PRR - Cut Dead by Mark Sennen

Cut Dead by Mark Sennen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - sadly due to a busy schedule I dipped in and out over 6 days

Publisher - Avon

Pages - 406

Blurb From Goodreads

DI Charlotte Savage is back, chasing a killer who was last at large ten years ago, a killer they presumed dead …
Now he’s back and more dangerous than ever.

When three headless bodies are found mutilated in a pit, it’s a particularly challenging case for DI Savage and her team. The victims bear the hallmarks of a killer who butchered girls to their death; a killer who was never caught.

Could this be a copycat or has the original murderer resurfaced? With a steady stream of bodies arriving at the morgue and gruesome secrets from the past emerging DI Savage is up against it to find the killer before he strikes again?

Part thriller, part police procedural, a must-read for fans of Mark Billingham and Tim Weaver.



My Review

The story opens up with a prologue, in the past and giving us the starting point for our killer. We then flip to present day and DI Charlotte Savage is soon called to a gruesome burial site. Headless corpses and suggestion of a serial killer who operates on a specific timescale, can the police work out the significance of that and the message he leaves behind? The killer has struck before and it seems like he has resurfaced, Savage must work with her team to unravel the clues before the killer strikes again.

I read the book before this one but not the first in the series, I have to say I felt with this book the writer has came on leaps and bounds. The story flips between the investigation, police findings and the professional relationship between Savage and Riley. As well as this case Riley is looking into a potential lead from an old case that has special significance for Savage. Add into the mix a prison officer has gone missing and foul play is suspected.

It is a busy story with lots of twists and sidelines going on, the killer also has a voice every so often, written in italics so there is not confusion it is him. This gives small glimpses of what is going on with him and potentially driving him although in small parts which some readers may find irritating although I personally thought it was well done.

The murders are brutal, sadistic and there is details within the story that gore lovers will find riveting and put off others who like their crime to be totally procedural and less graphic. All in all I felt it kept you interested, went at a really good pace and by the end most of your questions were answered. A few were left unanswered and for some I think there will be closure within the next book but not all of them. For me it is a 4/5 and I will definitely follow the next installment to see if Savage will finally get some closure. Thanks to the publicist for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is available to purchase now from all good retailers and you can find the author on Twitter @MarkSennen.

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