Shed No Tears by Caz Frear (DC Cat Kinsella Book 3)

Published: July 23rd, 2020
Publisher: Zaffre
Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audio
Genre: Mystery, Police Procedural

Today is my stop on the tour for this riveting thriller. Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours for the invitation to take part and Zaffre for the gifted copy of the book.

SYNOPSIS:

THE BRILLIANT NEW THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE RICHARD & JUDY SEARCH FOR A BESTSELLER WINER AND NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER, SWEET LITTLE LIES.

Four victims.
Killer caught.
Case closed . . . Or is it?

Christopher Masters, known as ‘The Roommate Killer’, strangled three women over a two-week period in a London house in November 2012. Holly Kemp, his fourth victim, was never found.

Until now.

Her remains have been unearthed in a field in Cambridgeshire and DC Cat Kinsella and the Major Investigation Team are called in. But immediately there are questions surrounding the manner of her death. And with Masters now dead, no one to answer them.

Did someone get it wrong all those years ago? And if so, who killed Holly Kemp?

MY REVIEW:

In 2012 Christopher Dean Masters, also known as The Roommate Killer, was sent to prison for the murder of four women. But the body of his fourth and final victim, Holly Kemp, was never found. 

Six years later her skeletal remains are found in a Cambridgeshire field. As DC Cat Kinsella and the team investigate differences in Holly’s case to that of Masters’ other victims, they begin to wonder if someone got it wrong when first investigating. And if so, who really killed Holly?

Taut, tense and twisty, this gripping page-turner had me hooked from beginning to end. I was an instant fan of Frear’s writing when I read her last book, and with Shed No Tears she has solidified my love of this series. That being said, this could easily be read as a standalone as the author swiftly catches the reader up on ongoing storylines from the previous books. 

Cat Kinsella is a flawed and complex protagonist. She is dedicated to her job but torn between that dedication and loyalty to her family that is at odds with her chosen profession. She is wonderfully written and is very likeable and relatable, her inner conflicts only making her more real. With the way the author ended things in relation to Cat’s private life, I’m impatient for book four so I can see where life takes her next. The vast array of supporting characters are equally as well written and it didn’t take long for me to feel completely immersed in the world that Frear created. 

One of the things I enjoyed about this book is that there is no obvious bad guy. I was all set to learn a lot about Masters but he is a tiny part of this book and I was left completely flummoxed as to the identity of the perpetrator. I liked that the story took turns I didn’t see coming and enjoyed being along for the ride and like I was in the dark as much as the officers investigating the case. 

Once again Frear has crafted an intricately layered, twisty and suspenseful story that I couldn’t put down. Shed No Tears is a riveting and exciting thriller that I highly recommend. 

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Caz Frear grew up in Coventry and spent her teenage years dreaming of moving to London and writing a novel. After fulfilling her first dream, it wasn’t until she moved back to Coventry thirteen years later that the writing dream finally came true.

She has a first-class degree in History & Politics, which she’s put to enormous use over the years by working as a waitress, shop assistant, retail merchandiser and, for the past twelve years, a headhunter.

When she’s not agonising over snappy dialogue or incisive prose, she can be found shouting at the TV when Arsenal are playing or holding court in the pub on topics she knows nothing about.

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