The Cutting Room by Ashley Dyer (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"While Britain is obsessed with the newest hit true-crime television show, Fact, or Fable? detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver are tormented by a fiendish flesh-and-blood killer on the loose.

Lured to a “crime scene” by a mysterious digital invitation, Ruth Lake is horrified by what she finds: a bizarre and gruesome tableau surrounded by a crowd of gawkers. The deadly work is the latest “art installation” designed by a diabolical criminal dubbed the Ferryman. Not only is this criminal cold-blooded; he’s a narcissistic exhibitionist desperate for an audience. He’s also clever at promoting his deadly handiwork. Exploiting England’s current true-crime craze, he uses social media to titillate and terrorize the public.

Ruth is joined in the investigation by her partner Greg Carver, who is slowly regaining his strength after a run-in with another sadistic criminal. But Greg can’t seem to shake the bewildering effects of the head wound that nearly ended him. Are the strange auras blurring his vision an annoying side effect of his injury, or could they be something more . . . a tool to help him see a person’s true nature?"

My Thoughts:

I'm starting to feel like 2019 is becoming the year of sequels for me.  I've been reading some absolutely stellar books that are all second books in their respective series - and I can add this one to the list without hesitation!  Last year, I read and loved the first book which is titled Splinter in the Blood.  It was dark and thrilling which is exactly the type of book that I enjoy reading most.  I've been anticipating this book every since finishing that first one.  I've got to say that this book was just as good (if not slightly better) than its' predecessor.  Let's start this off though by saying that it's probably for the best if you read these books in order.  Do you have to read that first book?  No, but if you don't a lot of what happened in that first book will be spoiled for you to a certain extent.  I just think you will enjoy these books more if you read them both but you certainly don't have to.  That being said, this book starts off with a bang.  Carver and Ruth are both still dealing with the aftermath of what happened in that previous book but in different ways.  All of that has to be pushed aside though as they are drawn into another dangerous and high profile case.  The best part of this book for me was how easily the author was able to keep me guessing.  I feel like I was going back and forth suspecting different individuals but I wasn't even close.  The storyline was just as dark and fast-paced as it was in the first book.  I found myself reading for as long as possible because I just couldn't stop reading.  In fact, I broke my late night reading rule that I have during the week just so that I could finish this one.  Ha!  I'm very, very intrigued by a separate storyline that the author brought into this book.  I expect that we will learn more about it in the next book but I fully admit that it's going to be a very long wait until then!

Overall, I enjoyed this one immensely and am now officially a huge fan of this series!  I was a huge fan after the first book but I feel like with two winners in a row this author has jumped on to my must read list.  It's going to be so hard to wait for book three in this series, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait after loving these first two so much!  What more can you ask for with a book that has you on edge while reading guessing the entire time?  It was a marvelous reading experience and now I need more books and series to follow just like this!  I would recommend this book to fans of suspense, thrillers, and mysteries alike.  Be warned that both of these books edge on the darker side but it's so worth it!  I'll just be over here impatiently pining for the next book whenever it is due to release.  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  A series and author to take note of - do yourself a favor and start with Splinter in the Blood to get the full reading experience!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher.  Honest thoughts are my own.