The Killing Kind by Jane Casey

The Killing Kind
by Jane Casey
Published September 21, 2021 by HarperCollins

He tells you you’re special…

As a barrister, Ingrid Lewis is used to dealing with tricky clients, but no one has ever come close to John Webster. After Ingrid defended Webster against a stalking charge, he then turned on her – following her, ruining her relationship, even destroying her home.

He tells you he wants to protect you…

Now, Ingrid believes she has finally escaped his clutches. But when one of her colleagues is run down on a busy London road, Ingrid is sure she was the intended victim. And then Webster shows up at her door…

But can you believe him?

Webster claims Ingrid is in danger – and that only he can protect her. Stalker or saviour? Murderer or protector? The clock is ticking for Ingrid to decide. Because the killer is ready to strike again.

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Review

4 Stars

A fantastic thriller with unexpected twists and a cast of characters that leaves you questioning just who you can trust. Ingrid Lewis is a barrister, crime doesn't shock her, and little used to scare her, at least until John Lewis set his sights on her. With increasing paranoia, Ingrid begins to investigate the deaths the police can't seem to connect to her, but she knows they must be. While constantly looking over her should, Ingrid revisits the cases she worked on, connecting the dots. She fails to think like a criminal though, she doesn't see what they see on the rainy streets, in the dark apartments, in the cluster of humans focused on getting to work each day. Jane Casey takes readers into the dark, dark belly of crime and despair as Ingrid struggles to figure out just who wants her dead, why they might, and the lengths they'll go to achieve it.

Here to admit I loved John Webster, he's so good and so bad and Ingrid plays right into his hands. He's such a key character in this novel and while I enjoyed reading from Ingrid's unexpecting view point, I would have loved John's perspective occasionally. His motives are fascinating to me. Ingrid, however, certainly has a love/hate thing with him and I have a love/hate thing with her. She's so smart, but not street smart at all and it's very apparent as you turn the pages of this crime thriller. There's also a whole list of other character names to remember and while I appreciated every single thing they brought to the table, it sure was a lot to remember. The Killing Kind is lengthy and filled with detail, that admittedly, begins to weigh down the read. The amount of detail and plot lends itself to plot holes and Casey suffered that in a few places. This is one where I had to stop myself from skimming and in the end it was worth it, I was totally surprised by the last few chapters.

If you love crime thrillers, The Killing Kind is sure to be a winner. It's dark, a bit gruesome, and filled with all the facts of legal work. Plus, it isn't at all the same as other thrillers out right now and the freshness of it felt so good to read. Jane Casey was a new to me author with this book, but I'll be reading her others now.