Killing Pretties by Rob Ashman
Book Description:
Detective Sergeant Khenan Malice is a rubbish ex-husband, a crap father but a damned good detective. It’s a shame he spoils his only redeeming quality by being a bent copper.
Detective Kelly Pietersen joins the team to help find a missing woman. But she has a secret…
Damien Kaplan is a leading criminal barrister and a keen amateur potter. He also happens to be a serial killer with a chilling approach to creating his art. He’s married to Elsa, though she considers him more of a possession than a husband. She controls those around her using sex and procures men and women for her husband to play with but only after she’s finished with them first.
Killing Pretties is his passion, having sex with them is hers. It is difficult to say which one is worse.
The missing woman brings all four crashing together – an incendiary mix that doesn’t end well.
Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow is this book twisted or what?! Right from the opening page it did not disappoint with it’s stunningly creepy and dark themes. I have never read any of Rob’s books before but I am now a convert and every subsequent release in this series will be read.
This is the start of a series based around the character of DI Malice - god even his name tells you he isn’t going to be a good copper, he is going to be bent somehow. I grew to have a love/hate relationship with him. At times he shows a good character and heart, but then you remember what other actions that have taken place and you become so divided in your opinion of him. He will certainly be an ‘interesting’ one to watch in the coming books!
The narrative swapping between the view points of the killer and Malice was used to perfection. Especially, that of the killer, as he was so dark and twisted. Being part of a male / female killing team was particularly interesting to see their differing views. Plus, what they do with the bodies - how did Rob even come up with that idea?!
Please be warned, this book it not for the faint hearted - it is quite graphic both sexually and violently.
I thoroughly recommend this book. It certainly got my attention and I couldn’t put this book down, I even stayed up to finish it. Probably not the best idea to read this in the middle of the night!
Author Bio:
Rob is married to Karen with two grown up daughters. He is originally from South Wales and after moving around with work settled in North Lincolnshire where he’s spent the last twenty-two years.
Like all good welsh valley boys Rob worked for the National Coal Board after leaving school at sixteen and went to University at the tender age of twenty-three when the pit closures began to bite. Since then he’s worked in a variety of manufacturing and consulting roles both in the UK and abroad.
It took Rob twenty-four years to write his first book. He only became serious about writing it when his dad got cancer. It was an aggressive illness and Rob gave up work for three months to look after him and his mum. Writing Those That Remain became his coping mechanism. After he wrote the book his family encouraged him to continue, so not being one for half measures, Rob got himself made redundant, went self-employed so he could devote more time to writing and four years later the Mechanic Trilogy was the result.
Rob published Those That Remain, In Your Name and Pay the Penance with Bloodhound Books and has since written the DI Rosalind Kray series. These are Faceless, This Little Piggy, Suspended Retribution and Jaded which are also published by Bloodhound.
His latest work sees the introduction of a new set of characters – DS Khenan Malice and DC Kelly Pietersen. The first book in the series is titled Killing Pretties and the second is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Lies. Both books will be published this year.
When he is not writing, Rob is a frustrated chef with a liking for beer and prosecco, and is known for occasional outbreaks of dancing.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rob-Ashman-Author-1428800800468097/
Website: http://robashman.com/
Twitter: @RobAshmanAuthor
