Released: 27th May 2021
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Number of Pages: 470
Specialising heavily in crime thrillers, Jane Casey’s prominence in the genre has grown with each major release. The Killing Kind is one of her more contemporary entries, delivering a self-contained nail-biter that will easily pull you in.
Ingrid Lewis is a well practiced barrister living and working in London, but when a previous case cooks up some public controversy she finds herself harassed and stalked by individuals with nefarious motives. All the signs point to the deceitful John Webster, who she previously defended and cleared of a crime, but the rabbit hole goes far deeper than she expects. It’s up to both Ingrid and the Metropolitan Police to track down the perpetrators before more serious crimes are committed.
Casey does a brilliant job of putting us in Ingrid’s perspective; she’s constantly looking over her shoulder, fearful of Webster’s stalking and those out to hurt her. The first-person perspective delivers a constant window into her thoughts; as the sense of danger escalates the protagonist is put under a great deal of pressure to the point it starts to affect her personal life. Any one of us could be put under the same stress and this ensures that the twists land with the right amount of punch. We learn the same bits of information as Ingrid does, making the investigation a tantalising one.
The middle act does slow down a little as Webster stays hidden for a time. On the one hand, this allows us to connect with Ingrid as she’s able to find some semblance of normality. But on the other it diminishes the tension that had been building in the opening. Luckily, the book really picks up towards the end as the masterminds are revealed and violent confrontations take place.
Recommended?
YES: Aside from a slight middle-act slump, The Killing Kind is a tense affair that keeps you guessing who is behind Ingrid’s predicament. It takes a grounded approach and never veers into overblown twists. The characters are all subjected to very real emotions; fear, anger frustration and desperation which ties in closely with the tricky administration of the UK justice system. It’s well worth a read even if you don’t typically get into crime stories.
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