Review: Creep by R. M. Greenaway

Title: Creep by R. M. Greenaway
B.C. Blues Crime Series Book Three
Publisher: Dundurn
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 392 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Leith and Dion are on the hunt for a different kind of murderer … and he’s a real animal.

It seems the October rains have brought death and disaster to North Vancouver. A missing hiker is found by his son and daughter, a foul smell leads to a mauled body in a crawl space, and a small boy is attacked by a man in wolf form.

Once an up-and-coming Serious Crimes investigator, these days Constable Cal Dion is back on general duties, feeling out-of-the-loop and rebellious. On a routine canvassing task, he finds himself questioning an attractive witness, one he feels is peripheral enough to the crawl space case that he would be safe in asking her out. Of course, it’s the worst decision.… Constable David Leith is in the thick of the same investigation, a case complicated by rumours running wild and a most elusive suspect. Halloween has brought out the ghouls for Leith and his team … and possibly a shapeshifter as well, with murder on its mind.

Review:

Creep by R. M. Greenaway is an enthralling police procedure which features several intriguing mysteries. This third addition to the B.C. Blues Crime series can be read as a standalone but I strongly recommend reading the novels in order to fully understand the characters’ backstories.

Back in uniform, Constable Cal Dion and his new partner Constable Randall are called to the scene of Aldobrandono Rosetti’s death. Rosetti inexplicably died while out hiking, but a few puzzling observations stand out to Constable Randall.  Could there be a more sinister reason for his unfortunate passing?

Constable David Leith arrives at an abandoned house where a search is underway for the source of a very unpleasant odor reported by neighbors. The discovery of a corpse inside a canvas bag  raises everyone’s eyebrows since the body has apparently been mauled by an animal.  With one of the deceased’s arms having been hacked off, the police have more questions than answers. When strange reports of a werewolf begin making the rounds, Leith and the rest of the investigators have their hands full trying to uncover the truth about what happened to their victim.

Following the hit and run death of a young girl on Halloween, Dion and Randall are soon at odds over Randall’s continued insistence in pursuing the person she believes is responsible. Could there be any truth to Randall’s assertion that someone in the RCMP is trying to cover up for a loved one’s involvement in the tragic death?

Cal is still struggling with his memory issues and a lack of faith in his instincts that are a result of his earlier car accident.  He continues to have difficulty with losing track of his thoughts when he is interrupted before he can follow through with tasks. Cal is also still haunted by the series of events that occurred the night of his car accident and he deeply mourns the loss of his best friend. Cal has difficulty controlling his emotions and when frustrated, he continues to make questionable and impetuous decisions that put him in dangerous situations.

Leith has yet to fully assimilate to city life and he and his wife, Allison, are in the midst of house hunting. He remains wary of fully trusting Cal and he is quite concerned that Sergeant Mike Bosko’s off the books investigation into Dion’s past is ongoing. Despite his qualms, Leith does not hesitate to request Cal’s assistance in continuing the investigation into the hit and run case once it comes to a standstill.

Creep is an engrossing mystery with several secondary story arcs that unexpectedly converge in surprising ways.  The characters are somewhat colorful and they are vibrantly developed with realistic strengths and all too relatable foibles.   The various investigations unfold in a believable fashion with some clues yielding results while others lead to dead ends. R. M. Greenaway brings the novel to an exciting conclusion although the questions about Cal’s past remain unanswered.  Hopefully the truth about Cal will be answered in the next installment of the B.C. Blues Crime series.