A. K. Turner

This was an interesting read. Cassie is a mortuary technician, who sometimes feels the dead are sending her a message. She also has an interesting past, and here she works on the body of the teacher who got her off the streets and into A-Levels. This death is initially thought to be an accident, but of course it turns out to be more complicated. Then there is the mysterious disappearance of the body of an elderly man from the mortuary overnight.

It was difficult for me to get hold of a copy of this novel and I don't think I loved it enough to seek out the other two in the series, but it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours.… (meer)

The third (and final, for now) book in the new British crime series featuring Camden mortuary worker Cassie Raven is keeping up the high standard set by the previous two stories. The fact that I read all three books in just one week gives a clue how addictive they are. These are well-written, gripping stories with characters one actually cares about. Like many of these series, there are two things going on here. Each book is a standalone crime novel, telling the story of a crime that is solved in the course of the book. But there is also an ongoing story with the characters who feature in all the books, including Cassie’s Polish grandmother, her father Callum (recently released from jail) and — most important — the beguiling detective Phyllida (yes, Phyllida) Flyte. And in each episode, there’s a kind of dance going on between the openly bisexual Cassie and somewhat more staid Phyllida. As Cassie once puts it (and I’m quoting from memory), “Flyte is so deep into the closet that she can see Narnia.” So it’s not a question of if, but rather when, something more than a professional relationship will develop between the two women. I can’t wait for the next book.… (meer)

The second book in the Cassie Raven series is as good as the first. This time, the Camden-based mortuary worker investigates a cold case even closer to home: her father, jailed for murdering her mother decades earlier, is back and wants to prove his innocence. Raven is introduced to the world of 1990s London, including Irish folk-rock, protests by eco-warriors and police who go deep undercover to fight them. Turner has created a great cast of characters and continues with a high standard of story-telling. Recommended.… (meer)

Cassie (Cassandra) Raven works in a mortuary in Camden, north London, where she speaks to the dead — and it seems they might be speaking back. This is the first book in a series of three so far, and it’s very good. Cassie is a likeable character as are many of the supporting cast (plus some really bad people too). Unlike some other London-based thrillers I’ve read recently, this is a genuinely modern story with a powerful young woman as the lead. Cassie’s been compared to Lisbeth Salander, which may explain why I’m enjoying reading about her. It’s a good story — actually several overlapping stories — and I look forward to reading more from this series.… (meer)