Cold Kill – Neil White

Cold Kill
Neil White

Every breath you take, he’ll be watching you…

When Jane Roberts is found dead in a woodland area Detective Sergeant Laura McGanity is first on the scene. The body bears a chilling similarity to a woman – Deborah Corley – murdered three weeks earlier. Both have been stripped, strangled and defiled.

When reporter Jack Garrett starts digging for dirt on the notorious Whitcroft estate, he finds himself face-to-face with Jane’s father and gangland boss Don who will stop at nothing until justice is done. It seems that the two murdered women were linked in more ways than one and a dirty secret is about to surface that some would prefer stay buried.

As the killer circles once more, Jack and Laura must get to him before he strikes again. But his sights are set on his next victim and he’s watching Laura’s every move…

Cold Kill is Neil White’s fifth book starring Jack Garret and Laura McGanity – a couple that, despite their very different careers (Jack is a journalist, Laura a policewoman) both find themselves investigating grisly crimes on a regular basis. I hadn’t read any of White’s previous offerings, but this works brilliantly as a standalone novel.

The story is set in Lancashire, England, and begins with the gruesome murder of a young woman. This is the second crime of its type in a few weeks, and the plot follows the chase to catch the killer before he strikes again.

This might sound like the formula for a typical crime novel, but Cold Kill is unique in the way that there are two ‘sides’ to the investigation. Not only do Laura and the police team work tirelessly to solve the case, but Jack is also digging for information – so he can write about it for the local newspaper. There were times when it seemed like Jack was finding out more than the police (slightly odd, perhaps) but I loved seeing another dimension to the case, outside of the official police investigation. There are obviously people that feel happier talking to a journalist than a cop, and Jack’s involvement brought another level to the twisty plotline.

The relationship between Laura and Jack didn’t strike me as being particularly loving – there seemed to be a distance between them – but reading the previous novels might give a better understanding of their history. That said, Laura’s slightly cold personality seemed justified when her partner’s career can put her in a difficult position, and White handled this well.

It’s difficult to convey the brilliance of the plot without giving away spoilers, but I was hooked. Cold Kill is fast-paced and exciting from start to finish, with a killer’s motive so deeply entangled in the storyline that every time you think you understand everything, another vital detail is revealed. It’s an extremely clever and detailed book, and I will definitely be reading more from Neil White.

Rating: ★★★★★