Mini review: Perfect Remains by Helen Fields

Posted on February 8, 2020 by Tauricrafter

Book blurb

On a remote Highland mountain, the body of Elaine Buxton is burning. All that will be left to identify the respected lawyer are her teeth and a fragment of clothing.

In the concealed back room of a house in Edinburgh, the real Elaine Buxton screams into the darkness…

Detective Inspector Luc Callanach has barely set foot in his new office when Elaine’s missing persons case is escalated to a murder investigation. Having left behind a promising career at Interpol, he’s eager to prove himself to his new team. But Edinburgh, he discovers, is a long way from Lyon, and Elaine’s killer has covered his tracks with meticulous care.

It’s not long before another successful woman is abducted from her doorstep, and Callanach finds himself in a race against the clock. Or so he believes … The real fate of the women will prove more twisted than he could have ever imagined.

Mini Review

My thoughts

This is quite a dark, hard-hitting story told partly from the POV of the person Luc is looking for as he investigates a missing persons case which becomes a murder investigation. Ava is leading an investigation into a case were babies have been abandoned in a park. These are both incredibly sad cases.

Luc has come to Scotland after an incident whilst working in Interpol. He has recently arrived in Edinburgh. He is half Scottish, half French. The reason for the move comes out in the book.

Ava is a good detective, considerate and helpful but should not be underrated as she can be quite formidable.

They work well together giving each other a helping hand or a listening ear on the cases they are working. There is a rapport between them and they hit it off.

The crimes are heinous, the perpetrators sadistic and remorseless. There are scenes that may be difficult for readers but nothing gratuitous.

Good story, well written. Liked Ava and Luc as the main characters.

A really good first book in the series which I recommend.

Information

As I am catching up on a few books that I have read this year but not yet reviewed I will, as in this case and when possible, give links to my pages that have other reviews by the author which will give author bio, publisher information and so on.