I was excited about the first book in David J Gatward’s spin-off series focusing on Gordy and it didn’t disappoint. After leaving the previous DCI Grimm novel on such an emotional, heart-wrenching bombshell I was keen to see how Gordy faired down south. I liked how Gatward focused on Gordy’s grief in such a detailed and sensitive way, not shying away at all from how she’d be feeling. I found this very refreshing and authentic. I liked the team he built around Gordy and also how he brought them to life without writing about them quite as much as her old team as they would have felt a little odd as all the fans love them so much! I also liked the dual timelines and the intrigue of the “slayings” themselves. I missed some of the police procedural details and felt there could have been more focus on the investigation itself in the book. I also guessed the killer, as I have in the past with Gatward’s books, but the book was good enough for this not to detract from the quality.