Category Archives: Caz Frear

November 30, 2020 · 11:56 pm

Review: Shed No Tears by Caz Frear

Title: Shed No Tears by Caz Frear
Cat Kinsella Series Book Three
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

Acclaimed and internationally bestselling crime novelist Caz Frear returns with her third superb novel featuring Cat Kinsella, a cop “on par with Susie Steiner’s and Tana French’s female detectives” (Kirkus Reviews).

Four victims. Killer caught. Case closed . . .  or is it?

Growing up in a London family with ties to organized crime, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella knows the criminal world better than most cops do. As a member of the city’s Metropolitan Police, she’s made efforts to distinguish herself from her relatives. But leading an upstanding life isn’t always easy, and Cat has come close to crossing the line, a fact she keeps well hidden from her superiors.

Working their latest case, Cat and her partner Luigi Parnell discover a connection to a notorious criminal: serial killer Christopher Masters, who abducted and killed several women in 2012. Though the cops eventually apprehended him, his final victim, Holly Kemp, was never found and he never confessed to her murder, despite the solid eyewitness testimony against him. Now, six years later, the discovery of Holly’s remains near Cambridge seems to be the definitive proof needed to close the case.

Still, a few key items of evidence don’t quite line up. As Cat and Parnell look closer, they find discrepancies that raise troubling questions. But someone will do anything to keep past secrets hidden—and as they inch closer to the truth, they may be putting themselves in jeopardy . . .

Review:

Shed No Tears by Caz Frear is a multi-layered mystery.  Although this newest release is the third installment in the Cat Kinsella series, it can be read as a standalone.

Detective Constable Cat Kinsella and her partner Detective Sergeant Luigi “Lu” Parnell are investigating the death of Holly Kemp. Holly went missing six years earlier and has long been presumed to be serial killer Christopher Masters’ last victim. The recent discovery of Holly’s remains raises questions about whether or not Masters murdered her. Cat and Lu are soon revisiting the previous investigation and they make very troubling discoveries that raise more questions than answers.  Did Masters kill Holly? And if he did not, will Cat and Lu find out who did?

Cat and Lu notice the differences between Holly’s murder and Masters’ victims right away. This brings up the intriguing possibility that Masters changed his MO with Holly but Cat does not believe this theory. When re-questioning  previous witnesses, Cat is left wondering whether or they are being truthful.  Lu is not quite as convinced as his partner but their boss DCI Kate Steele wants the truth about Holly’s killer. The investigation is a bit frustrating since they make little progress initially, but an absolutely stunning discovery takes the case in a shocking direction.

Cat is also dealing with a bit of family drama with her father. She keeps her professional and personal lives completely separate but it is getting harder for her to justify some of her past choices. She is in a long term relationship with Aiden Doyle but she has a decision to make that might affect their future together.

Shed No Tears is a clever mystery with a great cast of characters and a puzzling murder. Cat is a tenacious  detective with great instincts and a complicated personal life. The investigation is interesting and moves a slow but steady pace. With the disparate pieces of puzzle swiftly falling into place, Caz Frear brings this engrossing mystery to a very unanticipated conclusion. A brilliant addition to the Cat Kinsella series that old and new fans will enjoy.

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Filed under Cat Kinsella Series, Caz Frear, Contemporary, Harper, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Shed No Tears, Suspense

June 30, 2019 · 11:55 pm

Review: Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear

Title: Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear
Cat Kinsella Series Book Two
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 332 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

From the beloved and internationally bestselling author of Sweet Little Lies comes the second novel featuring DC Cat Kinsella—an investigator “on par with Susie Steiner’s and Tana French’s female detectives” (Kirkus Reviews).

After a brief stint in the Mayor’s Office, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is back at the London Metropolitan Police, wisecracking with her partner Luigi Parnell and trying to avoid the wrath of the boss, DI Kate Steele.

But for Cat and Parnell, it’s serious business when a young Australian woman turns up dead after a party thrown by her new boss. The initial investigation of Naomi Lockhart’s murder points to Joseph Madden, the owner of a coffee shop around the corner from police headquarters. Madden insists he’s innocent, that he was home with his wife Rachel at the time of the murder. When police question her, Rachel contradicts his alibi, swearing that she was home alone.

While the team builds its case against Joseph, Cat is tasked with getting to the heart of the Maddens’ marriage. Cat knows that one of them is lying—but the question of which one, and why, is far more complicated than she could have expected. As she tries to balance the demands of the investigation with a budding romance and unresolved family drama, Cat has to decide how far she’ll go to keep her own past mistakes buried.

With her trademark wit and brilliant plotting, Caz Frear ratchets up the tension and keeps you guessing as she explores the secrets we keep from our loved ones—and the ones we’d kill to keep safe in the dark.

Review:

Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear is an absorbing mystery. Although this second installment in the Cat Kinsella series can be read as a standalone, the first book in the series, Sweet Little Lies, provides valuable background information about Cat and her family.

Detective Cat Kinsella and her partner Detective Sergeant Luigi Parnell are investigating the death of Australian national Naomi Lockhart. There is little doubt the twenty-two year young woman has been murdered but there are scant clues at the crime scene.  Cat and Luigi’s first stop in the investigation is the victim’s boss, Kirstie Conner.  They quickly discover that Kirstie’s husband Marcus set Naomi up with her roommate Kiernan Drake, a thirty-four year old personal trainer. Further complicating the situation is the fact Naomi was at the Conner’s house for a party the day of her death.  Cat and Luigi soon have reason to believe Kirstie’s brother-in-law Joseph Madden was having an affair with Naomi. The only problem? Joseph’s wife Rachel insists her husband was at home the night Naomi was murdered.  Cat and Luigi continue their investigation but all roads lead back to Joseph. Is it possible that Rachel is lying for her husband?  Can Cat uncover the truth about who murdered Naomi?

