Mount Judd is a somewhat over-dramatic name for a landfill site near Nuneaton, but that is the least thing to concern DCS Kat Franks when she is called there. It is to be the first non-cold case for the Future Policing Unit, but this is far from a straightforward case. The body in question has been stripped naked and crucified, with the victim being left to die from exposure and dehydration.

As a media circus begins to form – not just from the gruesome murder scene but also the investigation being helped by AIDE Lock, an AI persona with a hologram form – the team comes under pressure to get results. When a second victim is found in a similar state, it seems that a serial killer is active in Warwickshire – one could can leave no trace…

I was a bit cynical when I approached In The Blink Of An Eye, the first book in this series, as I thought the idea of the AI sidekick would rapidly devolve into a “what is this thing called love?” sub-Star Trek nonsense. As you can see from my review, I was rapidly proved wrong – it’s an excellent book, with the AI element handled exceptionally well – so I was looking forward to this one, the second book in the series.

And I was not disappointed, not in the least.

Every character in the team comes off the page fully formed, and while there is the inevitable past trauma, the author never lets it dominate Kat’s character, merely steering her through the events. Kat is a strong lead, and her small team each have their own arcs that don’t get in the way of the story but still engage the reader’s concern. AIDE Lock is developing nicely and while I’m not entirely sure where the end-point in his overall story, it’s certainly a story that I want to read about.

The plot keeps moving forward with some credible suspects early on. I’m going to question the efficacy of AI about not spotting a link between the cases until well after I did, and once the book gets to the halfway point, I thought the killer was a bit inevitable.

Having said that, it didn’t matter a bit. The killer is revealed a bit earlier than you might expect, but that’s because the killer’s story is just as important as that of the victims and needs to be told. The finale is very well done, with a good dose of tragedy, and I was gripped from the first page to the last.

I’d strongly recommend reading the first book before this, but it’s not essential. Just that this series is one well worth investing in and you’ll want to start at the beginning.