By Mari Hannah https://www.marihannah.com/ @mariwriter
Narrated by Colleen Prendergast @CMPrendergast_
Published by Orion Books Group https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/ @orionbooks
416 pages (10 hours 48 minutes) ISBN 9781409192442 (HB)
Publication date 30 September 2021
Her Last Request is the eighth book in the Kate Daniels @DCIKateDaniels Mysteries series. Click on the links to read my reviews of the first seven books in the series, The Murder Wall, Settled Blood, Deadly Deceit, Monument to Murder, Killing for Keeps, Gallows Drop and Without a Trace.
My review is based upon the audiobook version purchased from Audible. I would like to thank Tracy @Tr4cyF3nt0n from Compulsive Readers #CompulsiveReaders for the opportunity to take part in the #TEAMDANIELS review project. My review of The Longest Goodbye the nineth novel in the series will be posted on this blog in April.
The Cover
A caravan park by the sea, on a blustery day, a scarf attached to the fence. Perfectly encompasses the novel. Good cover.
The narrator
Another excellent job by Colleen Prendergast.
My review
A woman is found murdered in a caravan at a small coastal holiday park. It is the way that she is murdered that is most disturbing to DCI Kate Daniels. Her throat has been cut, but she has been attacked with great savagery and has suffered defensive wounds, as she attempted to fight off her attacker. Truly a bad, visceral death.
The intensive forensic search of the site throws up an unexpected piece of evidence, a hidden note. This death note is a cry for help, her last request to those who find it, to find her son. Kate is deeply affected; she feels it almost on a personal level. As her partner the profiler Jo Soulsby points out, the scene is as if it were meant for Kate, the note could have been written just for her.
A haunted Kate is about to be consumed by this case. Not only must she find the killer but also find Aaron, the son, before the killer does. This is a vendetta and as the story progresses it become apparent that both the victim and killer are both communicating directly with Kate. One from beyond the grave, they other taunting like the most narcissistic of fictional serial killers.
A great set up for a two-strand storyline, effectively a dual man hunt encompassing a race against time. The pacing is wonderfully judged and is given a great sense of urgency when the search for Aaron is on.
The plotting is cleverly done, initially there is so little to go on, but bits of information and further clues are drip fed into the storyline as it progresses. In one very clever scene, the victim manages to connect with Kate from beyond the grave, thanks to keen observation and some lateral thinking. This is by no means the only clue, but certainly the most memorable. It’s not all Holmes and Watson though as there is plenty of incident, moments of breathtaking suspense and some excellent action with real jeopardy introduced as well.
Being a Daniels and Gormley story it would be amiss if they didn’t fall foul of the brass hats and this time it appears to be serious. Kate managed to use up much of DCS Bright’s goodwill during her search for Jo and this time she feels powerless. In a fabulously simple but effective piece of writing cross pollination, this allows her to introduce the reader to Stone and Oliver, the lead characters in her other Newcastle based detective series. I picked up a couple of their books up when the author came to speak at Hull Noir so once #TeamDaniels is finished I will be moving on to that series! Most authors who write more than one series set them far apart, but as they are in the same proximity it makes perfect sense that they cross over at some point.
Character development adds so much to a long running series and following the dramatic events of Without a Trace there is a sense that time has moved on. Kate and Jo’s reconciliation appears to be working, albeit with the odd factious moment and the sudden reappearance of one of Jo’s sons. The fall out from the death of DI Robson is only now being felt and there was a more subdued feel to the incident room. This provides an opportunity for DS Carmichael to move up and for some a self-confident character she is less sure footed but proves her worth in an interview late in the story. She’s proving to be a bit of a chip off the old block. The reader also gets a nice little look behind the scenes of Hank’s home life.
The killer is particularly nasty, but also demonstrates a teeth gnashing arrogance that is almost as bad, one villain who deserves his comeuppance. The central theme is one of coercive control, of a man trying to control a woman to the point where she must go on the run to escape his clutches. A painful situation that is captured convincingly but also with a sensitive touch. This becomes an extreme example of an only too common situation, where women become trapped through no fault of their own.
Reading Without a Trace I felt that changes were to come; Her Last Request brings fresh impetus to and invigorates this fantastic long running series.
Her Last Request can be purchased via the publisher’s website here
The author
Mari Hannah is a multi-award-winning author, whose authentic voice is no happy accident. A former probation officer, she lives in rural Northumberland with her partner, an ex-murder detective. Mari turned to script-writing when her career was cut short following an assault on duty. Her debut, The Murder Wall, (adapted from a script she developed with the BBC) won her the Polari First Book Prize. Its follow-up, Settled Blood, picked up a Northern Writers’ Award. Mari’s body of work won her the CWA Dagger in the Library 2017, an incredible honour to receive so early in her career. In 2019, she was voted DIVA Wordsmith of the Year. In 2020, she won Capital Crime International Crime Writing Festival’s Crime Book of the Year for Without a Trace. Her Kate Daniels series is in development with Stephen Fry’s production company, Sprout Pictures.
Source: Publisher’s website
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