Cat is still dealing with the fallout from her previous case but she is determined not to allow the fraught situation to affect her at work. She has carefully compartmentalized her life and she does everything she can to keep the various areas separate. Unfortunately, Cat’s boyfriend is growing impatient with her refusal to introduce him to anyone in her life. And Luigi and her other co-workers are giving her a hard time about her “secret” boyfriend.  Cat’s life grows even more complicated when someone from her past suddenly reappears in her life and she is suspicious about what this person wants from her.

The investigation into Naomi’s murder is a bit of a slow burner as Cat and Luigi try to find definitive evidence that Joseph is, in fact, their killer. The complex family ties muddy their search for answers but it does not take long for Cat to make some headway.  Rachel quickly begins to unravel but she remains adamant Joseph is innocent. Kinsella and Parnell soon untangle Joseph’s  web of lies but will they uncover irrefutable proof that he murdered Naomi? In the meantime, Cat is chasing down a few puzzling details although she is not sure how this information fits into their investigation. A stunning discovery turns the case upside down, but will Cat and Luigi discover the identity of  Naomi’s murderer?

Stone Cold Heart is a fast-paced and engrossing police procedural. Cat, Luigi and the rest of the team are vibrantly developed characters that are quite personable.  Cat is quite intelligent with an intriguing moral compass due to her family history.  The current investigation is completely wrapped up novel’s end, but a cliffhanger involving Cat will leave readers awaiting the next installment in Caz Frear’s clever Cat Kinsella series.

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Filed under Cat Kinsella Series, Caz Frear, Contemporary, Harper, Mystery, Rated B+, Stone Cold Heart, Suspense

August 13, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear

Title: Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear
Cat Kinsella Series Book One
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

In this gripping debut procedural, a young London policewoman must probe dark secrets buried deep in her own family’s past to solve a murder and a long-ago disappearance.

Your father is a liar. But is he a killer?
Even liars tell the truth . . . sometimes.

Twenty-six-year-old Cat Kinsella overcame a troubled childhood to become a Detective Constable with the Metropolitan Police Force, but she’s never been able to banish these ghosts. When she’s called to the scene of a murder in Islington, not far from the pub her estranged father still runs, she discovers that Alice Lapaine, a young housewife who didn’t get out much, has been found strangled.

Cat and her team immediately suspect Alice’s husband, until she receives a mysterious phone call that links the victim to Maryanne Doyle, a teenage girl who went missing in Ireland eighteen years earlier. The call raises uneasy memories for Cat—her family met Maryanne while on holiday, right before she vanished. Though she was only a child, Cat knew that her charming but dissolute father wasn’t telling the truth when he denied knowing anything about Maryanne or her disappearance. Did her father do something to the teenage girl all those years ago? Could he have harmed Alice now? And how can you trust a liar even if he might be telling the truth?

Determined to close the two cases, Cat rushes headlong into the investigation, crossing ethical lines and trampling professional codes. But in looking into the past, she might not like what she finds. .

Review:

Sweet Little Lies by Caz Frear is an engrossing murder mystery that becomes a tangled web of personal and professional for Detective Constable Cat Kinsella.

DC Kinsella is assigned to Murder Investigation Team 4 but due to her reaction at crime scene, her boss, DCI Kate Steele, keeps her on the periphery of their newest investigation. Cat and her partner Detective Sergeant Luigi Parnell are investigating the death of Alice Lapaine. Cat is uneasy due to the fact that Alice’s body was found close to the pub where she lived until she was eight years old.  

Cat at one time adored her father, Mike McBride, but ever since the family vacation in Ireland eighteen years earlier, she finds it impossible to trust him.  During their time in Mulderrin, seventeen year old Maryanne Doyle went missing and Cat knows for certain her father lied to the police during their search for missing teenager. When the current investigation into Alice’s death converges with Maryanne’s unsolved disappearance, Cat faces an ethical dilemma as she wrestles with whether or not she should divulge her family’s connection to the two cases.

Cat’s tangled family history continues to define her and sometimes leaves her lacking the ability to distance herself from her cases. She is overly empathetic but her quest for justice for victims is admirable.  She struggles to remain on the sidelines of the investigation into Alice’s murder but her suspicions about her father make it difficult for her obey DCI Steele’s orders. Cat has the utmost respect for her partner but she occasionally takes advantage of their close relationship to insert herself deeper into the ongoing inquiry.

The investigation into Alice’s murder moves in fits and starts throughout the novel.  Alice’s husband is of course closely looked at but an unexpected revelation takes the investigation in an entirely different direction. Discovering her whereabouts in the days leading up to her murder provides frustratingly few leads about who could have her or why. Cat remains on edge as she worries about her father’s possible involvement in Alice’s death and her relationship with her family deteriorates at an alarming rate.

Despite being a little slow-paced, Sweet Little Lies is nonetheless an intriguing mystery with a clever storyline and a fantastic cast of characters.  Cat is a multi-layered protagonist who is genuinely conflicted about whether or not to reveal her family’s possible ties to the current investigation. With stunning twists and unexpected turns, Caz Frear brings the novel to a truly shocking conclusion as Cat unearths the truth about who murdered Alice and why. An outstanding police procedural that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment in the Cat Kinsella series.

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Filed under Cat Kinsella Series, Caz Frear, Contemporary, Harper, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Suspense, Sweet Little Lies