Perfect Prey by Helen Fields follows the investigation of a series of gruesome murders in Scotland. The main characters, Detective Inspector Luc Callanach and his partner, DI Ava Turner, are tasked with finding the killer, who seems to be targeting young women. The subplots are engaging, and there are a lot of twists and turns.
Book Information
Publisher: Harper Collins
Imprint: Avon
First Published: July 27, 2017
Format: audiobook
ISBN: 9780008181604
Source: Library
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Series: D.I. Callanach #2
I’m glad I didn’t judge the series by the first book. Perfect Prey was great. The technical aspects of cybercrimes are exciting and well-developed. It made it seem like setting up a very secure dark website was much easier than it is, but that’s the IT nerd in me chiming in. The two cyber criminal groups were well opposed. I found it infuriating that DCI Joseph Edgar, the cybercrime specialist, was so fixated on the Robin Hood crimes that he was a roadblock to solving the murders.
The “game” is fun to figure out. Watching Luc, Lance and Ben work together clandestinely to make sense of the game was engaging. It was interesting that Luc had no qualms about impacting DCI Edgar’s investigation by contacting the cyber security firm. The crimes themselves are horrific and gruesome. Surprisingly, the criminals were tech-savvy enough to access the dark web. They didn’t strike me as individuals who would have figured it out independently.
Luc improves in Perfect Prey but still needs to be a better character. He’s annoying, impulsive, and suddenly, jarringly angsty. His interactions with his neighbour were weird, and I still don’t get his mood swings. Luc takes some damage in Perfect Prey, which comes up repeatedly later in the plot. I appreciate that. Sometimes, the main character gets injured, and then a chapter after, they’re swinging from chandeliers without issue. That always drives me up the wall.
The twists were good. I guessed and second-guessed what roles characters were playing and guessed almost all of them wrong. The new Chief Inspector is a pill, and I found her difficult to deal with. The neighbour comes across as too kind and two-dimensional, and Edgar seems to have an ulterior motive. Perfect Prey kept me on my toes.
The cast supporting the investigation was strong, too. DS Lively was abrasive, but it seemed like he gained respect for Luc and was giving him a hard time in good faith. We got to know more about DS Tripp and DS Salter, too! I was concerned with DS Salter at the end, which was the book’s most intense part for me.
A Perfect Prey is still clunky when it comes to romance. I wish Fields had removed the romance aspects from the story. Any time sex or intimacy comes up, it doesn’t jive well with the rest of the novel. I’m not too fond of the dynamic between Luc and Ava; they both lash out unhealthily, and Ava continually forgives Luc. I get he’s super handsome, but he’s also emotionally stunted.
Since there was significant improvement between books one and two, I’m looking forward to seeing where book three goes!