Mari Hannah

Three years ago police officer Georgina Ioannou was killed, executed in cold blood, and her assailant was never apprehended. The force believed it was two brothers who had been released from custody recently and conveniently fled the country. Now they are both dead, killed as they returned to Newcastle to celebrate Christmas with their family and friends. Temporarily in charge of Major Crimes, Kate has to balance the reopening of the original case with the new events which have left four dead, including another officer.

I really enjoy Hannah's books about policing in the North East. She has created a set of characters who interweave throughout different stories and all are realistic and hard-hitting. Here there is the element of vengeance for a colleague who was murdered as well as a great deal of consideration of the effects on all involved. There is also some background around the prevalence of organised crime groups and their networks. All-in-all an excellent police procedural to start the new year!… (mais)

A body is found floating in Kielder Water, but when police go to retrieve it they discover another more recent death nearby. For Oliver and Stone this is a final case together as Frankie has received a promotion and is about to leave the team. However there is chance for a trip to Iceland to investigate one death and a scandal brewing from a nasty media campaign.
Hannah writes excellent police procedurals set in the beautiful and wild areas of Northumberland. This is no exception and weaves together a couple of plots about a revenge and also prejudice really well. I loved the fact that the historic murder was linked to the building of Kielder Dam and was completely believable. I found the Icelandic plot a little more far-fetched and not completely resolved in terms of actions. However it's still a great book.… (mais)