Cold Sacrifice by Leigh Russell

 

Cold Sacrifice

By Leigh Russell

I was really excited to hear that Leigh Russell was writing a spin off from her Geraldine Steel series of books starring Geraldine’s sidekick DS Ian Peterson. This first book in the new series does not disappoint.

This is what the publishers have to say about the book:

When Henry's wife is stabbed to death, he pays a prostitute to give him an alibi. Her body is discovered, strangled, and the police realise they are dealing with a serial killer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. While they are hunting for evidence, another prostitute is brutally murdered. On the track of a vicious killer, Ian doesn't realise he is risking the life of his young colleague, Polly.

Already established as a popular character in his own right, Ian Peterson appears in a supporting role in the first three Geraldine Steel novels. Cold Sacrifice is the start of his own career as protagonist in a brand new detective series. 

Ian Peterson certainly proves a strong enough character to carry his own series. We get to find out more about his personal life in this book, and the interplay between that and his working life provides an excellent additional angle and sets up an intriguing situation to carry over into the next book.

I was thrilled to see that Geraldine Steel got to play a cameo role in the story, and I hope that she will make further appearances in the books to come in this series.

The plot has some great twists, including one that I couldn’t work out at all. It also explores new areas in the motives for the crimes and, as ever with Leigh Russell’s work, is notable for its sensitive depiction of victims of murder.

So, overall a great read with an interesting premise and strong characters. If you’re a fan of Geraldine Steel this series is great news and will keep you going in the gaps when you’re waiting for Geraldine’s next adventure to come out.

You can find my reviews of Leigh Russell’s Geraldine Steel books here and here.

Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book.

You can find out how to get hold of a copy here.