FINAL CUT is Lin Anderson's sixth full-length book to feature forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod. The book is awesome! Despite this being my first foray into Anderson's work, I didn't feel as if I was missing any vital information about the central character and her associates, as they are well described and developed. You start to feel as if you really know them rather quickly. On a personal note, I always enjoy reading novels that feature strong females.

In this particular book, Rhona, her pregnant sidekick Chrissy McInsh, and her colleague and former lover, DS Michael McNab, are initially tasked with identifying a rather gruesomely burnt body that has been found inside an old skip. They are still investigating this crime when another one requires their attention too. This one is rather more sinister as it involves the discovery of a child's skeleton by a young girl, Emma Watson, who says she found it because it was calling to her and that there is another one nearby; she knows this because she can hear that one too.

With ghosts from former cases still affecting how they work, Rhona and her team struggle to juggle both cases at once and are hampered on all sides - not least because the child's skeleton is old and considered to be a 'cold case', ie not urgent. Little do the team know, however, that the murderer is keeping a close eye on them all and has an unhealthy interest in Emma and her mother.

The tension built up in this book is first rate. The two cases of the body in the skip and the dead child are found to be linked in a truly horrible fashion and when the truth is discovered it is a race against time to solve everything and save everybody. The neat little twist at the end of the book is just perfect as well.

FINAL CUT is an extremely exciting and absorbing novel that will be uppermost in your conscious thought when you are supposed to be otherwise occupied. It is easy to pick up and become involved with the characters, despite being book six in a series. It is also an original and interesting plot that does not follow the traditional male-dominated pattern of more conventional books in this genre. Put briefly, Rhona MacLeod rocks and I want to get to know her better!