Crossing The Line by Kerry Wilkinson
Series: Jessica Daniel #8
Published by Bookouture on December 12, 2017
Pages: 367
Source: the publisher
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A serial killer with a past. A detective with a secret…

Twenty-five years ago, the Stretford Slasher murdered eight women and was locked behind bars for life. But after the notorious serial killer dies in prison, there is a new series of attacks bearing all the hallmarks of the originals. Victims are being targeted in broad daylight and people are scared to go out…

Recently promoted Detective Inspector Jessica Daniel is heading up the investigation. To unmask the culprit, Jessica must first unravel the truth behind decades of secrets. With so many leads, she enlists the help of Detective Superintendent Niall Hambleton – the man who arrested the Stretford Slasher.

Will Jessica be able to connect the crimes before someone else gets hurt? And how far will she go to solve the case?

Fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Bryndza and Rachel Abbott will be hooked by this pacey, addictive crime thriller, guaranteed to keep you turning the pages until the unforgettable ending.

 

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review:

Even though Crossing The Line by Kerry Wilkinson is the eighth Jessica Daniel novel, this is my first experience with the series. I’m jumping in with my first Jessica Daniel novel! I absolutely love detective stories, especially the ones that feature female detectives, so I was excited to get to know Jessica. 

The first thing I noticed about Jessica is that she is funny and has a unique sense of humor. She’s a bit sarcastic, but in a fun-to-read way. I loved reading her inner thoughts and her conversations with her coworkers and other people – I chuckled to myself over and over at the wit. The sarcastic humor extended to the characters around Jessica, which I loved as well. There was great banter between the characters.

I love it when detectives’ lives blur over into their police work, and I find myself looking for books like these. For the first part of this story, I was wondering if Jessica was going to give me some part of her personal life. She didn’t strike me as the vulnerable type initially. However, after a few chapters, I was able to get glimpses into her past and I saw that she’s had some big things happen, and she is still carrying these things around with her. From little memories of difficult past cases to some traumatic personal life experiences, I saw Jessica be vulnerable a few times, and I really liked that. By the end of this book, though, I still want to know more about her. I think I want to go back to the beginning and start there.

I like Kerry Wilkinson’s quick and snappy style of writing. This was a fun story to read, even though the crimes being investigated were no fun at all. I had no trouble at all visualizing the scenes as they played out, even though I’ve never been to Manchester. I loved the way the story seemed to take place in the dark, grungy places in the city, and I love the story itself sometimes felt cold and dark because of the author’s skill with descriptive writing.

I read on the author’s website that this book is the start of “Series 2” of the Jessica Day Series; I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I suppose it makes it a very good place to jump into the series if you’re another new reader like me. I think the author did a good job of helping new readers break into the overall story arc without being fully lost, but he also gave little hints that make me want to go back and read all of the books from the beginning. I liked Jessica’s peers and the other secondary characters so much, and I loved watching her work this case out, so I think I’m on board for more of this series.

 

Upcoming US releases:
Behind Closed Doors (Jessica Daniel 7): Out now
Two Sisters (standalone): Out now
The Girl Who Came Back (standalone): Out now
Crossing The Line (Jessica Daniel 8): Out now
Scarred For Life (Jessica Daniel 9): Out February 28, 2018
One Cloudy Night (standalone): Spring 2018
The Death And Life Of Eleanor Parker (standalone): June 2018
For Richer, For Poorer (Jessica Daniel 10): 2018
Nothing But Trouble (Jessica Daniel 11): 2018