The sergeant took some from each box and spread them around the floor so they could all see. Dozens upon dozens of them. DI Rachel Narey’s guess was that there were a few hundred in all.
Photographs.
Many of them were in crowd scenes, some just sitting on a park bench or walking a dog or waiting for a bus or working in shops. They seemed to have no idea they’d been photographed.
A dawn raid on the home of a suspected rapist leads to a chilling discovery, a disturbing collection hidden under floorboards. Narey is terrified at the potential scale of what they’ve found and of what brutalities it may signal.
When the photographs are ruled inadmissible as evidence and the man walks free from court, Narey knows she’s let down the victim she’d promised to protect and a monster is back on the streets.
Tony Winter’s young family is under threat from internet trolls and he is determined to protect them whatever the cost. He and Narey are in a race against time to find the unknown victims of the photographer’s lens – before he strikes again.
My Rating: 5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Review
Oh my giddy aunt, what a read! I am such a naughty reader as this is the first of Craig Robertson’s books I have read – but not the last! I have a few books to catch up on in this series, and I can’t wait!
Set in Glasgow, we start with a powerful prologue which takes us back to 2008. We then jump to 2017 and the reader is faced with rape, power, control, social media trolls, manipulation, anger, fear, objectification, depersonalisation, stalking, revenge and the search for the truth and justice.
As I mentioned earlier, the books starts with a jaw-dropping prologue and I was immediately hooked! I thought the storyline was relevant and absolutely intriguing. I loved how I just could not stop at one chapter and found myself reading well into the wee hours as Narey and Winters worked separately to bring the criminal to justice. Just when I thought I had figured it out…BOOM! The author knocked me for six as more revelations came to light.
DI Rachel Narey and her other half, Tony Winters (a journalist) seem an unlikely professional couple but boy do they just work! Although both are protective of those they care about- Rachel is feisty, determined, passionate, insightful and a bit of a risk-taker while Narey is sensible to a degree, precise, logical and doesn’t hold back when he wants answers. Love this pair!
The Beast… *shivers*… a narcissistic sociopath with influence …hmmmmm….the very worst kind. We find out early on who this is (no spoilers) but I hated this character the moment I learned what this person did in the prologue. Uses others (internet trolls) to do some of the dirty-work and think they are so clever, but like most people of this nature – their self serving, self absorbed attitude is their downfall ..I may have cheered when karma (and justice) kicked this person in the arse.
Lainey Henderson was also another great character – despite her vulnerability, she had courage and strength to help Narey and Winters bring The Beast to answer for the crimes committed. There were actually quite a few characters, like Danny for instance, who I really enjoyed but I couldn’t possibly name them all and actually, I think that is the wonderful part of reading – discovering these things for yourself.
Would I recommend this book? Holy Sh*tballs – you bet your ass I would! A tight plot, with a great build up of tension and suspense – and superb characters you invest in – definitely a #TopRead2018 for me! I highly recommend you grab The Photographer and if you are worried about it being a series…don’t be – I’ve yet to read the others and found this to easily read as a stand-alone. However, I am now looking forward to catching up with this series!
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.
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