Ratings1
Average rating5
With little light left in the sky, Erica nearly missed the narrow track to the isolated cottage. Trying the switch by the front door, her heart sank. The power was off. Her neck prickling, she ducked under the police tape and stepped inside...
Detective Erica Sands is called out to a lonely cottage in Dorset, England. A local woman, Jane Smith, has been found murdered in her home. At first, it looks like a burglary gone wrong until Erica’s attention is grabbed by a seemingly minor detail. A framed photograph of Jane’s two cats – one black and one white – triggers a strange disquiet in Erica, which turns to shock when she discovers a cryptic note written in blood tucked beneath the frame.
Erica’s curiosity deepens when she's summoned to a meeting with the Director General of Highmoor Prison, who reveals an unsettling twist. Her estranged father, Charles Sterling – a convicted killer himself – claims to possess crucial information about Jane’s murder. He's willing to share it only with her, leaving Erica torn between anger and a nagging suspicion that he might hold a key to the case.
As she grapples with what to do next, Erica discovers a chilling connection between the murder victim and her own past, just as the investigation takes an unexpected turn when a pair of twin girls are snatched from outside the gates of their school on a sunny afternoon. Are the two cases connected? If so, time is running out for Erica to find the girls alive…
With a sophisticated killer still on the loose, and Erica’s father doing everything he can to get into her head, the stakes have never been higher. The Trap will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page!
Reviews with the most likes.
Silence Of The Lambs Homage With Twists. This is one of those books that I honestly never would have connected it with Silence Of The Lambs had other reviewers not pointed that connection out, but it absolutely does fit here. Of course, along similar lines one could also connect this tale to the legendary Sherlock Holmes tales, which ultimately most modern detective tales come from in some way or another. Honestly, the connection I made while reading the book itself was to Starfield, a long awaited game that finally released nearly three months before this book did, and which I've been playing quite heavily since. *That* connection will only make sense after you've read this book *and* played that game all the way through at least once though.
Overall, this is a pulse pounding thriller, one where a brilliant detective faces off with an equally brilliant - and possibly moreso - serial killer. In this case... the showdown that we were promised in Book 1 of this series, The Cove. The murders here are particularly brutal, and our heroine has quite a bit in common with that famous 19th century detective in several ways, making this quite the compelling tale.
As to whether a Book 3 may be coming... I love the fact that the author actually weaves into the tale here a discussion of why that may not actually be a great idea... and yet... I ultimately still think I want to see it anyway. So we'll see what Dunnett and his publisher do next.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.