Info
Written By: David Fennell.
Published By: Zaffre Books.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a physical copy of the book for the purpose of this review, also thanks to Random Things Blog Tour for adding me to the tour.
Overview
Elena Zoric is murdered, her body concealed beside a stream in North London. Her phone lies nearby, the last number dialled was to the woman who had rescued her from sex trafficking: Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Grace Archer.
Archer desperately wants to lead the murder investigation but her new boss, Chief Inspector Les Fletcher, makes it very clear its out of her jurisdiction.
Then the thirty-year-old remains of a woman are found in the attic of an abandoned house, the victim dying in similar circumstances to Elena Zoric.
But Archer's North London colleagues have bigger priorities than the murder of 'a drugged-up prostitute.'
Archer needs answers. Who killed Elena? Why did she call Archer moments from her death? And what rules must she break to stop a killer in his tracks?
Overview taken from the official book press release.
Review
Sometimes a thriller comes along that literally drags you in and holds no apologies for doing so, A Violent Heart is exactly that book it gave me exactly what I wanted from a book.
From the official we are met with the detailed brutal murder of sex worker Elena, all she wanted was a little bit of extra money, she didn't even want to go out tonight but needs always out weigh the wants, but this particular night felt different from the others even when she got into the car unfortunately for Elena her instincts prove to be right and tonight will be her last ever night.
As you descend deeper into the story it becomes clear that other murders in the area have a similar pattern meaning that a serial killer could well be connected and it's down to DI Grace Archer to pick away at the investigation that has very little to go on.
Although this book is book 4 in the Grace Archer series it felt right to be read as a stand alone novel, David Fennell perfectly crafts the foundations to allow the characters and story to build from a solid base giving the reader a more intense reading experience. I just knew from the first few pages as I felt those first pages perfectly set the tone for the rest of the book. The book has a gritty and dark edge to it which ramps up the intensity as it furiously gathers pace. I was hooked right from the off as it builds to its gritty conclusion.
I am new to DI Grace Archer series but I will definitely hunt down the previous books as if this is anything to go by the then it would definitely be worth my while, this is book 4 it has enough of the character back story that allowed me to still enjoy the book but as I said that will definitely see to correcting this literature failure soon.
Summary
Time now then to put my thoughts into a summary, overall I really enjoyed the book, I felt the story had the right balance of everything that you would want from a thriller, an intense story that keeps you locked into the pages throughout - I didn't want to put it down. This is the first time I've read David Fennell's work and I would definitely put him up there as one of my favourite writers, his furious style captivates and excites in equal measures. Definitely a recommendation from me.
Verdict-Out of 5 ⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
EXCELLENT
I give A Violent Heart an excellent full marks score of 5 ⭐, the book gave me everything I wanted and more I'm definitely a DI Archer fan. David Fennell is definitely up there as one of my favourite writers right now the fast pace of the book really captivated my imagination and left me thinking about the story even after I finished. Definitely recommend picking this up.
Note On The Author
David Fennell was born and raised in Belfast. He left for London at the age of eighteen and jobbed as a chef, waiter and bartender for several years before starting a career in writing for the software industry. David has played rugby for Brighton and studied Creative Writing at the University of Sussex. He is married and lives in Brighton.
This was part of the Random Things Blog Tour please check out the other bloggers on the tour
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