Carl Goodman – 20/20

’20/20′ by Carl Goodman is a stunning crime thriller! I was so happy when Sarah Hardy of Books On The Bright Side invited me to be a part of the tour. I had heard good things about this book. My expectations were pretty high…good job it smashed them out of the park.

DI Eva Harris is working for Surrey police and is on her first day of running her own team so when she is called out to a brutal murder, it’s definitely what could be called ‘a trial by fire’. We see the case expand as Eva comes to realise that it isn’t one case…it is two with similar MO’s that they are investigating. Along with her case that is bigger than she thought she has also been given an undercover role on top of it all! This is to attempt to weed out corrupt coppers who are passing information on to a major Ukrainian Drugs Baron who goes by the name of Semion Rezin.

Eva is a totally different sort of detective. Her background is as a computer analyst and she was being fast-tracked to be a DI in Cyber Crime. She was aware of the rotational system of training but it soon becomes pretty clear someone is pulling strings so she can dance to their tune. As the story unfolds we find out exactly why Eva is in the position she is, which also tells us exactly why she behaves as she does too.

Loving this new series! We have a really complex Eva who has a painful past and is determined that she will see justice done…no matter how long it takes her. She also doesn’t care how she gets a result, with unconventional methods that occasionally veer over the line. I couldn’t wait to find out more so I didn’t get up and away from my kindle for hours!

It is a story that grabs you immediately and if you are a bit fainthearted, it may not be for you. That is all I am prepared to say
A story that is multi-layered and Carl Goodman has cleverly pulled all the different strands and layers together to create a dark, captivating and very intelligent thriller.

Thanks to Hera Books for my copy of 20/20 to bring you my thoughts.