This is a collection of two stories: the first two Jack Ryder novels. Willow Rose is better known for her horror writing, but I have to say her style works well here. Her ability to create disturbing murder scenes, and to put the reader into the killer’s head whether they want to be there or not, is excellent.

Early on this book has a lot of separate plot threads: an abused star, a serial killer, the titular detective, and I found myself wondering how on earth these would all tie together. The answer is very, very, well in this collection where Detective Jack Ryder has to take on two dark and outright disturbing serial killers. The end section of the book is an extract from another novel “What Hurts Most”, which is also a promising read.

The unusual element is that both stories are told out of order. The chapters jump around in time from the 1980’s to the present day, telling the story both of the murder and the murderer’s origin. While this can be hard to follow it is nicely done, and with changed names and careful writing, the reader doesn’t guess who the culprit is until the characters do. One minor thing that did irritate me was a repeated theme that abortion destroys a woman’s ability to have children, brought up every time abortion is considered, which will annoy most medical staff and anyone who knows (or knows of) a woman who has had more than one.

Overall, strong characters with good character progression through both books, and some complex and well-woven plots mean these are stories mystery readers will enjoy, as long as they can handle multiple plot threads and non-linear storytelling.