Dead Fall by A.K. Turner
One little push is all it takes . . .
Mortuary technician Cassie Raven is shocked to find the body of Bronte, a talented singer on the brink of stardom, in her fridge. The two of them were once schoolmates, although not exactly friends . . .
The police say Bronte jumped from her tenth-floor apartment, but Cassie's instincts are telling her it's murder. The death ignites a social media frenzy, and when police watchdog Phyllida Flyte is sent in to assess the handling of the case she is the only one willing to listen to Cassie.
They join forces but as Cassie delves dangerously deep into Bronte's personal history, more blood must be shed before the terrible truth is exposed.
About the author
A.K. Turner's latest crime fiction series features forensic sleuth Cassie Raven, who was first introduced in two short stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4. She also works as a TV producer and writer making documentaries on a range of subjects from history to true crime. A.K. has lived in East London since its prehipster days and recently qualified as a City of London walks guide so that she can share her passion for the city's 2,000-year history; her specialist subject - crime and punishment!
Review
‘Dead Fall’ is a crime book with a difference! The main protagonist is a lowly mortuary technician who cares deeply for her ‘guests’ and there is a touch of the supernatural to it. I remember seeing the author at a panel at Bloody Scotland and when it clicked that this was the series she was talking about I was even more keen to pick this one up. This is the first in the series I have obviously read but I found it worked easily as a stand-alone and all the pertinent information was provided by the author. I thoroughly enjoyed Cassie’s world and I will be going back and reading the rest of the series!
Cassie Raven was a brilliant protagonist - a goth mortuary tech, lives on a barge in Camden Lock and is very respectful to everyone who turns up at the mortuary, both dead and alive. But she also has a nose for uncovering things others miss and in this case it revolves round a younger singer Brontë that is being classed as a suicide but Cassie thinks there is more to this death. Cassie also has a personal story to the victim as she went to school with her which throws up uncomfortable memories. Yes, Cassie does believe that her ‘guests’ speak to her beyond the grave but it could just be her heightened sense of observation…or is it?! It certainly makes for an interesting premise.
Cassie POV is intersected with chapters that focus on IOPC investigator Flyte, an ex Met detective who is asked to make sure that Bronte’s death has been investigated properly. It’s clear that Cassie and Flyte have teamed up before and their relationship was varied and interesting. Flyte has a sad background and maybe the first three books will delve more into this.
I flew through this book and it was a real page-turner. It was an original premise and we got to see how an investigation works from a perspective I haven't seen before. I have taken Cassie into my heart and I can't wait for the next book in the series.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
