Jennifer Lee Thomson – Cannibal City: Detective In A Coma

‘Cannibal City: Detective In A Coma’ by Jennifer Lee Thomson is the second book in a series. It is easily read as a standalone with plenty of mentions of events from the first book and the characters were strong enough not to make me feel like I had missed out by starting with this book.

The book is set in Glasgow and features DI Waddell whose former partner is in a coma, Stevie. Waddell does visit an awful lot and even uses Stevie as a kind of sounding board. Sometimes Stevie even replies, whether it is real or Waddell’s mind is up for debate, definitely!

The book takes the narrative through several Points of view, switching every couple of chapters. This really got me involved with the characters and the storyline. We see a criminal come forward who says he has been kidnapped then released, Waddell really finds this hard to swallow…until the bodies start appearing. Waddell starts to think they have a serial killer lose.

FBI profiler, Dr Thorne helps Waddell to investigate and hunt for the killer and, as I explained previously, he is taking “advice” from his comatose friend Stevie! As Waddell and Thorne delve into the case, with the pearls of wisdom that are from Stevie (or Waddell’s subconscious) as well, they know they are against the clock before more bodies are found.
A gruesome, gritty and dark crime thriller that had my heart in my mouth more times than enough. Twists and turns skillfully weaved throughout the story that kept me guessing till the end.

I enjoyed getting to know DI Waddell, complex as he is and guilt-ridden. He is my second detective up there in Scotland, the other being Rebus, and he is as complex. I will definitely go and put the first book on my tbr pile, hoping to get to it one day!

Big thanks to Damp Pebbles blog tours and the publisher for my copy of the book in exchange for my thoughts today on the blog.