Within the first ten pages, I turned to my fiancé and said “it’s good”, which is code for: leave me alone until I’ve finished it!
I must first disclose that I’ve not read the first book (The Dark Beneath) in the Lieutenant Dani Lewis series, so I went into this tale blind of Dani’s previous events which delved into the corruption onboard the submarine Tenacity.
In this latest instalment, Natasha Moore has gone missing off Defiance, a type 45 destroyer. Dani has been sent in to discover the whereabouts of this sweet 18 year old girl. At first, it seems like Tash may have done a standard AWOL day and she’d be back onboard the next day; but as Dani talks to the crew – vague answers and sideways glances, set off alarm bells in Dani’s head.
Meanwhile, Dani has two other distractions: her previous case on the Tenacity is leaving her restless and, suspicious packages being sent to the National Crime Agency (NCA) linking to the shocking crimes that a previous colleague was sent to jail for, begs the question of who else was involved?
With multiple subplots, this book will suck you in from the very first page. Law successfully weaves together the subplots to create the most incredible ending and a triumphant build up.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I admired and warmed to Dani. For some reason, I find I usually dislike female main characters especially if they are cast in the role of a detective/main investigator, it’s the arrogance and selfishness that usually sets me off – the characters usually read more manly than feminine. Dani does have these qualities but they don’t come across overly strong and for that I was grateful – a female main character I like – hoorah!
One of my favourite aspects of this book was the flipping of perspectives, being able to see it through both Dani’s and Tash’s eyes added to the suspense. Dani’s story was told in the present time, whereas Tash’s chapters showed the build up to the day she went missing. Each chapter led me a little closer to realising the truth, it was a cleverly constructed puzzle.
Fully recommend all my fellow bookworms to give this series a go, I’ll definitely be going back to read the first! Fans of Stephen Booth will definitely enjoy this. The paperback version is currently out now in the UK.
*Thank you Headline Publishing for providing me with a copy through bookbridgr*
Until next time, Chloé x
Reviews by Chloé 