“A Killing of Innocents” by Deborah Crombie is a mystery and police procedural novel that was published in Feb. 2023. It is one of 19 books in a series.
After finishing rounds at the hospital and being stood up by an acquaintance at a bar, junior trainee doctor Sasha Johnson is on her way to meet her friend and flatmate Tully Gibbs at their favorite coffee shop. However, after Johnson enters the crowd in London’s Russell Square, someone bumps into her, causing Johnson to collapse onto the ground.
Upon arriving at the scene, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Doug Cullen, find that Johnson had been stabbed. Kincaid calls his wife, Gemma James, and her partner, Melody Talbot, to help with the investigation.
However, Johnson isn’t a “typical” murder victim. She’s single, successful and dedicated to her career, has no history of toxic relationships and has no connections to gangs, so nobody Johnson knew would’ve killed her.
To make things more difficult, Johnson’s supervisor, Doctor Neel Chowdhury, is killed outside a bar the next morning, and the police think it was connected to Johnson’s murder. Additionally, there is a young woman who went missing in a nearby city and the police must figure out if that is also somehow connected to the crime.
Over the course of the next week, Kincaid and the rest of his team unravel the victim’s connections and uncover some secrets that she kept. Eventually, they uncover the perpetrator, and it’s not someone anyone would have expected to commit the crime.
“A Killing of Innocents” is an exciting book that keeps readers on their toes. There were many layers to the plot and some of the turns that were taken made it difficult to guess who committed the crimes, making for a very intriguing read.
The characters in the book make the story even more interesting. Perspectives from several characters are provided, which adds to the story because it makes the reader think about the clues and make connections to different suspects from multiple points of view.
When this concept was initially introduced, it was confusing at times to keep up with the changes of perspectives, especially when they occurred in the middle of a chapter. After getting acclimated, however, it got easier to keep up with the switches.
Overall, “A Killing of Innocents” is a well-written mystery book with interesting characters and a compelling plot that everyone should consider reading. In my view, it is wholly deserving of a five-star rating.
Vanessa Werner can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @VanessaRWerner