I got into Alex Smith’e Kett novels off the back of JD Kirk’s DCI Logan and David J Gatward’s DCI Grimm series - Kett was highly recommended on the other novelists’ respective Facebook groups! I rattled through the preceding stories as audiobooks, but was a little nervous about the subject matter of this one upon reading the synopsis. While it is challenging, as is always the case in this series, Smith handles the subjects sensitively and I couldn’t stop listening once I braved starting the book! The crimes in this series are definitely darker and less-easy to read/listen to than other similar detective series. However, the strong main cast, injections of well-timed humour throughout and the refreshing human and likeable side to Kett through details of his experience of fatherhood (as opposed to the lead male detective being an absent father a la Rebus and Logan) balances the sometimes-more-challenging elements of the books.