Some victims leave clues to their killers…

Book blurb

A Hidden Clue

A victim reaches out from the grave to the SIO who will investigate her death. This not what DCI Kate Daniels expects to find concealed at a crime scene.

A Desperate Plea

The note contains a last request: ‘Find Aaron’. But is Kate searching for a potential second victim, or a killer?

The Countdown is on…

Following the clues, Kate becomes the obsession of her adversary who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Will she find Aaron before he does?

‘Thoughts of a DS on temporary deployment’

When a murder occurs even the specialist units need the support of more officers to help with the investigation and so it was with this case. A woman brutally murdered. A woman who had been running from a relationship that was very abusive both physically and mentally. Yet another woman dead by the hands of a remorseless and sadistic man. Not, in this instance, a stranger but the very person, the man, that had vowed to love and cherish her. Beggars belief it does, especially in this day and age. You’d think something would have been done to stop this sort of thing by now, wouldn’t you?

Another DS, that’s me, another body brought in to support the MIT with their investigation. Necessary, since there’s been more deaths, murders. At first they were separate cases. Well, obviously, it was just the one case initially. Seems that the DCI got personal early on with this one, no surprise, Daniels always gives it everything and if anyone can find him she’ll be the one. It was the note that was found seemed to do it. ‘Find Aaron’ whoever he is, well it wasn’t too long before they found out.

Anyway, there’s been a lot happening in this one. All sorts, even one of our own being investigated! Can you believe it? And the torching of the house, that was nasty, right after the hit and run. It’s no wonder the Super got involved. ‘Course since then things have changed except for one – the boss is usually right. Ha! Bet she’d love to know that, it’s what we all think mind.

Still, we’re here to get the b……, well you know what I mean! Nasty piece of work he is. Not to mention the young fella who’s missing – god knows what’ll happen if this bloke gets to him first! So, I must get on, lot’s to do.

ooOoo

My thoughts

Well, as you can see it’s quite a case! Mari Hannah writes some of the best contemporary crime fiction and police procedurals at this moment in time. Her Last Request is an absolutely cracking story, it has pace and tension within this wonderfully well written plot. A plot that is so engrossing and compels you to keep on reading.

This story brings the plight of abused women to the fore and the way in which this element of the storyline is integrated into the whole is seamless and impeccably done. Whilst it is by its very nature a shocking and, at times, a disturbing read there is no unnecessarily gratuitous violence indeed there are very few violent scenes in the book.

DCI Kate Daniels is a great lead character and has a terrific working partner in DS Hank Gormley, her second in command. Indeed the whole team are well drawn. The perpetrator is cleverly interwoven into the book both through the investigation and passages from his own point of view. We also get to know the victim a resourceful, beautiful, bright woman and those she loved.

Kate’s life partner, Jo, is her rock. A fact that has become clear through the series but no more obviously so than in Without a Trace when Jo leaves in order to consider their relationship. Kate gets some dreadful news and becomes frantic about what has happened to her. Jo is also involved in a professional capacity in the current investigation. It’s good to see how they are doing both at work and at home. Kate still becomes totally absorbed when investigating a case but with some mutual understanding and the knowledge of how much they mean to one another it seems to be working. Anyway, it’s probably just as well she gets that way since fully immersing herself is likely what allowed her to figure everything out.

Her Last Request is a compelling, tense and riveting crime fiction novel and I highly recommend it.

Previously read: Stone and Oliver books 1-3. Without A Trace (Kate Daniels series #7).

Publications for information

HMICFRS: Police Response to Violence against women and girls: Final Inspection Report (Published 17 Sept 2021)

Spare Rib: Violence against women Written by Aimee Treasure (via The British Library)

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Blog Tour

I am delighted to be a part of this excellent BlogTour for Her Last Request and my thanks go to Alainna Hadjigeorgiou (Publicity Manager – The Orion Publishing Group) for the invitation and to Orion Books for an ARC paperback of Her Last Request.

Why not check out the rest of this great tour?

Information

Published: Orion Books (Paperback Published 20th January 2022)

Buy: Orion | AmazonSmileUK | Hive | Bookshop.org | Waterstones | Your local bookshop

Author: Mari Hannah is a multi-award-winning author, whose authentic voice is no happy accident. A former probation officer, she lives in rural Northumberland with her partner, an ex-murder detective. Mari turned to script-writing when her career was cut short following an assault on duty. Her debut, The Murder Wall, (adapted from a script she developed with the BBC) won her the Polari First Book Prize. Its follow-up, Settled Blood, picked up a Northern Writers’ Award. Mari’s body of work won her the CWA Dagger in the Library 2017, an incredible honour to receive so early in her career. In 2019, she was voted DIVA Wordsmith of the Year. In 2020, she won Capital Crime International Crime Writing Festival’s Crime Book of the Year for Without a Trace. Her Kate Daniels series is in development with Stephen Fry’s production company, Sprout Pictures.

Follow: @mariwriter | Website: marihannah

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