01 September 2026

This one caught my attention because of the cover, and the blurb immediately grabbed me. Of course, it then turned out that I had dived into the series with book four! Thankfully, I was able to pick up the storyline easily enough and soon found myself completely caught up in the investigation.

This police procedural follows a series of brutal murders in which the victims are people who have recently been acquitted of serious crimes and set free. These crimes include rape, abuse and murder. Each victim is tortured and brutally killed, with the killer then scalping them and keeping their skin as a trophy.

The police are forced to look closely at the families involved in each of the victims’ original cases. These are people who feel they have been completely failed by the justice system, making the investigation particularly difficult for Henley and her team. Regardless of their personal feelings about the victims or the circumstances surrounding their acquittals, they still have a job to do.

I’m new to both this series and Nadine Matheson’s writing, and I initially struggled to form an attachment to Henley and her team. Starting with book four meant walking into an already established team with years of history and relationships that I knew nothing about. However, the more I read and the more I got to know the characters, the more invested I became. In fact, by the end I found myself wanting to go back and read the previous books, which I have now added to my ever-growing backlist.

Anjelica Henley is an intriguing character. She has been through a lot, including a previous attack, and her family has also been put in danger. I definitely want to find out more about what happened to her. She has also had an affair with her now-boss, which she has called off, although she clearly hasn’t completely managed to let him go.

Then there is the revelation that her previous boss, who she believed had died by suicide, was actually murdered. There are clearly plenty of unanswered questions surrounding Henley and her past, and I am very intrigued to see where her story goes next.

I’m also curious about the newest woman on the team, although I have to admit that I don’t particularly like her at this stage. She is a bit of a loose cannon and seems to be trying just a little too hard—and in all the wrong ways! I suspect I’m going to have to keep reading the series to see what happens with her.

My only real complaint about this one is… what is with all the names?! Why are they all so complicated?

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. Despite jumping into the series halfway through, I found myself invested in the investigation and, more importantly, in the characters. I have definitely added the earlier books to my reading list, so it looks like I have another series to catch up on!