‘Copycat’ by C. S. Barnes

Synopsis

When the body of a young woman, Jenni Grantham, is found abandoned, DI Melanie Watton and her team are called to investigate. It soon becomes apparent that the murder, the method and the appearance of the victim, is something they have seen before.

With the help of Medical Examiner George Waller, DI Watton uncovers the case history of Michael Richards – a local murderer who killed five women before turning himself in.

Further investigations reveal that Jenni was recently reported missing by her parents. And when Jenni’s personal effects are explored, shocking discoveries are made about the victim’s fascination with the original killings.

However, when the ME makes a surprise discovery, DI Watton realises that Jenni was perhaps not the only local with a fixation on these infamous killings.

With a copycat killer on the loose, the team know it is only a matter of time before another body is discovered. But when a second victim is found, the team find themselves questioning everything they thought they knew…

 

My Review

‘Copycat’ is the second of the books by C. S. Barnes that I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing.  The first book I read, reviewed and loved is called ‘Intention’ and it was released at the beginning of this year.  I read the synopsis for ‘Copycat’ and it certainly intrigued me.  It sounded like just the kind of read I enjoy the most- a police procedural with a difference.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Copycat’ but more about that in a bit.

It didn’t take me long at all to warm to Detective Inspector Melanie Watton and her team.  In fact I felt as though they had become my friends by the time I got to the end of the book.  I felt right at home with all the different personalities as they reminded me of people I used to work with.  Watton is feisty, stubborn, determined, tenacious, hard working and when she says she will do something, she will do it.  She appears to be a woman of her word in that sense.  Watton heads a small team of detectives who each bring something different to the team.  If something isn’t right with a member of her team then she tries to be as supportive as she can be.  The case that is at the forefront of ‘Copycat’ is going to test Watton and her team like they have never been tested before.  Will they find out who is behind the recent spate of killings?  Is there a twist in the tale?  Well for the answers to those questions and more then you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves as I am not going to tell you.

‘Copycat’ is one of those books that starts with a bang and with a death so shocking that ensures that the book will stay fresh in my mind for a long time to come.  The story hit the ground running and maintained the pace throughout.  I soon became addicted to reading ‘Copycat’ and it was impossible to prise the book out of my grip.  I felt as though I might miss something if I put the book down or miss out on some vital clues.  In that respect I felt as though I was a detective myself.  It didn’t take me long to get through this book.  In fact the pages were turning increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out the truth grew.  All too soon I reached the end of the book which I was rather disappointed about.  I don’t mean that I didn’t like the ending of the book but I was enjoying the author’s writing style, the characters and the storylines so much that I just wanted the book to continue on and on.

‘Copycat’ is really well written.  The author has one of those writing styles that is easy to get along with and easy to get used to.  The author certainly entices you in from the first word and the author tightens their grip around you as you get deeper into the book.

Reading ‘Copycat’ was much like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with lots of twists and turns along the way.   I smugly thought that I had worked out who had done what and why, only to realise later on that I had the wrong end of the stick.  In that respect the author certainly kept me guessing.

In a nutshell, I flipping loved reading ‘Copycat’ which is a fine start to what I will hope will develop into a new series.  I was gripped by the story and the characters and I frequently felt as though I was on the edge of my seat.  I would definitely recommend this book to other readers and I can’t wait to read more from this author.  The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.