A review by kaz_loves_books
Revenge by Gaynor Torrance

5.0

This is the debut novel by Gaynor Torrence called Revenge. Its set out in rural Wales, not too far from Llanishen. We meet DI Jemima Huxley and DS Dan Broadbent, in a heatwave in early May.

There has been a report of a dead body in the woods out at Llys Faen Hall. Jemima got the call from her boss early one morning and was told to pick her DS up on the way. When they arrived at the hall, the scene was already marked off and the forensic officers were hard at work. Part of a corpse was visible. They were told not to go any closer, as two bodies had been found so far and the area was still being searched. Jemima decided to head to the hall and speak to the Tremaines who lived there. Their dog had found the body originally and they had called the police. Other then that they knew nothing about it as their grounds were huge and the woods were away from the house. They didn’t usually walk there. It was to get away from the smell from the fields more than anything.

They didn’t know of anyone who could hold a grudge against them. Mrs Tremaine helped out at a women’s refuge but it wasn’t widely known. Mr Tremaine has diversified the business his dad started in the brewing industry to include restaurants and hotels. They were a private couple. The couple could not really help the police with their enquiries.

The postmortem gave the team some ideas to work on as the first corpse had a tattoo so that might help identity her, along with good dental work. Jemima worked her own theory to see if there was a ritualistic theme possible. What could the motive have been? Why these girls? Where had they been killed? Why leave them there? Do they have a serial killer on their patch? Are they still active?

Along with working this case, Jemima was desperate for a baby and when the emotions got too much, she started hurting herself. Her husband Nick seemed oblivious to how she feels as she hasn’t found the right moment to speak to him, they both lead busy lives. She was struggling with the heat and he seems immune to how she was feeling. What can she do?

This was a brilliant read, fantastic plot and story. Well written and thought out. I found it very hard to put down as I wanted to know what was going to happen next! I am already looking forward to the next DI Jemima Huxley book, can’t wait!