Today I’m taking part in the blog tour for Split Second. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the blog tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

What if one moment – one split second – changed everything?

When a firearms officer shoots a suspect dead and wounds another, who later dies in hospital, the official line is that the sun was in her eyes. Her body cam failed. Known only as Officer X, her anonymity is meant to protect her – until a judge releases her name and a media storm erupts.

Detective Superintendent Jack Dylan and DI Charley Mann are called in to determine whether it was a justifiable use of force – or something darker. And when it’s revealed that Officer X knew the victim, and her brother died of a drug overdose linked to the same woman, the case becomes charged with personal and political tension.

As pressure mounts, a vulnerable witness dies and a lost phone surfaces with a photograph and a message that could unravel everything – and reveal the truth about what happened that day.

Split Second brings Dylan and Mann together for the first time, in an investigation that will test their instincts, their loyalties and the limits of justice itself, as both detectives must decide how far they’ll go – and what they’re willing to sacrifice – to uncover the truth.

Review:

I’ve heard a lot about RC Bridgestock, the husband and wife writing team, but never had the opportunity to read their work. The beginning of a new series seemed a great place to start and let’s just say I’ll definitely be reading more! Split Second focuses on the department investigating the conduct of police officers, and I found this absolutely fascinating. It presented a different angle to the police investigation that is not often explored in novels and I was hooked by every aspect of it. One of the authors has personal experience of serving in the police and I love the way they have combined their knowledge with a brilliant sense of both creativity and drama to write a wonderfully compelling story. 

Split Second is based around the investigation into PC Abi McNally. She is a well constructed character with an interesting back story, but to me, she came across as conscientious and genuine and I believed the case for the defence. However, I concede that we do see the incident mostly from Abi’s point of view and she may not seem as reliable to other readers as she did to me! 

The team investigating the incident in which Abi was involved are Detective Superintendent Jack Dylan and Detective Inspector Charley Mann. In Split Second, we do get a glimpse of these characters’ lives and personalities and I enjoyed what I saw – they both seem diligent, intelligent and compassionate – but I can’t wait to see their characters emerge more as the series continues.

Any court case is full of tension, and the tension in Split Second simply radiates off the page. I was totally drawn into each scene, desperate to know what would happen next and holding my breath as I was reading! 

The ending of Split Second is brilliant and so intelligently written. I will be thinking about what happened for a long time to come

Split Second is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: