Hope to Die by David Jackson @Author_Dave @BonnierZaffre

Author : David Jackson
Title : Hope to Die
Series : DS Nathan Cody #2
Pages : 416
Publisher : Bonnier Zaffre
Publication date : September 21, 2017

On a snowy December evening, Mary Cowper is walking her dog through the churchyard of Liverpool Cathedral – and that’s when the killer strikes.

Put on the case, DS Nathan Cody is quickly stumped. Wherever he digs, Mary seems to be almost angelic – no-one has a bad word to say about her, let alone a motive for such a violent murder.

And Cody has other things on his mind too. The ghosts of his past are coming ever close, and – still bearing the physical and mental scars – it’s all he can do to hold onto his sanity.

And then the killer strikes again.

A few months ago, I raved about the first book in the DS Cody series and I’m kicking myself for taking this long to finally read the second one. Follow-ups are always tricky but I can safely say Hope to Die is even better than its predecessor!

Cody’s having an absolutely horrendous time. Not only is there the investigation into the murder of teacher Mary Cowper, which seems to be going nowhere fast, but he has a lot of other things to deal with as well. His relationship with Megan is at an all-time low, he suffers from nightmares and his past is getting ever closer. One word : creepy! Is he suffering from hallucinations again or is someone playing a game with him?

If all that isn’t gripping enough, David Jackson throws in utterly heartbreaking and harrowing chapters that nearly broke me. They are vital to understand where the killer is coming from but boy, did they make for some highly uncomfortable reading. These had me guessing until the end, trying to figure out the whodunnit and, as per usual,  getting it completely wrong.

There’s also the introduction of a new member of the team, Grace. She’s a computer geek, desperate to prove herself and quiet frankly, she gives me the heebie-jeebies! And yet, she’s sufficiently intriguing in that overwhelmingly weird sort of way that makes me look forward to learning more about her.

There’s a lot going on in this story and all its various layers held my attention throughout. Well-paced, intricately plotted and brilliantly written, I found Hope to Die totally unputdownable. The DS Cody series is another one to watch out for. It has a fascinating and gripping backstory that is still haunting Nathan Cody, as you will find out yourself when (not if!) you read this series and I can’t wait for more of that in book 3!

Hope to Die was published in September and is available for purchase!

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