still enjoying this series... will continue ( )

When will people learn that there is no traditional safety on a Glock. It's in the trigger. Sigh. ( )

I received this book from the Dead Good Crime book club as a group read. I had never read anything by Jane Casey and think it would have helped if I had. I found the book a little hard to get into, but once I got into the story I was hooked. DC Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent are partners who have a very odd relationship. There are times I felt he was a huge male chauvinist, and others where he was completely understanding of what Maeve had gone through and was ready to defend her. The one thing that bothered me about this novel was the way the females in the Metropolitan Police were treated by their colleagues and their reactions to it, but having said that, I do believe it is still somewhat a "Boys Club" even today. Back to the story, Police are being killed in various ways and it is up to Maeve and Josh to investigate. After 7 murders of various branches of the police, everyone is feeling scared and in danger. The police can not protect themselves, how will they protect the citizens. Maeve becomes privy to some information that turns everything upside down and she does not know what to do with it. How will they solve these seemingly connected crimes? What happens to Maeve's and Josh's partnership? Do Maeve and Rob surivive their relationship? If you are just beginning to read this series, I would recommend that you read the others first as they do refer to earlier situations that I was not aware of how they fit in to Maeve's story. Overall a very good read and I will definitely look for the rest of this series. ( )

Maeve's team is investigating the deaths of police officers in London. These deaths may or may not be connected. Maeve's concerns about Godley's possible corruption come to a head and her stalker burbles along in the background.

I felt this book suffered a bit from having too many disparate murders going on. I wanted Josh (turning into a bit of a Mr Darcy character in my opinion) and Maeve to concentrate on the Hammond case. Instead they were diverted to the mass shooting, which was, frankly, not terribly interesting. The gun club scenes were fun, as was the scene where Maeve had to rescue Josh from drowning in a bathtub, and the Maeve/Josh banter continues to be the best thing about these books.

SPOILERS

However, Rob's behaviour seemed utterly bizarre, both by the standards of what we know of Rob and by any normal standards. Does he know that Maeve was aware Godley was corrupt and that his officer's death was a result of pressure being put on Godley? ( )

The Kill sees a welcome return to DC Maeve Kerrigan along with her complicated private life and public relationships with her immediate superiors, DI Josh Derwent and Superintendent Godley. For lovers of the Maeve Kerrigan series you won't be disappointed and if you're new to this author, I urge you to go back and start with the first book, The Burning. While the books can be read as a standalone story, there are continuing themes between titles so it would be a shame to spoil the plots by reading retrospectively.

In this installment Kerrigan and Derwent are involved in a series of murders that personally impact on them (in ways I have no intention of revealing)when someone starts killing police officers. As with all of her previous book, Casey has the ability to draw you in from the beginning, not only with a compelling crime plot, that you need to see resolved, but also with her deftly drawn characters. Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent are a great team, though on paper you would not expect it to be so. Maeve is the only female detective on the team and is subject to stereotypical sexist banter from her colleagues, though she is well capable of holding her own due to her undoubted ability and a nice line in finely honed clever comments. She is also vulnerable and fallible which makes her a realistic and sympathetic character. Derwent meanwhile is a fine example of unreconstructed man, with a sexist approach that would have most women in a rage. Despite this, there is a chemistry between them that works, not least because in the most unexpected moments Derwent has the ability to throw you off guard by producing a caring response or sympathetic phrase you would not believe him capable of. While there is jokey banter, tension and disagreements there is also an underlying respect (and I feel some festering sexual attraction).

I have no hesitation in recommending The Kill, the plot was satisfying and as the tension cranked up towards the end, really merited the description “pageturner”. My only disappointment is that I now need to wait for the next in the series to follow up unresolved issues.

I received an e copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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