EURO CRIME

Home

Site Progress

Blog

Reviews

Bibliographies

New Releases

Author Websites

Competition

News

Awards

Events

Links

Shops

Email

Reviews


Kitson, Bill - 'Identity Crisis'
Hardback: 224 pages (May 2012) Publisher: Robert Hale Ltd ISBN: 0709098162

With her husband away on a golfing holiday, young housewife Vanda, feels very isolated in her small cottage home in Wintersett Village on the outskirts of Helmsdale in West Yorkshire. Her home is close to the edge of Holm woods. The weather in late February is terrible, lashing rain and howling winds and after a lot very unusual noises, someone breaks into her home in the late evening. Her sister, Dr Johana Grey has driven from her home in Cornwall to the north of Yorkshire to be with her sister whilst her husband is away and is very dismayed when she finally arrives at the cottage after a horrendous journey to discover it empty and in darkness. She calls the police and DS Clara Mironova responds and drives up to the cottage through the dreadful weather conditions. She speaks to Jo and learns that the she was very concerned about her sister not answering her phone and that there were signs of a disturbance in the cottage. Clara suggests that Jo checks into a local hotel as she wants a scene of crime team to check out the cottage for clues as she suspects that Vanda may have been kidnapped by a sadistic serial killer known as "The Cremator". He is known by this name as he rapes his victims with his back to a camera and takes the pictures remotely. He then pours petrol over his pinioned victim and sets it alight and again photographs the scene and sends the horrifying results to the relatives.

Whilst the detectives are checking out all the possible clues and leads on this case they are startled to learn a few days later that an armoured security truck transporting the takings from several supermarkets has been hijacked and the cash lifted. Further violent crimes are reported. The police are very under strength to cover these two major crimes and do their other tasks as well and Inspector Mike Nash is recalled from holiday and ordered to take charge and look into these crimes as a matter of urgency. The thrilling, well-plotted story rushes onto the very startling conclusion.

Bill Kitson is the author of six novels featuring Mike Nash and I had the greatest pleasure in reading this and the previous one, BACK-SLASH. This marvellous writer should release his books in paperback as well as hardcover and Kindle as his truly excellent writing skills should get the largest reading public possible. His books are always very carefully researched and have irresistible gripping plots, that seamlessly weave themes of multi-dimensional crime, with excellent character back stories. Very well recommended.

Terry Halligan, England
July 2012

Details of the author's other books with links to reviews can be found on the Books page.
More European crime fiction reviews can be found on the Reviews page.



last updated 1/07/2012 09:01