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coffeedogsbooks's review
4.0
DI Melanie Watton and her team are called in to investigate the murder of a taxidermist. During their investigation they find a message under the body. Unfortunately the case ends up going cold. When mother murder occurs, one of he taxidermists projects is left at the crime scene. The crimes continue with more taxidermist clues left and eventually Watton realizes she is a target. While this is book 3 in the series, it did pretty good as a standalone, I never felt lost. It was a decent police procedural and pretty engaging. Watton and her team work well together although some of the attempts at humor do fall flat. I enjoyed the story and plan on going back to the first two in the series. I give this 3.5 of 5 stars, mainly because the ending felt rushed, and thank Bloodhound Books for the review copy. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
bwagner's review
4.0
This is not my first book by this author but it is one of my favorites yet. This is a well written story that kept me turning pages to the end. The twists and turns had me sitting on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what was going to happen next. The characters made the story feel real and they were relateable. This is a story a deadly game. The closer it gets to solving the mystery the closer the killer gets. What happens next, I highly recommend reading to find out. The characters really made the story for me. It was a fun, easy and entertaining story.
j_lbrbsblogs's review
3.0
3.5*
With an unusual initial investigation into the murder of a taxidermist along with the theft of some of his pieces D.I. Melanie Watton and her team seem to be chasing a dead end.
Then at a number of crime scenes one of the missing pieces is left. If the murderer didn’t kill to get hold of these apparently valuable items to sell, then why?
As the investigation goes on it becomes clear that one of the team is the ultimate target. Why them? Is it the whole team or just one of them? It must surely be linked to a past investigation and, so, the team check out all their old cases in order to find out who is being targeted and catch a killer.
Measures are put in place for the safety of her team and as it becomes clear who the target is D.I. Watton is placed in a safe house known only to her boss. Why is she the target? Will the team be able to identify and find the killer before Melanie’s whereabouts are discovered?
A solid police procedural which gives a good sense of how long investigations can take when there are no obvious leads and how important it is to be thorough. Still it doesn’t get bogged down into too much minutiae or an overly convoluted storyline.
This is a story which moves along nicely, the characters are well drawn and it picks up pace, taking the reader along for the ride, to it’s ultimate, thrilling conclusion.
This is the third in the series which I feel has more to give in terms of the characters themselves especially with regard to D.I. Walton’s relationships – in work and personally – but also in regard to future cases.
An intriguing and absorbing book which readers who enjoy police procedurals that move with pace will appreciate, I certainly did.
Thanks: With many thanks to Maria Slocombe, Publicity & Social Media Manager, Bloodhound Books for the invite to read and review The Cutter by Charlotte Barnes and for the eBook.
With an unusual initial investigation into the murder of a taxidermist along with the theft of some of his pieces D.I. Melanie Watton and her team seem to be chasing a dead end.
Then at a number of crime scenes one of the missing pieces is left. If the murderer didn’t kill to get hold of these apparently valuable items to sell, then why?
As the investigation goes on it becomes clear that one of the team is the ultimate target. Why them? Is it the whole team or just one of them? It must surely be linked to a past investigation and, so, the team check out all their old cases in order to find out who is being targeted and catch a killer.
Measures are put in place for the safety of her team and as it becomes clear who the target is D.I. Watton is placed in a safe house known only to her boss. Why is she the target? Will the team be able to identify and find the killer before Melanie’s whereabouts are discovered?
A solid police procedural which gives a good sense of how long investigations can take when there are no obvious leads and how important it is to be thorough. Still it doesn’t get bogged down into too much minutiae or an overly convoluted storyline.
This is a story which moves along nicely, the characters are well drawn and it picks up pace, taking the reader along for the ride, to it’s ultimate, thrilling conclusion.
This is the third in the series which I feel has more to give in terms of the characters themselves especially with regard to D.I. Walton’s relationships – in work and personally – but also in regard to future cases.
An intriguing and absorbing book which readers who enjoy police procedurals that move with pace will appreciate, I certainly did.
Thanks: With many thanks to Maria Slocombe, Publicity & Social Media Manager, Bloodhound Books for the invite to read and review The Cutter by Charlotte Barnes and for the eBook.
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