The Reckoning

February 27, 2012
London Det. Constable Maeve Kerrigan, introduced in Irish author Casey’s series debut, The Burning (2011), should win plenty of new fans with this entertaining follow-up, an enticing mix of police work, romance, evildoers, sex, and sexism. Kerrigan’s boss, Supt. Charles Godley, assigns her to work with Det. Insp. Josh Derwent on two murders that appear to be linked: both victims had convictions as sex offenders and both were tortured before being killed. Not only do more victims follow but the nature of the case also changes as the search for the missing young daughter of vicious mobster John Skinner becomes the focus of the investigation. Meanwhile, Kerrigan must deal with Derwent’s almost constant put-downs and confusion about her on-again, off-again romance with Det. Constable Rob Langton. Casey surrounds Kerrigan, an appealing blend of confidence and self-doubt, with a large cast of well-drawn characters, including Godley and Skinner. Admirers of Elizabeth George’s ensemble police mysteries will find a lot to like. Agent: Zoë Pagnamenta, Zoë Pagnamenta Agency.

April 1, 2012
Romance and gore vie for the attention of a London detective constable. Barry Palmer's skull was fractured. Ivan Tremlett's throat was cut. Fintan Kinsella's head was blown off. Would a single perp so vary his method? DC Maeve Kerrigan, recovering from the trauma of her last case (The Burning, 2011, etc.), hesitantly reigniting her relationship with fellow copper Rob Langton and recently moved into a new flat across from a nerdy neighbor, is working the murders with her new partner, the chauvinistic Derwent, when a confession sends it careening off in another direction. John Skinner, mastermind of most of the city's major crimes, admits he ordered the killings, with torture added to wrest out information about the disappearance of his daughter Cheyenne. Where is she? More bodies will turn up before her corpse surfaces adorned with DNA belonging to Patricia Farinelli, reported missing 18 months ago in Stoke Newington, though there was never a proper investigation into her whereabouts. Meanwhile Skinner, a longtime nemesis of Supt. Godley, has issued threats against his family, and a stalker has snapped pictures of Maeve and taunted her with them. So many questions, so many theories. Is Patricia, like Cheyenne, a victim or a participant in her abduction? Has a rival mobster plotted Skinner's downfall by taking his daughter? Will Godley collapse under pressure against his family? Is the stalker one more piece of the Patricia/Cheyenne puzzle or a separate player altogether? Maeve, despite the doubts of Derwent, and Rob, who focuses on a departmental leak, work it all out, including the consequences of love. At least one subplot too many dragged in toward the end, but otherwise a neatly drawn study of male-female working relationships, commitment phobia and the grimier aspects of police work.

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Starred review from April 1, 2012

After her acclaimed debut, The Burning, Casey delivers a second tension-filled thriller featuring DC Maeve Kerrigan, who works for a major crimes team of the Metropolitan London Police. This time Kerrigan is investigating a series of gruesome murders with Detective Inspector Derwent, who is new to the team. Kerrigan finds her colleague somewhat ambivalent about rushing to identify the murderer because the victims all have criminal records as sex offenders involving children. When a break in the case leads to a mobster and his missing teenage daughter, Kerrigan, Derwent, and the entire major crimes team move fast but still risk running out of time. VERDICT Casey has succeeded in writing another impossible-to-put-down thriller with surprising plot twists and well-developed, intriguing characters. Readers will want to know what happens to Kerrigan next!--Lisa Hanson O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2012
Three men are found murdered and mutilated in close succession, each tortured in an individual manner, but that's just the tip of the iceberg here. The victims evoke less sympathy when all three are found to be pedophiles, making the killer seem nearly righteous in his motive. London DC Maeve Kerrigan, of the murder task force, chafing under the direction of brusque and opinionated DI Josh Derwent, saves the life of the fourth intended victim, which leads to an all-out search for a missing teenage girl. This turns into something bigger, with true psychopaths at its core and a spy within the task force. Meanwhile, perceptive but commitment-shy Maeve must deal with being a woman in a world of less-than-sensitive men and handle a romantic relationship with a fellow team member. In sharp and supple prose, Casey illustrates both the nitty-gritty work and the keen instincts that solve crimes in this police procedural with a feminist bent, a worthy sequel to the well-received The Burning (2011).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)