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Release date: July 24, 2018

Publisher: Ecco

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

Detective Emily Baxter is still reeling from the Ragdoll case, and from the disappearance of her friend William “Wolf” Fawkes. Despite her reluctance to jump into another gruesome case, she’s summoned to a meeting of a new FBI/CIA/UK law enforcement task force in New York. There, she is presented with photographs of the latest copycat murder: a body contorted into a familiar pose, strung up from the Brooklyn Bridge, the word “BAIT” carved deep into its chest.

As the media pressure intensifies, Baxter is ordered to assist with the investigation and attend the scene of another murder, again with a victim inscribed with a word—“PUPPET.”

The murders continue to grow in spectacle and depravity on both sides of the Atlantic, and the team helplessly plays catch-up. Baxter must shake off the grief and fear that have paralyzed her for the last year so she can stop another terrible killer before it’s too late.

Review:

I guess this is the summer of highly anticipated series for me, I feel like I’ve read several second installments lately and they’ve all lived up to their predecessors, which is always so fantastic! Ragdoll was the first book and it absolutely blew me away, from it’s gripping prologue to it’s massive cliffhanger ending, I loved every single page. So if you haven’t read the first book, I highly recommended it and then you won’t have long to wait to read this one.

This book had a slightly different feel to it than the last one and I think it’s mostly due to the fact that things are not told via Wolf’s point of view at all. This is Emily’s story to tell and as much as I love Wolf, I have room in my heart for a character as complex as Emily Baxter. It’s set internationally as she finds herself in New York City when a case in London has ties there. This was one complicated investigation that has her working alongside both the FBI and the CIA and introduced some fantastic new characters that added more depth to an already deep story.

While there were some exciting differences the same sarcastic sense of humor was present as was a very dark, gritty plot and writing style. Cole is a really intelligent writer and he creates these insanely intricate and harrowing storylines that shock and awe in equal measure. The ending blew my mind and now I’m desperate for the next book, as much as I love cliffhanger endings it’s SO hard to wait!

Hangman in three words: Clever, Dark and Sardonic.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.