The Other Woman by Jane Isaac
Mystery, murder and more in this story of a man murdered in cold blood leaving two women without a “partner” and four children without a father. Who killed Cameron and why? What did Monika and Sara have to do with it – if anything? How will the police go about uncovering why the murder took place? Will the murderer be caught? So many questions and as each clue was revealed I was drawn in further.
* Beth – she seemed focused, smart and dedicated to her job and family. She’s a good policewoman and capable of thinking on her feet and taking action when needed.
* The police team – being introduced to them I have a feeling I will like DCI Lee Freeman and Sergeant Nick Geary along with some others on the team
* Watching the police procedural aspects followed during the investigation
* The way the story unfolds – pace and plotting were well done
* Not knowing for sure who the bad guy was till near the end...even though I had read the end before the middle of the book
* That it made me think and care and hope for a good outcome for all involved in a messy situation
* The bad guy – really seemed off mentally and totally irrational
* The situation I have a feeling Beth’s sister is getting into with the man she has chosen to spend time with
* The first murder victim – Cameron was not a man that I could like even though it seemed his partners and children probably did
* Being reminded again of how easily humans perpetrate evil against one another
* Having to say goodbye to the characters in the story and having to wait for book two of the series to find out what happens next
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the ARC – This is my honest review.
The grieving widow. The other woman. Which one is which?
When Cameron Swift is shot and killed outside his family home, DC Beth Chamberlain is appointed Family Liaison Officer. Her role is to support the family – and investigate them.
Monika, Cameron's partner and mother of two sons, had to be prised off his lifeless body after she discovered him. She has no idea why anyone would target Cameron.
Beth can understand Monika's confusion. To everyone in their affluent community, Monika and her family seemed just like any other. But then Beth gets a call.
Sara is on holiday with her daughters when she sees the news. She calls the police in the UK, outraged that no one has contacted her to let her know or offer support. After all, she and Cameron had been together for the last seven years...
Until Cameron died, Monika and Sara had no idea each other existed.
As the case unfolds, Beth discovers that nothing is quite as it appears and everyone, it seems, has secrets. Especially the dead...
Previously published as After He's Gone.
The moments before death were not at all how she imagined them to be. No images, carved from the recesses of her memory, flashed before her. No celebrated successes or missed opportunities. Instead, an overwhelming fear beat a tune beneath her skin, faster and faster, picking up momentum, immobilising her organs, one by one.
Were they out there? She risked a fleeting glance at the window. She couldn’t see them, hadn’t heard the soft thrum of their engines in the distance, or felt their clandestine footfalls as they crept around the perimeter of the house. But there were children inside, they would be discreet.
She willed them to be out there. Trussed up in bulletproof vests. Semi-automatics clutched to their chests. Hell, they should have evacuated the neighbouring houses by now. Cordoned off the whole estate.
She turned back to the room, just in time to stare down the barrel of the Glock. And froze.
A tremor ran through the sofa as a knee juddered a staccato beat beside her.
Their captor repeated the rhyme, moving the gun down the line, from child to adult, child to adult. A cat playing with his prey. A pernicious smile tickling his lips.
Please be out there. Eventually they’d make some contact, attempt to negotiate a deal. Wouldn’t they?
The knocking knee squirmed beside her, sending a trail of urine down its calf. She swallowed, the heat of the bodies squeezed beside her on the sofa failing to suppress the chill of raw ice in her chest. Two adults, two children. To kill an adult was gruesome enough. But a child? That was pure evil.
The urine crept forwards, a languid line on the polished flooring.
Wasn’t this where self-preservation was supposed to kick in? That animal instinct, sewn into living genes from the dawn of time. They’d tried screaming, reasoning, pleading, even begging. To no avail. The face opposite was calm and still. And now the fight was fading from her bones, numbing the fear biting at every sensory receptor.
The breeze picked up, a sudden gust whistling through the trees out front. The sound cut her breaths. Even if the surrounding pavements weren’t deserted, the house was set so far back from the road that nobody would have heard their screams, their pleading. This wasn’t the movies. No one was out there. There would be no heroic rescue.
The Glock snapped as it was racked up. Her stomach curdled as she watched the face of death stretch and curve. Listened to the words drip from his mouth.
‘Right. Let’s begin, shall we?’
Jane Isaac is married to a serving detective and they live in rural Northamptonshire, UK with their daughter, and dog, Bollo. Jane loves to hear from readers and writers. You can reach her via her website at www.janeisaac.co.uk Sign up to her book club at http://eepurl.com/1a2uT for book recommendations and details of new releases, events and giveaways.
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