This Dark Place

by Claire Kittridge

Delicate Prey Publishing

Publication Date : April 17, 2018

Pages : 239

Synopsis from Publisher:

When the brutal death of a young American theater student in London is splashed across headlines worldwide, NYPD Detective Kelly Moore flies across the Atlantic to join a crack team of British investigators on the case.

Together with the London Metropolitan Police, Kelly must track down a twisted killer who seems to know her every move. As the body count rises, and panic spreads, the killer threatens to make Kelly the next victim.

In a heart-racing game of cat and mouse, Kelly must outwit this elusive master of surveillance – who might be the last person she suspects.

I love a female police officer as a lead character. I do enjoy a male police officer as the lead character but I find the story of a female detective much more compelling. Usually both are driven by a tragedy in their past, but the female police officer is usually motivated by emotions of sadness and grief, while the male police officer is motivated by rage and revenge. I am always on the look out for a new series featuring a female protagonist, so when the opportunity to read the first book in the Detective Kelly Moore series was offered, I could not resist. 

In London, an American drama student, Priscilla Ames, dies under mysterious circumstances in her apartment. Due to pressure from Priscilla’s influential and powerful father, Detective Kelly Moore is sent to London to consult and help investigate her death. Upon her arrival in London, Kelly discovers there is much more to Priscilla’s death and others could be in danger. As the body count rises, Kelly begins a race against the clock to catch a killer who always seems to be two steps ahead. 

This Dark Place is book one in the Detective Kelly Moore series. When we meet Detective Moore she is outside of her comfort zone, New York City. In London she is assisting in an investigation rather than leading the investigation. Alone and in a foreign country, readers will get a true sense of Kelly’s personality and a bit of her background but I have a feeling we have much more to learn. 

Kelly Moore is unlike any other female detective I have come across in other police procedurals. She is nice. She is polite, conscious of the needs of others, respects authority and the chain of command. Kelly is also tough. She is able to cut through to the heart of each matter she encounters. While aware of police politics, she does not let them rule the way she investigates. In This Dark Place she rarely corresponds with her New York City colleagues but I am very interested to learn how she interacts with fellow officers on her own turf.

Another element that sets This Dark Place apart from other police procedurals are the relationships between Kelly and the London police officers. I assumed Kelly would be met with suspicion and hostility from the London investigators. Instead Kelly is given access to all requested case material and her exchanges with the local police are (mostly) friendly and welcoming. She does not have to deal with the territory marking I was expecting. I found this very refreshing and I enjoyed the camaraderie Kelly was able to build while in London. 

Overall I found This Dark Place an extremely entertaining and fun read. Fans of Robert Bryndza should add This Dark Place to their list of must reads. 

** Thanks to Delicate Prey Publishing for my free copy of This Dark Place**

Murder and Moore Rating :

4 out of 5 Stars

**FOLLOW THE BLOG TOUR**