The Murder Code – Steve Mosby – Cleopatra Loves Books

This book starts with the interview of a young boy by police officers but this is a tantalising start; the nature of the incident being investigated isn’t revealed until much later.

The main story follows a murder investigation which starts with a woman who is bludgeoned to death outside her home. Steve Mosby doesn’t stint on the horrors inflicted, making this a book to avoid by the squeamish, but if you have the stomach for it, and the underlying plot is outstanding, original and most importantly well-written.

Andy Hicks is the officer in charge, a policeman whose wife is expecting their first child, an event it is fair to say, that is causing him some anguish. Laura, who he partners, role is more about soothing the families of the victims and questioning the theories put forward by Andy. Andy believes that statistics and probabilities will be the route to finding the killer and holds much store by his personal theories about murderers whereas Laura is the more intuitive of the two.

As in Black Flowers, the only other book I’ve read by this author, family relationships play a big part of the novel, for both victims and perpetrator. Even though the description of the violence is at the upper end of what I am comfortable reading, this is a character led book. The characters are superbly drawn, from the distraught mother of the first victim to the young boy being interviewed in excerpts throughout the book.

The book is split into the days of the investigation and although there are mentions of the force being drafted in for assistance, the action concentrates on Andy Hicks and Laura with little in the way of the management of the investigation.

I will now be searching out for the many books I have missed by this author since he has scored a hit with me for both that I have read.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for my honest review.

The Murder Code

The Murder Code was the eighth book read for the COYER challenge