A Brutal Trade by Faith Mortimer

A Brutal Trade by Faith Mortimer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days (on and off)

Pages - 207

Publisher - Topsails Charter

Blurb from Goodreads

Even on a small island the darkest secrets can’t stay buried forever…

It began like any normal day in Cyprus…except it wasn’t…the body of a woman brutally murdered and discovered in a shallow grave changes all that.

It is only days later when amateur sleuth, Diana Rivers and old flame, Chief Superintendent Adam Lovell discover a second female victim…only this time the discovery is even more chilling and shocks the island inhabitants.

Joining forces with local policeman, Sergeant Yiannis Loukiades, the three embark on a journey which takes them on the fringes of humanity. Disturbing secrets are unearthed. They are on the hunt for killers who will stop at nothing in their hunt for one vital woman.

As the bodies mount up, the detectives ask themselves one question. What is the reason for the women’s’ deaths and their horrific mutilations?

With the investigation quickly gathering momentum, Diana finds herself exposed to great danger…in the sights of a lethal individual who’ll put a stop to her meddling. Each move could be deadly… vicious in its outcome…can the team bring a halt to this brutal trade?


My Review

Set on a small island in Cyprus, a mutilated body of a female is discovered with some body parts missing. Diana & former lover Chief Superintendent Adam Lovell discover a second body, realizing someone is targeting these girls and for a specific reason. As the tale goes on and bodies start piling up, Diana is drawn further into the investigation and danger is closer to home than she could have imagined.

Diana is a writer and also a private investigator, long since has she moved on from Adam however he is visiting the island with his partner Clare, who is psychic and recovering from surgery. Together with the local police they dig into the case and discover a dark and dangerous motive for these killings.

This is the 7th book in a series, the Diana Rivers mysteries however, I can say you don't need to have read the previous to start here, as I have done. The book is a bit brutal in that it covers rape, torture, murder and mutilation to highlight some of the themes. You are drawn in to this dark tale and see the darker side of humanity, were human life is expendable and these people will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Diana reminded me of a modern day Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote, a lovely lady who gets caught up and involved in all manners of skulduggery. I would love to read more or even a spin off tale of Clare, I absolutely love psychics in stories and would like to see her feature more. This was a really well done fictional portrayal of a horrific crime trade, despite the brutal content I think it was handled very well. This is my first time reading this author and it certainly won't be the last. 4/5 for me this time, thanks so much to the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. At the time of posting you can get this on the kindle for £0.99 and it is also available in paperback for £8.99, from Amazon. You can find Faith on Twitter @FaithMortimer and Facebook.

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