A Violent Heart by David Fennell

 

The skeletal remains of a young woman are discovered in an empty house shortly after a sex worker is brutally murdered. Both women appear to have been killed in the same way, with a bolt gun. Is there a link between the murders which took place thirty years apart?

A Violent Heart by David Fennell is book 4 in the DI Grace Archer series. The first three books in the series, especially the first one, are terrifying. Book 4 sees a re-set as Grace's nemesis no longer features. A Violent Heart is much more of a police procedural and while the terrifying element doesn't feature, the method of killing used throughout the story is a chilling one.

Grace is still coming to terms with the changes in her life, thankfully she still has the stability of work to help her get through. Unfortunately being forced to work with another team, alongside some changes in management means that Grace has to deal with outdated and misogynistic officers. You can feel her gritting her teeth as office politics rear their head. Initially, it is a case of who you know, rather than what you know and we discover that not everyone is as dedicated to the job as Grace, Harry and the rest of the team.

The murder that kick-starts the investigation is very personal to Grace as the victim is a sex worker who helped the police previously. The discovery of thirty-year-old skeletal remains hints at a link between the murders, and even points quickly to a suspect. A third, and then a fourth, unsolved murder all point towards a serial killer who has been at work for years and never noticed. I could feel the growing anger from Grace, the outrage that the victims weren't considered important because they were addicts or sex workers. She also begins to wonder how many more victims there may be, especially as the ones she knows about are spread across the country.

A new case in Berwick forces Grace to leave London and confront the office politics that have been hampering the investigation. The lives of people close to the investigation are in peril as there is a frantic race to uncover the killer.

I'll admit I do miss the creepy, terrifying and atmospheric tone of the first three books in the series, but I also enjoyed the more mature side of Grace, a woman who is beginning to accept that she has a right to happiness. Grace is still haunted by events in her past, things that make her empathetic towards the victims she seeks justice for. I am sure that when the time is right David Fennell will use Grace's trauma to dial up the macabre, until then I'm more than happy with the direction the series is taking.

A Violent Heart by David Fennall will be published on 29th August 2024. My thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre for a review copy.

Author Details

David Fennell was born and raised in Belfast. He left for London at the tender age of eighteen and jobbed as a chef, waiter and bartender for several years before starting a career as a writer in the software industry. He is the author of six books including the multi-award nominated SLEEPER series. His third novel, the bestselling THE ART OF DEATH, marked the beginning of a popular new crime series. David is also a screenwriter and has adapted one of his books for television. He is also the founder and director of the Beyond the Book Festival. David is married and lives in Brighton.