this point that I realized that I should have read at least book twelve in this series.

Murder of a Lover, previously released as A Narrow Margin of Error, is book number thirteen in this series by Faith Martin. I am a voracious reader who especially likes to devour entire series. Although I jumped into the middle of this one with this book, it read perfectly well as a standalone. There was just enough said about Hillary's past to understand her motives and her approach to the situations faced before her.

However, Faith Martin has left us with a cliffhanger. I really NEED book 14, and cannot wait to read it to see what happens next. Thankfully, we do not have long to wait. A side note: the author has begun a new series, with a young new policewoman. This author is a definite autobuy for me now. I missed this series first time around, and it is really great to get a chance to read this now, and I will also try and read the previous titles.

Many thanks to Joffe Books and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest re

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second of the Hillary Greene "cold case" novels after she returns to the Thames Valley police force after a year and a half of retirement. These books change minor characters frequently—besides Greene herself, I believe only a single character remains from the first set of eleven books. (If you don't count her ancient VW Golf.)

The good:
Martin has made Greene an incredibly compelling main character. Her books consistently keep my interest in Greene, and I find myself really caring what happens to her.
It's interesting to follow Greene's thought processes as she goes through the process of solving cases. This was mostly a fun read, interspersing the cold case with a subplot of a man stalking Hillary. The subplot gave the book a sense of urgency.

The so-so:
It's a good thing the subplot cranked up the tension, because the cold case didn't really have high stakes.
The murderer doesn't really seem like someone who would have been overlooked by the original DI fifteen years before—and that person's unusual circumstances, which winds up being the key to the case being solved, would have certainly been investigated.
Hillary has compelled a confession out of a suspect in at least one previous book, and in doing so here, it feels like a retread.

The bad:
Nothing, really. Maybe Vivienne's character, who's really one-dimensional, could be called bad—but even as I was thinking this while reading, in the very next scene, Hillary and Vivienne share a long conversation which makes her seem more real.

I'm grabbing the next Hillary Greene mystery—these are well-paced mysteries with a wonderful main character and (mostly) strong plots. If you like murder mysteries, you should start with the first Hillary Greene book and keep going.