Book Review: Let The Dead Speak by Jane Casey

Title: Let The Dead Speak

Author: Jane Casey

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication Date: 9th March 2017

Format: ARC e-Book

Note: This book was received from the publisher in return for an honest review

About the book:

When eighteen-year-old Chloe Emery returns to her West London home she finds her mother missing, the house covered in blood. Everything points to murder, except for one thing: there s no sign of the body.

London detective Maeve Kerrigan and the homicide team turn their attention to the neighbours. The ultra-religious Norrises are acting suspiciously; their teenage daughter and Chloe Emery definitely have something to hide. Then there’s William Turner, once accused of stabbing a schoolmate and the neighborhood’s favorite criminal. Is he merely a scapegoat, or is there more behind the charismatic facade?

As a body fails to materialize, Maeve must piece together a patchwork of testimonies and accusations. Who is lying, and who is not? And soon Maeve starts to realize that not only will the answer lead to Kate Emery, but more lives may hang in the balance.

With Let the Dead Speak, Jane Casey returns with another taut, richly drawn novel that will grip readers from the opening pages to the stunning conclusion.

What I Thought:

Chloe returns home unexpectedly after visiting her father and finds no sign of her mother at home, but a blood splattered house. Let The Dead Speak tells the story of Maeve Kerrigan and her team as they work to find out what happened in the house.

Let The Dead Speak was my first introduction to Jane Casey and Maeve Kerrigan and what an introduction it was! When I first requested and read Let The Dead Speak I wasn’t aware that it was actually book 7 in a series but for me this still worked fantastically. I felt I got to know the characters fairly quickly, and the majority of the main cast I really liked. For me Maeve was immediately likeable, she’s certainly not perfect but I think that just rounds her as a character and makes her more 3-dimensional and real. Derwent is a close colleague of Maeve, who comes across occasionally as a little abrupt and a bit of a grump, but you can tell there’s a genuine affection for Maeve and that he’s there for her. I guess the only character I had a bit of an issue with was Georgina, she’s new to the team in the book, and is on the graduate fast track, so although she has very little real experience she thinks she knows better than others. Maeve has some issues with her seeming sense of entitlement, which I understand, I’m hoping if Georgina sticks around for the next book her experiences will change her character a little bit and make her more likeable.

I really loved the plot in Let The Dead Speak I thought it was interesting, well paced and I loved the twists and turns all the way through, Jane definitely managed to keep me guessing about the actions and motives of all the suspects/witnesses involved within the case.

Would I recommend it?

I certainly would! I may have got slightly lucky with this one as to how rewarding it was to read as a standalone, I’m reliably informed a long running story wrapped up in the book before this in the series. However even without the background knowledge I really enjoyed this one, I definitely intend to go back to the start and pick up The Burning.

Other books in the Maeve Kerrigan series – Via Goodreads

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