Cut to the Bone

January 30, 2017
A missing-persons case drives British author Caan’s fast-paced debut. When Ruby Day, video blogger, role model, and favorite of millions of teenage girls, disappears, Ruby’s parents, who live in London, immediately inform the authorities, fearful of foul play. Det. Chief Insp. Kate Riley and her second in command, Det. Sgt. Zain Harris, think it more likely that Ruby ran away from home. Then Ruby’s father receives a video on his phone that shows Ruby running through some woods, pleading for help, and it’s clear that someone has abducted her. Kate and Zain and their team probe every area of Ruby’s life, exploring both her private and online personas. They eventually unearth political, business, and police shenanigans, which may or may not be related to Ruby’s disappearance, plus a series of online social interactions, some of which expose their participants to grave danger. Readers will want to see more of Kate and Zain, both of whom have traumatic pasts that affect their present private lives and job performances.

January 1, 2017
The disappearance of a popular young vlogger becomes more sinister when threatening videos of her surface online.Ruby Day, a fresh, wholesome face in the world of YouTube video stars, made upbeat segments that attracted millions of followers--until one afternoon she told her parents she was going for a walk and never returned. DCI Kate Riley, an American transplant to London, and DS Zain Harris are called in. There's some question as to how quickly the police can respond to a missing persons report until Riley and Harris realize the request came from the new police crime commissioner, Justin Hope, the man in charge of policing in London. The two detectives turn first, at Ruby's parents' insistence, to Dan Grant, a gamer who has his own YouTube video empire and is Ruby's creepily possessive boyfriend. It's not long after attention is focused on Dan that videos crop up of Ruby being held, obviously against her will, at an undisclosed location. It's clear that Caan (this is his American debut) might be trying to juggle too many balls at once when the investigation balloons into not just trying to track down Ruby (no spoilers, but things don't look great for our missing vlogger, judging from the videos), but also tracing the advertisers, lawyers, and the company involved in producing shows like Ruby's and Dan's. Things start to sound a little far-fetched when Riley and Harris start talking about connections to mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And as for the investigators, they're a bit too baggage-heavy to be believable; Harris has quick fists that belie a wounded soul beneath while Riley struggles to care for her dementia-riddled mother. An intriguing concept that sadly boils down to motives that are as predictable and mundane as too many of the so-called twists.

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