Originally published: 3 March 2022

Author: Helen Fields

Published by: Avon

Genre: Crime thriller

Page count: 384

Reading dates: 9-13 February 2022

One for sorrow, two for joy

Edinburgh is gripped by the greatest terror it has ever known. A lone bomber is targeting victims across the city and no one is safe.

Three for a girl, four for a boy

DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach face death every day – and not just the deaths of the people being taken hostage by the killer.

Five for silver, six for gold

When it becomes clear that with every tip-off they are walking into a trap designed to kill them too, Ava and Luc know that finding the truth could mean paying the ultimate price.

Seven for a secret never to be told…

But with the threat – and body count – rising daily, and no clue as to who’s behind it, neither Ava nor Luc know whether they will live long enough to tell the tale…

With twists and turns you’ll never see coming, prepare to be gripped by this devastatingly good thriller. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride and MJ Arlidge.

I adore this series of crime thrillers from Helen Fields and was thrilled to get an early proof when I managed to prove I was a super fan and also a finished copy! I don’t know how she continues to come up with such twisted criminals – be warned the body count is high in One for Sorrow!

The story begins with with DCI Ava Turner attending a funeral of a close friend but she has no time for grief as a criminal starts attacking Edinburgh in the most shocking ways, planting bombs which are primed to cause the most damage to the heroes who are trying to save lives.

Meanwhile, in a “before” storyline, we meet a young woman in her early 20s, Quinn. She still lives at home with her parents and baby sister and when she meets Liam who at first is respectful and charming but soon shows his true colours. Quinn recognises him for what he is and breaks up with him but he won’t let her go that easily and begins begins stalking her.

I rarely use the words breath-taking in a review but I have no hesitation in using them here. The bombings come thick and fast, each more devastating than the last and you don’t really get chance to catch your breath before the next shocking event. Each bombing uses a person as bait and the team soon realise that there must be a connection between these people – they just need to find it. I thought I was clever and had figured it out but I was completely wrong as I usually am.

I love the way the relationships have developed as this series has gone on. There is the on-going will they, won’t they relationship with Ava and Luc. I also love the interactions between some of the minor characters like DS Lively and Superintendent Overbeck.

One for Sorrow may be the best book in this series! I’ve always said these books can be read as standalones and I still think that is true, but you get so much more from them when you are invested in the characters. Breath-taking (I’ve used it twice, I mean it that much), devastating, thrilling, emotional…I could go on and on. Simply brilliant – if you love crime fiction you will love this series.

This is the 7th book in the series.

The other books in order are:
Perfect Remains
Perfect Prey
Perfect Death
Perfect Silence
Perfect Crime
Perfect Kill
One for Sorrow

Many thanks to Avon Books for sending me both a copy of the proof and a finished 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/