Newest Not My Favorite Maeve Kerrigan, But Still ...

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Cruel Acts, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Maeve Kerrigan mysteries.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.

Guilty?
A year ago, Leo Stone was convicted of murdering two women and sentenced to life in prison. Now he’s been freed on a technicality, and he’s protesting his innocence.

Not guilty?
DS Maeve Kerrigan and DI Josh Derwent are determined to put Stone back behind bars where he belongs, but the more Maeve digs, the less convinced she is that he did it.

The wrong decision could be deadly…
Then another woman disappears in similar circumstances. Is there a copycat killer, or have they been wrong about Stone from the start?

I'm a big fan of the Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey and while Cruel Acts, the eighth installment, isn't my favorite, it's still an engrossing read.  It has some disturbing themes and yet, I couldn't stop turning pages.  The murderer's identity caught me by surprise, which is always good.  My favorite part of the novel and, really all the books in the series, is Maeve herself.  She's a great character—brave, tough, down-to-earth, and passionate about her job.  Watching her relationship with Josh Derwent, her work partner, evolve is always fun.  All in all, then, I found the book compelling, even if it's maybe my least favorite in the series.

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Maeve Kerrigan series, including Left for Dead [novella], The Burning, The Reckoning, The Last Girl, The Stranger You Know, The Kill, After the Fire, Let the Dead Speak, One in Custody [novella], and Love Lies Bleeding [novella])

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, sexual innuendo, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I bought an e-copy of Cruel Acts from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.