I have to start this review with a major mea culpa! I read this book in December 2018 and somehow I completely missed finishing the review and it's now almost three years later. But I'm going to work this into an advantage because this installment of the
DI Callanach series is still deeply engraved in my mind after all these years. Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pub. Date: 4/18/2019
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Your darkest moment is your most vulnerable…
Stephen Berry is about to jump off a bridge until a suicide prevention counsellor stops him. A week later, Stephen is dead. Found at the bottom of a cliff, DI Luc Callanach and DCI Ava Turner are drafted in to investigate whether he jumped or whether he was pushed…
As they dig deeper, more would-be suicides roll in: a woman found dead in a bath; a man violently electrocuted. But these are carefully curated deaths – nothing like the impulsive suicide attempts they’ve been made out to be.
Little do Callanach and Turner know how close their perpetrator is as, across Edinburgh, a violent and psychopathic killer gains more confidence with every life he takes…
This book deals quite heavily with mental help and especially suicide, which may be difficult for some readers. I found that Fields treated it with a lot of care, however, highlighting how easily people with mental health issues can be abused or taken advantage of. This is an issue with a lot of thriller/suspense novels, where the criminal often ends up having some kind of mental health issues. It puts mentally ill people into the perpetrator corner, when actually, in reality, they are often the victims. Fields also uses Perfect Crime to dig further into Luc's past and has him confront some of his own demons. It makes for a balanced novel in which looking after ones mental health is a priority and not a plotline.
Perfect Crime starts with a prevented suicide, but this is quickly followed by tragedy when Stephen Berry is found dead nonetheless. While initially an assumption is made that it was suicide, clues point detectives towards a different, darker answer. In quick succession more victims are found, the one common thread being that they had attempted suicide in the past. Now the hunt is on, but it is a difficult and tricky one. The chapters from the perspective of the killer are fascinating and disturbing, which is exactly as they should be. While Fields' novels are always scary, there was something extra terrifying about this plot. It is a pleasure to rejoin the old familiar crew, with the now permanent DI Pax Graham. The will they/won't they between Callanach and Ava Turner remains thrilling and fun. It's one of those relationships that I think I'd prefer to always be on the edge, rather than fully established.
Helen Fields remains one of my favourite thriller and suspense novelists. She manages to balance consistent action with proper character development and quiet moments. While the series is named after Callanach, Ava Turner is probably my favourite character. She is complex, a little messy and reckless, but also very motivated and with her heart in the right place. The second plotline around Luc's family and the troubles of his past is not as gripping as the main storyline, but it greatly served his character. While he is no doubt a dreamy main character, I always appreciate it when things are made more complex. The DI Callanach series remains a favourite and I'm consistently impressed at how Fields manages to come up with inventive plots and twists and turns without sinking away into clichés.
I give this book...
4 Universes!
Perfect Crime is a great fifth installment of the DI Callanach series. Fields balances a terrifying crime spree with in-depth character development, resulting in a thrilling read.
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