The Essence of Evil by Rob Sinclair

The Essence of Evil

by Rob Sinclair

Kindle Edition, 400 pages

Published September 12th 2019 by Canelo Hera

Goodreads synopsis:

He’s your attacker.

He’s a murderer.

He’s your twin. 

When D.I Dani Stephens returns to work after the attack that almost ended her life, she’s quickly plunged into a horrific new case, as dead bodies are discovered on the streets of Birmingham.

But with no link between the victims, Dani has to get inside a killer’s mind - so turns to the murderer she knows best. Her own twin brother…

But what makes a psychopath? Can understanding her twin help her find a murderer who leaves no trace? As the circle closes on Dani, the clock is ticking and she needs a breakthrough – before she becomes the latest victim.

A heart-stopping crime thriller that fans of Peter James and Mark Billingham won’t be able to put down.

***

5 Stars

It doesn’t say this on Goodreads but I believe this is the first book in a series featuring D.I. Dani Stephens. 

I thought this was a great book. Lots of tension and drama. The protagonist was an unusual gal. At times she was down right unlikeable and did things I didn’t expect. Her head injury made her susceptible to outbursts of anger and near the end she finally embraced that fact.

There was a lot of unfairness between her and her work colleagues and one time when she was suspended I couldn’t figure out why that hammer had come down so harshly on her. Maybe the laws in Britain/UK and the US are different.

As I was reading along I was unsure of who the main character truly was. I was waffling between the professor who wrote the book “The Essence of Evil” and DI Dani Stephens. The plot line was pretty much equally shared between the two for a good portion of the book. The whole thing is pretty fascinating and I was glued to the page throughout.

I think this would make a good tv series or movie since a lot of the action comes across better if you physically see it.

One thing I did find unusual was the cover. The subhead was: He’s our attacker. He’s a murderer. He’s your twin. Although, that is a fascinating way to get people to read this, I don’t think it really speaks to the book inside. Yes, Dani’s brother is a murderer. Yes, she struggled with this fact and that her DNA and his might make her more prone to a similar violence but that is not what this book was about. Her brother was already in jail when the novel started. The plot really had nothing to do with him. He was a plot device, yes, but not the antagonist as this subhead suggests.

Overall, one great book. If you love detective fiction and police procedural, definitely check this one out.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.