Paid in Blood by Susan Handley

Interesting characters and great twists

My rating: 3 out of 5

DI Matt Fisher has been recently blinded. Will this prevent him from solving his next case – or can he prove to his boss that he is still the excellent detective he was before?

A glitzy fund raising auction and a murder – but who out of all those guests did it? There are plenty of likely suspects, but can Matt Fisher find the perpetrator and prove it.

Assisting DI Fisher is DC Beth Nightingale who has plenty of enthusiasm but little experience (and his Labrador). Will Beth be able to spot the visual clues and tell DI Fisher about them, or is she too new to be much help. Can DI Fischer prove the doubters in his abilities wrong – and can he prove to himself that he is up to the job?

The search for the murderer builds up gradually during the book. Like real life there are dead ends, times when things seem to go quiet, and sudden breakthroughs. The first half of this thriller moves at a gentle pace, but by the end I was racing to see what would happen. As the case progresses so the characters DI Fisher and DC Nightingale come to the fore, and their working relationship develops and provides an interesting extra dimension. The fact that Matt Fisher is still coming to terms with his blindness and all the changes that has caused in his life, both personal and professional, adds depth to the story.

I found the first part of this thriller rather slow, but absolutely loved it when it got going. I became involved in DI Fisher, his relationships with his colleagues and his personal life. This is the 1st book in the DI Fisher series, and I will be back for more as I’m keen to know how Fisher (and hopefully Nightingale) progress.