CUT TO THE BONE
by Alex Caan
One Missing Girl. Two Million Suspects.
Ruby is a vlogger, a rising star of YouTube and a heroine to millions of teenage girls.
And she's missing . . .
But she's an adult - nothing to worry about, surely?
Until the video's uploaded . . .
Ruby, in the dirt, pleading for her life.
Enter Detective Inspector Kate Riley; the Met's rising star and the head of a new team of investigators with the best resources money can buy. Among them, Detective Sergeant Zain Harris, the poster boy for multiracial policing. But can Kate wholly trust him - and more importantly, can she trust herself around him?
As hysteria builds amongst the press and Ruby's millions of fans, Kate and her team are under pressure to get results, and fast, but as they soon discover, the world of YouTube vloggers and social media is much darker than anyone could have imagined.
And the videos keep coming . .
DCI Kate Riley and DS Zain Harris are required to investigate a missing person case having been called in by the commissioner Justin Hope. Riley and Harris’ investigation commences barely hours after Ruby, a successful vlogger, left her home. Ruby, who has a huge online following, appears to have been abducted and it’s not long before disturbing videos are posted online, videos of her pleading that go viral.
Ruby’s parents suspect that her boyfriend come ex-boyfriend is involved but he’s not the only suspect. Other relationships including her professional ones also throw up leads and then there’s her thousands of trolls.
Prepare for a ride of unpredictable turns that make this a police procedural not to be missed.
Riley, an American in London, is a particularly interesting character who is running away from her past. Actually, both her and Harris have their own dark and personal side issues - such as his suffering in the line of duty and her mother’s face blindness - and as we get to know them gradually, we come to understand them better. It's a parnership with chemistry - yes that kind.
The short chapters and swift plotting help the pages fly in this modern thriller of conspiracy and captivating characters.
About Alex Caan:
Alex Caan has spent over a decade working in Information Systems Security for a number of government organisations, and is currently specialising in Terrorism Studies. A lifetime passion for writing was sparked by the encouraging words of an English Teacher in school, and eventually led to Alex successfully completing an MA in Creative Writing, and write Cut to the Bone.