Evil Intent by Jane Isaac

 "Footfalls thud the ground behind her. He doesn't speak, doesn't call out. But she's already seen the hunger in his eyes, the visceral determination.

The tall firs of Blackwell Wood loom in the distance. It's her beacon, her chance for safety. Somewhere to think. Somewhere to hide".

The opening scene of Evil Intent (Legend Press, 1 February'22) by Jane Isaac is high-powered and gripping - a young woman is running for her life through the woods, trying to escape the merciless killer.

This is the 4th book in the DCI Helen Lavery series, which reads fine as a standalone. It might help to read the previous books to understand the dynamics of Helen's family life and the police team better, but there's enough background detail to fill in any gaps. 

Evil Intent is a mix of a psychological thriller and a police procedural, featuring a cruel serial killer.

The discovery of a young woman's body, strangled and mutilated, is just the beginning of the series of gruesome murders in the heart of rural Hamptonshire. Each of the victims has a sign of pentagram carved on their chests.

DCI Helen Lavery is leading the investigation. She is an Acting Detective Superintendant, covering for the Superintendant as he takes a special leave to care for his partner, but she is very much involved in action.

The race to find the killer is turning into a cat and mouse chase. The serial killer is fiendishly clever, ruthless, and is enjoying their power. It looks like they are a step ahead of the police. 

The police team is concentrating on tracking the possible significance of the inverted pentagram. Is the killer someone belonging to the local cults, religious groups or pagan societies that use the pentagram as one of their symbols?

"The victims look similar. The MO is the same... we need to step into the killer's shoes, work out their pattern... Whoever did this is sending a message. We'll work through the usual background checks, appeal for sightings... But our best chance of catching them comes from working out what that message is".

Helen is determined to bring the killer to justice. Apart from the main investigation, Helen is shocked to find out that her younger son's new friend is the nephew of the organised crime boss Chilli Franks, a dangerous criminal who holds a grudge against her family. "Chilli was an adversary of her late father, also a detective. He'd hurled threats at the Lavery family when her father hunted him down and arrested him... in the 1990s." This man has threatened her family for as long as she could remember.

Professional and personal sides of life become tangled. Helen puts her own safety on the line and finds herself in mortal danger.

Will Helen be able to track down the killer and find the answers? 

The story focuses on the police investigation, which feels authentic and believable. Helen is a likeable character, a strong protagonist.  "She'd joined the police to be a murder detective, to keep her feet firmly on the streets, and she resisted anything that threatened a move away from front-line policing". 

The author creates a sensitive portrait of grieving families, showing the impact of violent crime on those who are left to mourn their loved ones.

Evil Intent is tense, twisty and daring. This is not a cosy mystery, we are in the dark and heartbreaking territory here.

Gripping, humane, unsentimental and grounded... I couldn't put it down.

Many thanks to Jane Isaac and Legend Press for my copy of the book! This post is part of the blog tour for Evil Intent.