The beginning of a new series which will keep you on the edge of your seat, here’s When the Dead Come Calling by Helen Sedgwick.

The plot:

When psychotherapist Alexis Crosse is found murdered in the playground of the sleepy northern village of Burrowhead, DI Strachan and her team of local police investigate, exposing a maelstrom of racism, misogyny and homophobia simmering beneath the surface of the village.

Shaken by the revelations and beginning to doubt her relationship with her husband, DI Strachan discovers something lurking in the history of Burrowhead, while someone (or something) equally threatening is hiding in the strange and haunted cave beneath the cliffs…

An impossible book to put down

When the Dead Come Calling covers many different topics, and I love how it’s not your standard ‘cozy’ crime fiction – this book will put you out of your comfort zone.

I loved how it dived right in to the story, but saying this, you didn’t get much of an introduction into the characters. I thought that perhaps this was the second book in the series, but you are fed more information as you go along, so give it time if this is nettling you too.

The story is immersive and transports you to the village – it brings you chills, and I’m not sure whether that was because of the story or literally imagining the weather. Sedgwick’s writing style is perfect, in my opinion. It has lots of short chapters to keep you engaged, short sentences for a dark, eerie vibe, and then the long, detailed sentences for you to envision everything, from the skies down to the police station.

It’s unpredictable which is vital for me with a crime fiction. Parts of this book are dark and uncomfortable, with topics which can be hard to swallow.

There were some confusing elements, but I found that these often made sense a few pages later – you really have to concentrate on what’s happening, but I’m famous for not reading the chapter names – and they really help in this story!

A gripping, unique story where you really get attached to the different characters, even if they play a smaller part. You are drip-fed information which blends well with the story itself, making it an impossible book to put down.

With a last page like that, I am very, very excited to see more by this author and read on in this series.

When the Dead Come Calling, Helen Sedgwick, RRP £14.99 (hardback); Book Depository 

Pages: 375

Publisher: Point Blank Books

Genre: Crime Fiction