This was quite bitty, with three separate murder cases and a fraud investigation in the mix. Alex was on stress leave (I thought her PTSD and counselling sessions were well done) so she was having to insert herself into investigations unofficially. The ending involved Alex behaving in a manner completely inconsistent with her character as established from the first book in this series, which was a bit odd... ( )

This continues to be one of my favorite series due to its perfect combination of characterization, mystery, and sense of place. There are two juicy mysteries to solve: the murdered couple who lost all their money in a bad investment, and the death of a fisherman who was supposedly washed overboard one dark night. Both are strong and keep readers guessing, and both show how brilliantly intuitive Alexandra Cupidi is as an investigator. She asks questions that never occur to the other police officers. After all, what does a grocery order have to do with the brutal deaths of two people?

Alexandra Cupidi is at the heart of this book and of the entire series. Only two things bring real meaning to her life: her daughter and her job. Daughter Zoë is a force of nature just like her mother, and she's at the age where she wants to stretch her wings and fly her own path. PTSD has given a whole different perspective to Cupidi's life. She's undergoing therapy. She experiences panic attacks, and readers aren't always certain if what she's seeing and feeling is real.

Everything is so serious to Cupidi that the occasional flashes of humor-- especially between her and Zoë-- are a delightful surprise. Reading the entire series (which I highly recommend everyone do, beginning with the excellent The Birdwatcher) shows us Cupidi, a big city girl, slowly acclimating to life on the marshes of southeastern England. It's an elemental landscape that Shaw brings to life, and I enjoy watching Cupidi getting used to it.

The metamorphosis of Alexandra Cupidi has been at the very heart of this entire series. From a woman who's relentless in her push for justice, her push for the win, she's gradually realizing that there's a very real cost to others in her stubborn insistence on the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Alexandra Cupidi has always wanted her world to be black and white. In this series, she's finding out that the world also has infinite shades of gray. Her journey is a fascinating one that I sincerely hope all of you will share. I can't wait to read her next chapter. ( )