Dead End by Leigh Russell (Crime)

May 5th 2011, NO EXIT PRESS

384 pages, Paperback

Review copy

Crime Fiction

Content: Violence, Tension

Summary from No Exit Press

 When the corpse of Abigail Kirby is discovered, police are shocked to learn that the victim's tongue was cut out while she lay dying. Shortly after coming forward, a witness is blinded and murdered. Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel's flirtation with the pathologist on the case helps her to cope with the distress of finding out she was adopted at birth. Abigail Kirby's teenage daughter runs away from home to meet a girl who befriended her online. Too late, she realises she has made a dreadful mistake – a mistake that may cost her life. Detective Sergeant Ian Peterson uncovers a shocking secret about the serial killer who has been mutilating his murder victims. Does the sergeant's discovery come too late to save Geraldine Steel from a similar dreadful fate? 

The Mole's review

This, the third of the DI Geraldine Steel books, starts with a gruesome murder with only one suspect - but Geraldine is convinced of his innocence despite a complete lack of evidence either way. The suspect's daughter runs away from home, convinced of her father's guilt, and despite a manhunt cannot be found. The story lines twist and turn before finally resolving themselves, but not without further bloodshed.

I have enjoyed each of the Geraldine Steel books and each one gets better. While there is always some 'madness' to serial killers and, and serial killers is what each book has been about, Leigh Russell has not approached each book in the same way - in fact they have been approached from quite different directions. There are more books in the series planned and I wonder how much better they can get! Great books and absolute musts for readers of crime fiction.

Suggested Reads

Both Dead End and Road Closed by Leigh Russell

Dead Wood by Chris Longmuir