My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Second Stage of Grief is a murder mystery that will appeal to all fans of the genre. Although this book is the second in the Ngaire Blakes Mystery series it does stand alone very well. I had not read either the blurb or previous books by Katherine Hayton but it did not take me long to be intrigued by the plot and to wonder why Ngaire was in the living nightmare she found herself. However, it did take me a couple of chapters to realise events were taking place in New Zealand and to learn how to pronounce Ngaire (Nyree), the main protagonist’s Maori name. This was a refreshing change from the usual diet of UK or US thrillers and I found the cultural differences touched upon interesting.
It is very well written with pace and an edge to each chapter that encourages the reader to turn each page find out more. In other words The Second Stage of Grief has everything one expects in a fast-moving thriller with horrendous grisly crimes at its centre! There are a couple of twists here and there, which got inside the heads of other characters, and the relationship between Ngaire and her parents, particularly her dad, was very believable. The main let-down for me was the extra, rather prolonged finale after the actual denouement about the crimes had been described. It felt a bit anti-climactic and I thought that that final section could have come about a little earlier – somehow - maybe in juxtaposition to the denouement?
It did not spoil my overall enjoyment of my first novel from Katherine Hayton and I strongly recommend it to fans of the genre. This book has strong characters, believable dialogue, an intriguing plot from the very beginning and is “different”. I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
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