I don't know why, but for some reason I had Caz Frear's first novel Sweet Little Lies on my wish list years ago. However, from one day to the next it suddenly disappeared. I don't even remember why I took it off. It might have something to do with the fact that I found out it was a series. I'm not usually one to pick up detective series. There's one I'm fond off which is Lee Child's Jack Reacher, but all others I try to avoid. I don't like the feeling of being "stuck" to a series. I'm one of those people who can't quite a series, even if they don't like it. That's why I have almost the full Harry Hole series in my bookcase by Jo Nesbo.
Anyways, I digress. The reason I had this book on my wish list is because the idea that Cat Kinsella is operating in the UK police force even though her dad is a hardened criminal in organised crime sparked my interest. When I saw the third book in the series on Netgalley I decided to jump right into it.
Shed No Tears is about the final victim of a serial killer who was active around and apprehended in 2012. Holly Kemp is found in a field near Cambridge. The discovery of the final body could potentially wrap the whole case up. However, the serial killer Christopher Masters had never confessed to murdering her and when inspector Cat and Luigi look closer at the victim, they notice quite a few discrepancies with Masters' other victims.
I like the fact that even though there are a lot of allusions to the previous novels, we're actually getting enough information to understand roughly what happened and what feeling we have to have towards the people in Cat's life, but not too much to want to make the two previous novels redundant. You can easily read this novel, and still get the "full experience" of Cat Kinsella. The stories of previous novels are intertwined with this one, so be careful, because it'll get you wanting more.
Other things I liked were the easy banter between Kinsella and people she conversed with. I think she's a fun person to be around and I really enjoy her sarcasm and wit. It never turns self-deprecating or too much. You know those female protagonists who are so snippy and snide almost no woman can identify with them? Artemis by Andy Weir is the first novel that comes to mind that has one of those protagonists.
Another important element I liked is the plot itself. Nothing is what you'd expect, in a good way. It twists-and-turns without it being overtly twisty. You simply find out new things throughout the course of the novel. The fact that those new things are completely unexpected show what a good writer Caz Frear is.
Highly recommended and aside from the fact that I will definitely read the first and second book in this instalment, I really hope more books are on the way. Sometimes it's nice to read a book in a series and to know that the end is not yet in sight.
Many thanks to the publisher Bonnier Books UK and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
5 stars
Statistics:
Date read: June 18, 2020
Date published: July 23, 2020
Publisher: Bonnier Books UK
Format: eBook
Pages: 368
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror
My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1
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