Originally published: 23 August 2018

Author: Helen Fields

Published by: Avon Books

Genre: Crime Thriller

Page count: 432

Reading dates: 18-22 September 2018

Star Rating: 5/5

When silence falls, who will hear their cries?

When a body of a young girl is found dead, dumped by a roadside a gruesome discovery is soon made: the outline of a doll is carved into the victims skin. DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach are tasked with trying to solve her murder, When another young victim is taken, leaving her baby abandoned, a doll made of skin is found tucked in the babies pram and it is soon clear the police are dealing with a serial killer.

At the same time, a string of homeless people are being attacked, having their faces cut, often while under the influence of Spice. Links are drawn between the homeless victims and the victims of the babydoll killer, who come from troubled backgrounds and it becomes a race against time to try and stop any more victims being taken.

This is the 4th in a series of books that bases itself in the world of the Major Investigation Team in the Edinburgh police force. So far, I have only read the first in this series Perfect Remains (and thoroughly enjoyed it) so when I was asked to read this as part of a blog tour, I jumped at the chance. Despite having parts 2 & 3 on my shelf, I hadn’t managed to get to them yet, but it didn’t matter as these books work well as standalones.

I love these books – Helen Fields has created wonderful characters in Ava and Luc – both dedicated to their jobs but also dealing with their own problems outside of work. Ava is a strong female lead – in fact there are several strong female characters. The murders are gruesome and shocking and the plot is fast moving – you really get the sense of the police racing to try and solve the murders, much in the same way I was racing through the book to see what happened! The details of police procedure and pathology is fascinating.

I really rate Helen Fields as a top crime writer and look forward to the next crime Ava and Luc have to solve!

Many thanks to Sabah and Avon Books for my review copy and inviting me to be part of the blog tour.  I’m hosting a giveaway of Perfect Silence over on my Instagram feed so feel free to check it out if you’d like to win a copy!

About the author:

Helen Fields’ first love was drama and music. From a very young age she spent all her free time acting and singing until law captured her attention as a career path. She studied law at the University of East Anglia, then went on to the Inns of Court School of Law in London.
After completing her pupillage, she joined chambers in Middle Temple where she practised criminal and family law for thirteen years. Undertaking cases that ranged from Children Act proceedings and domestic violence injunctions, to large scale drug importation and murder, Helen spent years working with the police, CPS, Social Services, expert witnesses and in Courts Martials.
After her second child was born, Helen left the Bar. Together with her husband David, she went on to run Wailing Banshee Ltd, a film production company, acting as script writer and producer.
Helen self-published two fantasy books as a way of testing herself and her writing abilities. She enjoyed the creative process so much that she began writing in a much more disciplined way, and decided to move into the traditional publishing arena through an agent.
Perfect Remains is set in Scotland, where Helen feels most at one with the world. Edinburgh and San Francisco are her two favourite cities, and she travels whenever she can.
Beyond writing, she has a passion for theatre and cinema, often boring friends and family with lengthy reviews and critiques. Taking her cue from her children, she has recently taken up karate and indoor sky diving. Helen and her husband now live in Hampshire with their three children and two dogs.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Helen_Fields
Website – http://helenfields.co.uk/