The opening chapters were...aggravating. The plot around Ava's backstory was interesting, but the kidnapping plot took away from pacing and the resolution was quite underwhelming. That said, Bill looking after Alex is beautiful and this is a series I am becoming more invested in, although not yet on the level of DCI Ryan.

Sidenote: I read the previous Alex Gregory book (Panic), then read the newest DCI Ryan book (Poison Garden), then I read this book (all by the same author). When I got to the end of this book, I was confused as to why a certain plot thread hadn't been picked up. Then I realised that plot thread is in the DCI Ryan series 😂 The perils of reading two series by one author back-to-back  😂