Book info

• Title Think of the Children
• Author Kerry Wilkinson
• Year 2013
• Genre Thriller

Detective Sergeant Jessica Daniel is first on the scene as a stolen car crashes on a misty, wet Manchester morning. The driver is dead, but the biggest shock awaits her when she discovers the body of a child wrapped in plastic in the boot of the car. As Jessica struggles to discover the identity of the driver, a thin trail leads her first to a set of clothes buried in the woods and then to a list of children's names abandoned in an allotment shed. With the winter chill setting in and parents looking for answers, Jessica must find out who has been watching local children, and how this connects to a case that has been unsolved for fourteen years.

Thoughts

It was great fun to catch up with Jessica Daniel again, as well as her ever-increasing circle of friends and acquaintances. I like to see how the focus ebbs and flows between the secondary characters - some moving into focus in each book and others taking a back seat.

The case is a tricky one this time, kicking off with a body found in the boot of a car - only discovered because the car was involved in a serious automobile accident on a rainy day. Two intertwined cases follow, with a sprawling list of clues and leads making life confusing for the detectives trying to piece together what actually happened.

It was nice that this one didn’t involve Jess being in too much mortal danger, although her secret mission towards the end did up the stakes a little. I didn’t quite like that sequence, it’s always slightly annoying to see the character in action but suddenly be distanced from what they’re doing and it felt like that went on for quite a long time. Nevertheless, the result was worth it - for her and for us! - and so I’m looking forward to the next one.

Rating: 3 / 5