Blog tour review : Know No Evil By Graeme Hampton

I am delighted to be taking my turn today on the blog tour for Know No Evil by Graeme Hampton. Thank you to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for inviting me to take part. Won’t you join me on a trip to East London, in the middle of a heatwave, where we might just have a serial killer on the loose?

On to the book…

The streets of East London are the scene for this gripping crime novel. D.I. Matthew Denning is new to the job, recently promoted and new to this team, he is an outsider with everything to prove. When the body of a young mother is discovered in a local park Denning finds himself thrown in at the deep end. At first the murder seems likely to be domestic and relatively straight forward but when other bodies are found all bearing similar hallmarks the case takes a sinister turn.

But Denning has problems of his own. Recently divorced, with an young autistic son, is Denning able to focus on the job in hand? Will simmering resentment from members of his team who feel overlooked and slighted by his appointment throw the investigation off course?

Enter young and upcoming Constable Molly Fisher. Fisher has a particular interest in this case. She approaches Denning after making links between the new cases and those of the Bermondsey Ripper. The trouble is Anthony Ferguson was tried and convicted of those crimes a decade ago and is currently serving a life sentence. Have the Police made a fatal error of judgement or is this a very convincing spate of copy cat crimes?

And why is Molly so invested in these murders? What is the story behind her obsession with The Ripper? Can she separate her personal and professional involvements or will she too be a threat to justice ?

If you are looking for a fast paced crime thriller to get you through the summer then look no further, Know No Evil could very well be the book for you. This story starts with a bang and holds your attention throughout. The plotting is clever, building tension with it’s focus firmly on two police officers both under personal pressure, but both determined to rise through the ranks and prove their worth. Our protagonists are dedicated, vivid and well drawn. The skilful weaving of the personal and professional gives a real sense of three dimensional characters. It is a novel full of characters that are relatable, fallible and believable making the action and thrilling climax all the more powerful.

In the tradition of all excellent crime novels Know No Evil is fast paced and multi layer, each twist and turn drawing us further in. There is a feeling of authenticity and impeccable research. The dialogue is plentiful, snappy and realistic, drawing vivid characters portraits within our minds. There is no stereotyping and no broad sweeping assumptions are made. It is far to say that this is a carefully crafted crime novel where the unexpected is likely and nothing should be taken for granted.

Here’s hoping that this is only the beginning of Denning and Fisher’s crime fighting days. I have a feeling there is a whole lot more to come.