FictionZeal

Katherine Barker didn’t make it to her sister’s flat that night.  She was found murdered … the fifth victim of a serial killer who’d been nicknamed the ‘condom killer’.  The MO was the same as the others – a brutal hammer blow to the back of the head; rape; and chloroform burns around her mouth.  The residents of Hampstead in London are getting jumpy and the higher-ups decide to replace DCI Tom Allen with DS Simon Collison.  They need a break in this case.  They need it now.  On his own, and being fed information by DI Bob Metcalfe, Tom Allen decides to continue working it on his own.

They determine they need a profiler.  DC Karen Willis suggests Peter Collins, a psychologist and her boyfriend.  As it turns out, Peter is a great admirer of the fictional Lord Peter Wimsey, who had in the 1920’s began investigating crime as a hobby.  While the novel held merit, great characters, and unique twists, I do feel that the emphasis on Wimsey was a downside for this novel.  Technology was accessible, but a preference was placed on good old-fashioned cop instincts.  In some ways, this reads like a cozy except I felt it was just a bit more graphic than most cozies.  Rating: 3 out of 5.