I was contacted by Rachel Amphlett to see if I would be interested in reviewing her novel, and as soon as I read the blurb I jumped at the chance.
Scared to Death begins with the body of a young girl being found by her parents in a drain. She had been kidnapped and they were responding to the ransom demand. At first it is thought it was just a kidnapping that went wrong. However when another body is unearthed with the ransom money still on it, Detective Kay Hunter believes that there is a killer at work.
This was the first in a new series featuring Kay Hunter and was the first novel I had read by Rachel Amphlett. It was certainly a promising start to a series. I enjoyed the writing style of the novel with short chapters that make it a fast paced read. The characters all felt well rounded and believable, especially that of likeable Detective Kay Hunter. As with all detectives Kay has secrets and is struggling to restart her career after being the subject of a standards investigation. However unlike most Detectives in crime fiction she has a stable marriage to her husband. He is a vet and plays a great role within the story of providing a bit of humour with his animal stories. One thing I did like was the fact that the back story of the characters doesn’t take over from the main focus of the novel as it sometimes can do. The main story here is definitely the hunt for a killer who is literally scaring his victims to death.
The story itself is creepy and keeps you guessing with lots of twists and turns. I especially enjoyed the chapters told from the killer’s point of view which added a different element to narrative. I enjoyed this novel and will definitely be looking out for the next in the series.
A crime readers blog 