‘Relentless pace, devilish cleverness and a laser-sharp focus on plot.’ Chris Brookmyre When silence falls, who will hear their cries? The body of a young girl is found dumped on the roadside on the outskirts of Edinburgh. When pathologists examine the remains, they make a gruesome discovery: the silhouette of a doll carved in the victim’s skin. DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach are struggling … Callanach are struggling to find leads in the case, until a doll made of skin is found nestled beside an abandoned baby.
After another young woman is found butchered, Luc and Ava realise the babydoll killer is playing a horrifying game. And it’s only a matter of time before he strikes again. Can they stop another victim from being silenced forever – or is it already too late?
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4 stars
I read the Kindle edition.
DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach are called out to the scene of a young girl who has been murdered. She was found on a rural road outside of Edinburgh. The name of the young woman is Zoey Cole and she was eighteen-years old. She has been horribly mutilated and dumped by the roadside; left to die. Ava’s team learns that Zoey was living in a shelter for abused women. Her step-father beat her and broke bones and so on several times.
In the interview with Zoey’s parents, they deny any abuse and say that Zoey did the abuse to herself. That she had been depressed following the death of her father.
The second young woman to be kidnapped is Lorna Shaw. The reader gets to learn about Lorna’s treatment at the hands of the kidnapper. Lorna is a young mother who had a history of drug abuse and was living in a home for young mothers.
Meanwhile DC Salter and DS Lively are investigating knife attacks on homeless men. Ava wonders if the attacks are related to the murder and disappearance of the two young women.
When Lorna’s body is found, also on the roadside of a rural road, it is mutilated in the same manner as Zoey’s was. The police have made no progress on the case in spite of the number of people they have interviewed.
It is then discovered that the mutilations and murders have religious overtones. This gives the police some clues to follow. DC Salter and DS Lively are making progress on their cases as well. A locker key was found at the site of the latest assault that belongs to a boy who goes to a posh private school.
Another young woman is found to be missing and then murdered. The police are closing in as the killer kidnaps another woman.
As the killer is identified, the ending of the story is fast-paced and explosive.
This novel is both well written and plotted. It was slightly gory, for those who don’t care for that sort of thing. I liked DCI Ava and DI Callanach, and the rest of the team. I especially liked DS Lively. What a kick he is; irreverent, outspoken and always bucking authority, but never takes it too far. I liked the amount of background information given on the main characters. This is my first book by Helen Fields, and I immediately went to Amazon to look for other novels of theirs. To my surprise, this one wasn’t on their list. They showed it as “unavailable.” This is a good book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys police procedurals, or just a good mystery.
I want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK/Avon for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read, enjoy and review.
This was the first I read of this author and I really enjoyed it. A dark story in which we get to know the victims before their deaths.
Helen Fields has done it again. Perfect Silence is the fourth in D.I. Callanach series (you can read this without reading the others).
Not for the faint hearted .
What a gruesome read as women are being found dead or nearly dead . A big patch of skin has been removed from them and then a doll shows up made from their skin.
The police work hard, DCI Ava Turner and Luc Callanach have a long road ahead them to find out who could be so sadistic. They are racing against the clock and they don’t always win.
These characters continue to grow on me and I look forward to reading the next installment
If you have not read one of this series, don’t wait , get your copy now.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy.