THE CUTTER (The DI Melanie Watton Series Book 3) by CHARLOTTE BARNES

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Tauricrafter

A gripping crime thriller full of suspense and mystery

Book blurb

This killer is playing a deadly game and DI Melanie Watton must win if she wants to survive.

When DI Melanie Watton is called in to investigate the brutal murder of a taxidermist, she and her team find themselves tracking a killer and a thief.

With very few leads to go on, the trail goes cold, until one of the missing taxidermy projects finally appears planted at another crime scene.

The killer continues to leave clues and messages behind and the team soon realise they are in danger. And when one of the projects from the original scene turns up at Melanie’s door, she knows she’s the target.

As Melanie gets closer to uncovering the truth, the killer is getting closer to her with each step…

My thoughts

With an unusual initial investigation into the murder of a taxidermist along with the theft of some of his pieces D.I. Melanie Watton and her team seem to be chasing a dead end.

Then at a number of crime scenes one of the missing pieces is left. If the murderer didn’t kill to get hold of these apparently valuable items to sell, then why?

As the investigation goes on it becomes clear that one of the team is the ultimate target. Why them? Is it the whole team or just one of them? It must surely be linked to a past investigation and, so, the team check out all their old cases in order to find out who is being targeted and catch a killer.

Measures are put in place for the safety of her team and as it becomes clear who the target is D.I. Watton is placed in a safe house known only to her boss. Why is she the target? Will the team be able to identify and find the killer before Melanie’s whereabouts are discovered?

A solid police procedural which gives a good sense of how long investigations can take when there are no obvious leads and how important it is to be thorough. Still it doesn’t get bogged down into too much minutiae or an overly convoluted storyline.

This is a story which moves along nicely, the characters are well drawn and it picks up pace, taking the reader along for the ride, to it’s ultimate, thrilling conclusion.

This is the third in the series which I feel has more to give in terms of the characters themselves especially with regard to D.I. Walton’s relationships – in work and personally – but also in regard to future cases.

An intriguing and absorbing book which readers who enjoy police procedurals that move with pace will appreciate, I certainly did.

Thanks: With many thanks to Maria Slocombe, Publicity & Social Media Manager, Bloodhound Books for the invite to read and review The Cutter by Charlotte Barnes and for the eBook.

Information

Published: Bloodhound Books (15 March 2020)

Buy: AmazonSmileUK | Amazon U.K. | AmazonUSA | The Cutter is currently available for 99p/99c

Author: C.S. Barnes (Charley to her long-time pals) writing as Charlotte Barnes is a Worcestershire-based writer and poet who has achieved her Doctorate degree in Creative Writing and now spends a lot of her time wondering what to do with it. She is a lecturer, content writer, tea-drinker and book-reader with a passion for psychological thrillers that shines through her work.

Barnes is also one of three directors of Worcestershire LitFest and Fringe literary festival and, independently of this, she runs her own monthly open mic/spoken word event in Worcester City Centre, titled Dear Listener. She is currently writer-in-residence at The Swan Theatre (@theswantheatre) and is also managing director of The Sabotage Review.

She published her debut short story collection in May 2017, titled The Women You Were Warned About (Black Pear Press), and her debut poetry pamphlet, A Z-hearted Guide to Heartache, was published in July 2018 (V. Press). Intention is Barnes’s debut novel, published by Bloodhound Books in 2019.

For writerly updates you can follow her on Twitter: @charleyblogs

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