Review ~ Killer Plan by Leigh Russell

No Exit Press
May 2015

When Caroline Robinson accidentally bumps into an old school acquaintance in the local park, both she and Brian share confidences about their respective partners which really they have no business sharing. Inevitably, one thing leads to another and before too long both Caroline and Brian are involved in a tragedy of epic proportions. For DI Geraldine Steel, the murder mystery at the heart of the novel comes a-calling rather too close to home and the eventual outcome tests, not just, Geraldine's skill as a police officer, but also calls into question her professional judgement, which could, all too easily, have developed into an unmitigated disaster.

I found the idea of the story interesting and felt that it could have been quite riveting were it not for the fact that I found the writing to be irritatingly disjointed in places. As the story progresses the plot seems to become increasingly implausible and, if I'm brutally honest, more than a little farcical in places. And yet, I actually rather liked the premise of the story and wanted to read on to find how the story would eventually pan out.

I do rather enjoy the Geraldine Steel Mystery series and have now read several. Each story stands on its own merits and it’s easy to pick up the back story should you come across a book in the middle of the series run. However, I'm not convinced that this is the best one I've read, but it’s hugely entertaining, just as long as you don’t want anything too complex or gritty.

My thanks to No Exit Press and Real Readers for my review copy of this book to read in advance of its May publication.

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