‘Perfect Remains’ by Helen Fields

On a remote Highland mountain, the body of Elaine Buxton is burning. All that will be left to identify the respected lawyer are her teeth and a fragment of clothing.

In the concealed back room of a house in Edinburgh, the real Elaine Buxton screams into the darkness.

Detective Inspector Luc Callanach has barely set foot in his new office when Elaine’s missing persons case is escalated to a murder investigation. Having left behind a promising career at Interpol, he’s eager to prove himself to his new team. But Edinburgh, he discovers, is a long way from Lyon, and Elaine’s killer has covered his tracks with meticulous care.

It’s not long before another successful woman is abducted from her doorstep, and Callanach finds himself in a race against the clock. Or so he believes … The real fate of the women will prove more twisted than he could have ever imagined.

 

I was gripped by this book from first page to last.  Engaging characters, fast-paced writing and twisting plotlines made this a superb introduction to DI Luc Callanach.

Our enigmatic protagonist has recently moved from Interpol in France, to the police force in Edinburgh and has walked right into a double murder investigation.  What the reader learns from the off though, is that the women presumed dead are actually being held by a captor, and we know who he is.  It was nail-biting reading waiting to see if Callanach would work it out.

Whilst this plot alone was engaging, Callanach’s colleague, Ava Turner, has a sensitive case that she draws Luc’s help on.  Whilst the two develop a closer working relationship, their friendship develops and we are given more hints as to Luc’s past and what inspired his departure from France.  I spent a lot of time looking for clues as to how it all would link together, and I’m not about to tell you whether it did or how, but I will say the multiple intertwining plots were masterful.

I will most definitely be pressing this book into the hands of many people.  I’m only sorry I have to wait until July for the second book in the series.

 

Many thanks to Helen Fields, Avon Books UK and Netgalley for this advanced review copy.  This was my honest opinion.

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