This followed a similar pattern to the first one - initially a police procedural, where DC Fiona is a bit odd and so is allowed to go off at tangents of her own which always turn out to be the very thing to crack the case, but then morphing into more of a thriller with Fiona demonstrating survival skills and then finally a tendency towards vigilantism. I like her narrative voice however, and I enjoyed the arc of her relationship with her boss Rhiannon.

I don't really see why Fiona (and her colleagues and the CPS) were so convinced that Mortimer was an innocent victim. Where was the evidence? The documents at the cottage could go either way surely... ( )

Another great book. I love strange Fiona. And the writing is so good. Many gems of sentences. ( )

Solid, well-written mystery. Structure of the mystery and its resolution was not too terribly sound, but this is forgivable since I enjoyed the vivid atmosphere and the main character. Second book in the series. First one was better. I do intend to carry on with the series and read the third one. ( )

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book especially the last half of it. I think the author has this character nailed. His ability to keep all his characters interesting is evident as they are growing and yet true to the parameters of the personality he has chosen. These characters are built on a solid foundation of empathy and kindness and lacks the sneering contempt some very successful authors have for their characters. His ability to make the surroundings and the landscapes visible to the reader is brilliant. ( )

Love Story with Murders by Harry Bingham is the second book in his series featuring DC Fiona Griffiths, and this series is quite simply fantastic. Fiona is a dominant, fiery, slightly psychotic personality but this book offers a lot more than superbly developed characters. The plot is intricate, there is plenty of action and the police procedures are detailed and informative.

This book opens with the discovery of two bodies, both chopped into pieces and scattered or placed in some pretty obscure places. The police work hard trying to find the connection between these two murders, even though they occurred some five years apart. This bizarre situation develops into a complex, convoluted case that eventually becomes bogged down with politics. Fiona, heavily invested in this case is nonetheless still working through discovering her own identity and trying to find her place on “Planet Normal”. She finds herself falling in love with her boyfriend and thinking about a future that could include marriage and children.

An excellent police procedural that draws the reader in and has you rooting for the police to nail the bad guys. The star is without question the intense and quirky Fiona who has made these books a “must” read for me. ( )