A Killing Moon (DI Damen Brook 5)

Author/Guide: Steven Dunne

Why a Booktrail?

2000s: Derby has never looked so chilling nor the streets so deadly….

ISBN: 978-1472214898
Genre: Crime

Comment

What you need to know before your trail

Young Irish student Caitlin Kinnear has disappeared after a night out and no one seems to have a clue as to where she might be. Has she been abducted or has she simply went somewhere of her own accord? Even when she’s been missing for a few weeks, police are still no nearer to finding a lead. DI Damen Brook starts looking into new angles and he believes that there are certain similarities to cases of other missing women.

Delving deeper into possible leads with a hope of it leading somewhere closer to Caitlin, Brook comes into contact with the dark dirty world of cheap migrant labour and he may wish he’d never pulled that possible thread – for when it unravels, the results are not pretty.

Locations

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Travel Guide

Derby – the most central town in the UK -such a nice place famous for exploring the past what with its railway heritage and the fact that it’s the ideal base for the nearby Peak District. To see the nicer side of Derby – visitderby.co.uk

Stephen Dunn does not show you this side of Derby for his version is dark, gritty and a series of shadows….

Caitlin starts her journey home one evening, passing some famous sights of the city but the fear is in your throat as you know this is not going to end well –

“Caitlin walked briskly along King Street, feeling the cold leave her bones as her strong young legs bounced her along, crunching through the snow. At Five Lamps, she turned on to Kedleston Road, heading towards the university….”

The subsequent missing persons case then takes you in to the gritty underbelly of the city. Migrant workers, prostitution and a world of despair.

The migrant underworld reveals a string of people with possible connections to the missing students and with one red herring after another producing a weaving, intricate journey through the dark and shady streets of Derby.

Shades of good and evil permeate all of society and as the investigation goes deeper into the migrant scene, the depth and layers of complex morals and loyalties make for a intrinsic journey around Derby’s moral maze.

In addition to the hard facts of the investigation, the banter between Brook and Noble add to a sense that these guys are real, walking alongside you. Brook shows compassion but when faced with injustice, beware.

Booktrailer Review

Clare:

If you know Derby well, this will freak you out as the streets lead you and draw you in to a very realistic scenario and plot. Scarily so. The walk Caitlin does at the start is one I’ve done myself several times as have many students over the years – not any more!

This was a good read as it really got me going! The flashbacks and references to past events really helped build the tension as to whether Caitlin would be found and found alive.

The moral maze which this book essentially is was a weird place to be as I went in with one image and judgement and ended up with quite another. Poverty and immigration aren’t that black and white and morals vary widely depending on situation.

A deep, dark, Derby thriller