In Cold Blood By Jane Bettany

‘In Cold Blood’ is Jane Bettany’s first novel.

As the Whitworth family begin renovations on their new home, their plans are brought to an abrupt end when they discover a body buried in the back garden. DI Isabel Blood and her team are called to investigate, but as she approaches Ecclesdale Drive, a feeling of unease settles in her gut. The property cordoned off is number 23. The house she used to live in as a child. The forensic team estimate that the body has been in the ground for up to forty years – coinciding with the time Isabel’s family lived in the house. Isabel’s father vanished without a trace when she was fourteen years old. And with her mother remaining tight-lipped about her father’s disappearance, Isabel can’t escape the unnerving sense of dread that it’s his body, buried in the garden.

As a debut novel, ‘In Cold Blood’ is a gripping story that introduces a new detective series with her own drama in life.

The story is seen from the narrative of DI Isobel Blood who’s been called to the scene of crime when a body has been discovered. Unfortunately, the location of the body is at her old family home and having to revisit the homestead brings back unwanted feelings and emotions. As she and her dedicated team investigate the crime, they discover it’s not a simple case of whodunnit it but an historical journey into the previous owners and nosy neighbours.

This book was easy to get absorbed in and right away, I enjoyed Jane’s style of writing. Isabel is a complex character, she’s an older mother struggling with a teenager as well as struggling with her own mother who lives in Spain. Having to revisit her childhood home, has brought back unwanted feelings of her father’s disappearance, so at times she gets emotionally involved in the crime. As her job is so demanding, this often causes some tension in the family, as her daughter Ellie feels that her job is her priority and not her family.

The story is fascinating in not only its premise but also the amount of research in the story is outstanding. As the team are investigating an historical crime, it’s interesting to see how police procedures have changed through the years.

The victim of the crime is also an interesting character, although we never meet Celia. There’s plenty of opinions on the elderly woman. Described as cold and private, as we delve into past, we find an interesting woman who has many secrets that she’s been hiding for years.

‘In Cold Blood’ is a cleverly crafted and well written story that is a great introduction to a new detective. An observational and insightful story about police procedures and a well hidden crime.

You can buy ‘In Cold Blood’ from Amazon.