This is a very well-written series debut; I'll definitely be looking for the next entry to the series.

The lead detective struggles with synesthesia, which adds huge challenges to his working life and fascinating twists to his investigative technique. The book is not a whodunit; the tension builds from the questions of how many victims there have been and how many more to come, and whether the perpetrator will be caught or will implode psychologically.

McCrery creates an atmosphere of menace and chill that builds as the novel progresses. When he kicks it into high gear, hang on for a tense and sometimes gruesome ride!

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Interesting premise for a detective novel. I wonder how well it will hold up over several novels - but for this first one it is effective and interesting. McCrery does a great job building tension.

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hmmm. I don't know if I liked this one or not. It kept me engrossed for sure. It wasn't an action packed book, but it was very interesting. I liked the way the murdered worked, and the detective's synaesthesia shows some interesting potential to solve later mysteries.
The bad thing is that I couldn't remember his name for more than a minute - the man himself was pretty unmemorable to me. I didn't like his constant quoting from classical works, either. I think this must be a British thing, though, because many books I've read have the characters throwing around appropriate quotations and other characters getting the reference.
I also am not sure how much I liked knowing the murderer. I found her methods fascinating and she was definitely creepy, but her motive was too easy to see.
My final dislike is that I guessed how it would end about halfway through

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I really enjoyed this first entry in the Mark Lapslie series and am looking forward to reading the next book shortly. Very well written and plotted, Lapslie is a great character.

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