Dark Truths (Will Traynor #1) by A.J. Cross
#DarkTruths #AJCross @blackthornbks @canongatebooks @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours
Hi, everyone!
Today is my turn to share my Feature Post and Book Review on the Damppebbles Blog Tour for DARK TRUTHS (A Will Traynor Forensic Mystery Book #1) by A.J. Cross.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
***
Book Blurb
A fresh case lays bare old bones for DI Watt’s team
When a young woman’s body is discovered on a popular jogging trail in Birmingham, Detective Inspector Bernard Watts and his team are plunged into a disturbing murder investigation. Not only has the woman been violently stabbed – her head is missing.
When a close examination of the crime scene results in a shocking discovery linking the present murder to a past crime, criminologist Will Traynor is brought in to assist the police. Aware of Traynor’s troubled past, Watts is sceptical that Will can contribute anything useful to the investigation.
He’s about to be proved very wrong . . .
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45915480-dark-truths?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=uhJzti4bKN&rank=1
***
My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
DARK TRUTHS (A Will Traynor Forensic Mystery Book #1) by A.J. Cross is the first book in a new series with criminologist Will Traynor. This book is a police procedural/mystery/thriller mash-up that takes the reader through a step-by-step investigation of a horrific murder.
DI Bernard Watts is assigned the case of a female body found on a jogging trail stabbed several times in the chest without a head. As he walks the scene with the new rookie, PC Chloe Judd they discover a skull without a body which does not belong to the body on the trail. The body is recent, but the skull is at least a decade old.
With the possibility of a serial killer, Watt’s boss informs him that criminologist Will Traynor will be joining his team, but Watt knows of Traynor’s troubled past and is not happy with this decision.
Will Watt be able to keep his inexperienced and brash rookie in line and learn to trust Traynor’s theories to bring a successful conclusion to this present murder which seems to be tied to several missing persons from the past?
I really enjoyed all the characters introduced in this book: the experienced detective, the abrasive rookie, the intelligent and kind pathologist and the criminologist with a tragic past. They all worked together well in the story to bring the clues and plot twists to a satisfying conclusion in the past and present mysteries. My problem was that DI Bernard Watts was more of a lead character than Will Traynor, who the book and new series is supposed to feature. This fact does not detract from the story itself; it just does not lead where I thought it would. I am looking forward to a return of all these characters in the future.
Overall, a strong investigative story to begin the series, but I will be looking for more of a lead role from Will Traynor in future books.
***
About the Author
A.J. Cross is a forensic psychologist with over twenty years’ experience in the field. She lives in Birmingham with her jazz-musician husband and is the author of five Kate Hanson mysteries.
Social Media Links
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2N5diNR
Purchase Links
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/3oV6UXv
Waterstones: http://bit.ly/38UrQbR
Blackwells: http://bit.ly/38UNYCR
WHSmith: http://bit.ly/38VdZlC
Hive.co.uk: http://bit.ly/3oVvMhZ
Publishing Information
Published in paperback and digital formats by Black Thorn Books on 4th February 2021
