Crossing the Line by Kerry Wilkinson

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

My thanks go to Pan MacMillan for providing me with this copy. 

Pages: 392

Publisher: Pan MacMillan

Released: 11th of September 2014

Long before Jessica Daniel became a police officer, Manchester was once a ghost city after dark. Fear ruled as people were afraid to be out by themselves, the notorious Stretford Slasher terrorising its inhabitants.

Twenty-five years on and the media are feeling nostalgic over the milestone but Jessica has a new panic to worry about. Apparent strangers are being targeted in daylight, the attacker unworried about being caught. If only she and her team could find him…

It’s the coldest spring in memory and Jessica has old friends to look out for, plus secrets - so many secrets - that should have long been buried.

What I Have To Say

I hadn't realised how late this was in the series before I requested it, but luckily it was the first book of season two (when did books start coming in seasons anyway?). So I got a chance to see for myself whether it really was a good place for a new reader to start.

I think that crime as a genre is easier to join mid-series than other genres may be. There are exceptions, but in my experience, most crime books tend to work as stand alone as long as you don't mind a few references you don't understand. Crossing The Line was much the same. There were a few times previous events in the series were mentioned, but all in all everything was easy to follow.

I loved the very British pessimism of the characters, complete with weather, traffic, pen thievery and the ever present budget cuts. And though I felt that the female characters were a little bit similar, I really did like Jessica as a character.

If you're looking for a good crime series then this could be a good place to start.