Never Look Back

April 14, 2014
British author Donoghue’s debut, the first in a contemporary procedural series, offers familiar character types and situations. The worn-out workaholic hero, Det. Insp. Mike Lockyer, head of the Murder Investigation Team in the London borough of Lewisham, and his reliable sidekick, Det. Sgt. Jane Bennett, go after a serial killer, while they battle family problems (each police officer has an autistic close relative). Short passages reveal the mind of a sinister someone who has set his sights on photographer Sarah Grainger, a soggy bundle of increasingly raw nerves. In an unsettling twist, one gruesomely mutilated victim eerily resembles Lockyer’s daughter, but the brief affair between Lockyer (isn’t he too tired?) and poor, pitiful Sarah (isn’t she too scared?) feels hastily contrived, and many genre fans will identify the killer far too early. Still, Donoghue’s ability to generate some scary atmospherics and sympathy for her characters suggests she has what it takes to build a solid detective series. Agent: Hellie Ogden, Janklow & Nesbit (U.K.).

May 15, 2014
Detectives scramble to find the connections in a series of killings.DI Mike Lockyer runs a homicide unit in gritty South London with the help of capable DS Jane Bennett. What looks like the third in a string of remarkably similar homicides leaves Lockyer severely shaken because the latest victim resembles his daughter, Megan, who lives with his ex-wife. All three young women were raped; all had their wrists cut and their throats slashed; and all were killed in public places. At the same time, photographer Sarah Grainger is so terrified by a string of phone calls and the sensation of being constantly watched that she's afraid to leave her house. She gets no help from the police until Lockyer and Bennett get a look at her meticulous diary of every phone call and possible sighting of her stalker. From things he has said, they think he may know the identity of the murderer. Lockyer's stress mounts further when the next victim also turns out to resemble his daughter, who's moved in with him while her mother settles into a new relationship. Lockyer finally crosses the line when his protective feelings for Grainger jeopardize the investigation.An excellent procedural debut with depth of characterization and plenty of suspense.

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May 1, 2014
Detective Inspector Mike Lockyer, head of the murder squad in South London, has his hands full. Young women are being brutally murdered left and right in his district, and his determination to solve the case ramps up even further when he realizes his estranged daughter fits the victim profile. Meanwhile, once-outgoing photographer Sarah Grainger has barricaded herself in her home, living in fear for her life, as a stalker constantly harasses her. When she finally reports this to the police, Detective Sergeant Jane Bennett takes the complaint. Bennett, a no-nonsense detective, quickly realizes Lockyer needs to be involved, as the stalker could very well be their murder suspect. Donoghue keeps a tight rein on the plot, revealing what the reader needs to know a little at a timeand there's a lot to know. This is a gutsy, gruesome, and compelling thriller that will appeal to fans of dark British police procedurals.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)