Cold Killing
Luke Delaney
Terrifyingly authentic, London-set debut crime novel with a psychological edge, by an ex-Met detective.
Perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Peter James and Stuart MacBride.
DI Sean Corrigan is not like other detectives. The terrible abuse he suffered in childhood hasn't stopped him enjoying family life with his wife and two daughters, or pursuing an impressive career with South London's Murder Investigation Unit. But it has left him with an uncanny ability to identify the darkness in others - a darkness he recognises still exists deep within his own psyche and battles to keep buried there.
Now Sean's on the trail of the most dangerous killer he's ever encountered.
The perpetrator has no recognisable MO, leaves no forensic evidence and his victims have nothing in common. But Sean knows they were all murdered by the same man.
Now all he has to do is find the evidence, convince his bosses and stop the killing ...
before his adversary gets too close to home...
I Well, the only thing I can say is if you haven't read this debut novel by Luke Delaney, you should certainly give it a go, absolutely brilliant. I read the synopsis about this book and thought it sounded great. I mean who better to write a book about the murky worlds of killers that an ex-copper turned CID with experience of extreme violence. When I looked at the bio of Luke Delaney I wasn't surprised to see that this was a pseudonym, as I can't imagine many coppers would want their real name and picture plastered about on books! This is the first in a series of books featuring DI Sean Corrigan. The difference between DI Corrigan and others is that Sean has an ability to take his thoughts to the dark side of a killer. His upbringing has left him with deep scars and emotions that haunt him; thankfully they also make him a great copper.When I started reading this book I didn't realise that within the first couple of chapters I would be so completely absorbed. DI Sean Corrigan is an absolutely fantastic character. He is a normal guy with a wife and kids, working a job that has unsociable hours. However when the first crime scene turns up in the book you see the other side to him. I really can't explain just how dark this side of his character is, but just reading him processing his thoughts like a killer made me shiver. What also pulled me in with this book were the chapters that were written from the killer's point of view. It shows just how much experience Delaney must have as it's realistic to the point of it being terrifying. Sean is on the trail of a killer who is frighteningly smart. He knows about forensics and every scene he shows up at is free of any DNA evidence. What struck me when reading this book was the fact that you get to see coppers work a case the real way, not like an episode of CSI. It had me horrified and intrigued in equal measures. The pace was pretty good but this was certainly secondary for me as the storyline and characters were brilliant. This was a book I didn't want to put down and is best described as a meaty police thriller. All I can say is that Delany has clearly found his calling following a career in the police.
Review by Katherine Everett, Best Crime Books
About Luke Delaney:
Luke Delaney joined the Metropolitan Police Service in the late 1980s and his first posting was to an inner city area of South East London notorious for high levels of crime and extreme violence. He later joined CID where he investigated murders ranging from those committed by fledgling serial killers to gangland assassinations.