The case against alleged cop killer DS George Elms falls apart due to lack of evidence and he’s acquitted and released after nine months in prison. He just wants to get shut of the Langthorne police, but a new assistant Chief Constable wants to bring Elms back to help clean house. Turns out one of the highest ranking officers in the division was working with the real killer, and has now dropped off the radar. Elms isn’t thrilled with the prospect of working around people who will still think he’s dirty, still treat him like he’s dirty, but he knows he can make a difference. And the real killer wants Elms, wants him bad, and will stop at nothing to make him pay for perceived transgressions. Elms doesn’t trust anyone, and he shouldn’t – even those who seem helpful have reasons to lie and maintain the status quo.
This was a wild, gritty, action-packed, emotional rollercoaster thrill ride from the get go. In addition to Elms trying to bring in the bad guy, there are subplots involving an undercover police officer and his amoral, ladder-climbing police handler; and another cop with an unbearable home life situation that spills into his work. The ending was completely unexpected and made my heart pound.
Elms is an intriguing character – a sharp witted, brilliant detective who can still be brought to his knees by his little girl. Part of the reason he went to prison was to keep his wife and child safe from an unnamed, unseen enemy he can’t tell her about. She’s started to move on with her life and he doesn’t like that at all, but for him to come clean with her puts her in even more danger. She just wants a normal life and he can’t give that to her. He’s a tortured soul who ends up always making the right choices.
This is book four in the series, but my first encounter with the author and this character. I’m generally a read-em-in-order kind of gal, but this one grabbed my interest from the beginning and didn’t let go until the end. I was able to follow the snippets of previous stories without too much difficulty. I received an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher, and I’m voluntarily doing this review. I liked the story so much, however, I’m going to buy my own copy.