Apprentice P.I. Jack Hornby had only just buried his friend and mentor, stricken with grief and contemplating his future. Sitting alone in the office they once shared, he is accosted by an eccentric woman in desperate need of help. Reluctantly, he agrees. But a case of suspected infidelity turns out to be so much more when his target winds up dead in the middle of a grisly scene.
Jack finds himself pitted against his old nemesis- now a highly decorated police investigator- in a bid to uncover the truth behind what really happened in that seedy hotel room, and just how the victim was sighted walking down the street shortly after his death. In a case where nothing makes sense and no one is what they seem, Jack’s only ally is his old mentors peculiar yet alluring niece, The former secretary from the moe-defunct detective agency.
I think the story line of this book is very unique and sound. I’ve definitely not read a murder mystery/crime detective novel with events like this one does so it does stand out highly on its own. I like that Hornby’s main reasonings for perusing the case are those of good morals like honouring the memory of his mentor, helping people in need and doing the right thing. It makes the character more endearing and to be honest I really liked the character ofJack Hornby. There’s a couple of good twists towards the end that really starts to bring through a bit of suspense and does quite shock you. It added a nice bit of texture to the way the story reads,
The only thing that was missing for me in this book was a bit of that creep factor. I want a book like this to really creep me out and put me on edge reading it so I couldn’t put it down, but this book wasn’t like that. It was a nice easy read, with a great prose and written well. But for me to really love it, I think I just needed it to scare me more in ways that other books like Stalker and The Chestnut Man did, as this book in its genre/plot is very similar in its vibe.
Overall, a great accomplishment by Maygrove, I look forward to reading more of his work in the future. I enjoyed the book and I think most people would that love a murder mystery, detective and crime novel etc. It’s an easy entertaining read. I just wanted it to really creep me out more. To really capture me fully emotionally and put me on edge.
Star Rating /5
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