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A pitch-perfect UK-based thriller with a pair of fabulous main characters, and a kickoff of a whole new series to boot. Written in 2019, this author and his work had previously somehow passed this reader by — a misstep that will now be quickly corrected.

Dr Cyrus Haven is a somewhat enigmatic psychologist who works informally with the police to solve terrible crimes. No stranger to terrible crimes himself, Cyrus is dealing with his own horrendously traumatic past, which casts a mysterious and dark shadow on every aspect of his current-day life. With his thick dark hair and sad green eyes, Cyrus and his sometimes-partner the sharp-talking Chief Inspector Lenny Parvel, make for a terrific and fascinating team.

Evie Cormac, also known as “Angel Face” (for reasons which will become clear, no spoilers here!) is perhaps seventeen years old (although no-one can be quite sure of this). A child who has also faced horrific abuse of which she appears to have very little memory, Evie is sullen and pretty, afraid to trust, and not likely to associate kindness with anything but entrenched suspicion.

As Cyrus and Evie alternate telling their first person POV stories, the reader is treated to a first-hand account of a new and complex ongoing murder investigation, as well as the challenging task of uncovering as much of Cyrus and Evie’s backstory as the author will allow – tasks that kept this reader, for one, on edge and plugged in, unable to put the book down and enjoying every minute of it.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, Cyrus and Evie’s developing relationship is an easy five-star read that promises to play out in a series absolutely not to be missed.