Brian McGilloway is a wonderful writer. I briefly forgot that he was a male author because he portrays Lucy Black so well. The Derry setting adds to the narrative, and he avoids moral oversimplification in his characters. Highly recommended. ( )

A good second novel in the DS Lucy Black series. Complex plotline, nicely differentiated characters, well written action scenes. Could use a bit more editing as the author does go on a bit with the descriptions which slow down the forward movement of the story. All in all an enjoyable crime novel. ( )

I read this book as an electronic advance reading copy (e-ARC) provided by Edelweiss, and I have submitted my comments to the publisher via that web site.

This book reads like a poor imitation of Ian Rankin's exemplary work. Loads of boring details (room layouts, driving itineraries) are punctuated with sudden bursts of violence. The pacing and the mystery itself could not capture my interest. The finale, which reveals an intriguing--and appalling--political twist to an earlier murder, came too late to redeem this book in my eyes. Not recommended for libraries; purchase the latest Rankin books instead. ( )

The second book to feature DS Lucy Black by Brian McGilloway, Hurt begins with the discovery of a body, quickly identified as that of a missing teenage girl. In and out of care due to her mother’s alcoholism and her her father’s incarceration, Karen Hughes has had her throat cut before being discarded on the train tracks. With little more than the information stored in Karen’s phone and on social media to guide them, Lucy and her colleagues begin to trace her last movements, uncovering a predator hiding behind sock puppet Facebook accounts. And then another young girl goes missing…

Hurt is a tense police procedural with a well crafted main plot which explores the way in which predators exploit social media to groom vulnerable girls, manipulating them for their own ends, and the difficulties law enforcement can face in tracing them. The story twists and turns as the investigation unfolds, unveiling a grim tale of perversion and murder, exposing the corruption of power and the abuse of trust.

Lucy is a young, dedicated police officer who tends to become personally involved in her work and this puts her at risk during the investigation as she closes in on Karen’s killer. McGilloway’s characterisation is well rounded and believable, I found I really liked Lucy, admiring her passion, her drive and her sense of justice. Partnered with an old timer who is struggling with his own demons, Lucy demonstrates loyalty and Lucy’s professional life is further complicated by her mother, who is in effect her boss, and with whom she has a strained relationship.

A second subplot involves a former case of Lucy’s in which she failed to prevent the murders of a young woman and her mother. The perpetrator is known but has managed to elude law enforcement, in part because of his connections with the less savoury elements of the area. The case eats away at Lucy and is in part the impetus for her relentless pursuit of Karen’s killer.

Hurt is a gripping crime thriller, well written with an appealing protagonist, interesting characters and an absorbing plot. I hope to read the introduction to DS Lucy Black in Little Girl Lost before the release of the third book in the series. ( )