Meet Zoe Finch, West Midlands Police's newest Detective Inspector. She's outspoken, ambitious, and damaged. And she's working a case that could make her career, or cost her everything...
Fresh from the success of the Canary investigation into depravity and corruption at the highest levels, Zoe has attracted attention. Not least from Assistant Chief Constable Bryn Jackson.
But when Jackson is brutally murdered on the night of his retirement party, Zoe is dragged into a case that's deeply personal.
All the evidence points to the victim's downtrodden wife, who has secrets of her own. But Zoe begins to suspect all isn't as it seems. Could Jackson's death be linked to the Canary case? And what is her new boss, DCI David Randle, hiding?
Seeking out the truth will force Zoe to confront her own past and put her career, and her team's lives, on the line.
Deadly Wishes is a gritty crime thriller perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Caroline Mitchell, and the BBC's Line of Duty.
It's such a pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for Deadly Wishes today. Many thanks to Rachel McLean and Rachel Gilbey from Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me and for my advance digital copy of the novel.
I've loved all Rachel McLean's previous books but they were speculative fiction and Deadly Wishes is her first straightforward crime novel. Nevertheless, I had a feeling I'd enjoy it tremendously because I know how good she is at creating interesting, complex characters and then putting them into difficult situations.
That's certainly true of Acting Detective Inspector Zoe Finch who is being feted by her superior officers at the start of the book thanks to the crucial part she played in the Canary investigation which brought several high profile paedophiles to justice. She is lauded at the retirement party for Assistant Chief Constable Bryn Jackson but notices that his wife looks less relaxed and has an expression like a hunted animal. She doesn't realise that later than night she'll be called to the scene of his murder but the opening chapter has already disclosed that four hours later, Jackson will be killed in his study by somebody known to him.
The brief scenes he features in before his death reveal him to be a thoroughly unpleasant man and his wife, Margaret is considered a likely suspect as it's obvious that she has endured years of emotional abuse at his hands. She is a really complicated woman and I enjoyed the ambiguity of her character very much. She was clearly dreading his retirement and her detached behaviour confuses Zoe and her colleagues. Nevertheless, readers see a different side to her and despite evidently having secrets of her own, there are moments where she does seem to be experiencing some feelings of what would appear to be grief following the loss of her husband.
Zoe's boss, DCI David Randle is the Senior Investigating officer for the case and he has a long history with the victim. As the book progresses, Zoe has cause to question whether she really knows him and wonders why he is acting so erratically. Throughout the story there are suggestions that he is a man with much to hide but he is also looked up to by his officers. As much as I liked the ambitious, headstrong Zoe, it's the uncertainty behind Randle's flawed character which perhaps has me most looking forward to discovering what else will come to light in the future, and what it will eventually lead to. With this in mind, although his role here is fairly small, I'm excited to see what will develop between Zoe and DI Carl Whaley in due course.
This cleverly plotted novel gradually adds layers of intrigue as Zoe starts to suspect that the death of Bryn Jackson might be linked to her previous case. A first book in a new series needs to strike the right balance between introducing the cast of characters and having a gripping plot, and Rachel McLean has it just right here. She had included enough back story to grab my attention but has still left me wanting to discover more about the characters while ensuring there are indications as to potential conflict points in the future. Meanwhile, the investigation into Bryn Jackson's death had all the pace, suspense and surprises I'd hope for, with an excellent mix of darkly relevant topical themes and some realistic touches of humour between the engaging, diverse group of police officers. I've said it before and I'll reiterate it here, Rachel McLean is one of my must-read authors and I look forward to every book she writes. Deadly Wishes is a very welcome addition to the police procedural genre and I'm thrilled to see I won't have to wait too long to learn what lies in store next for Zoe Finch in Deadly Choices which is due out in September.
Don't miss the rest of the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
My name's Rachel McLean and I write thrillers that make you think.
What does that mean? In short, I want my stories to make your pulse race and your brain tick. Do you often get through a thriller at breakneck pace but are left with little sense of what the book was really about? Do you sometimes read literary fiction but just wish something would damn well happen? My books aim to fill that gap.
If you'd like to know more about my books and receive extra bonus content, please join my book club at rachelmclean.com/bookclub. I'll send you a weekly email with news about my writing research and progress, stories and bonus content for each book. And I'll let you know when my books are on offer.
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