One By One By Helen Bridgett

‘One By One’ is the latest book by Helen Bridgett.

Professor Maxie Reddick has her reasons for being sceptical of traditional policing methods, but, in between her criminology lecturing job and her Criminal Thoughts podcast, she stays firmly on the side lines of the crime solving world. Then a young woman is brutally attacked, and suddenly it’s essential that Maxie turns her words into actions; this is no longer an academic exercise – this is somebody’s life. But as she delves deeper, the case takes a sickening turn, which leads Maxie to the horrifying realisation that the attack might not have been a one-off. It seems there’s a depraved individual out there seeking revenge, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it … little by little … one by one.

When a young woman is raped at a wedding, her friend contacts Maxie Reddick, the criminal professor with a successful podcast series. Georgina, the victim doesn’t want to go to the police but Maxie is doing in her power to convince Georgina otherwise as well as try to find the rapist. As Georgina finally begins to open up to Maxie, she is murdered and Maxie feels at a loss and that she has let the young woman down.

Determined more than ever to find Georgina’s rapist and murderer by starting her own investigation with the aid of the police but as the Maxie begins to piece things together and make new connections, there’s someone who is ahead of her taking them down one by one.

The story is primarily seen through Maxie’s perspective, a driven woman who’s determined to get justice for Georgina, who she feels that she has let down. Maxie throws herself into her work, much to the annoyance of her husband Philip, who’s recently started a mysterious new job after his redundancy. After many years of marriage, Maxie is unhappy with the relationship and spends most of her time avoiding Philip and his interference and sleeping in separate rooms.

To add a little bit more suspense to this already cleverly written thriller, there are also narratives from the rapist/murderer and this really does makes for interesting reading as the reader tries to piece together clues from their perspectives.

A gripping police procedural thriller, with characters that make for fascinating reading and a protagonist that is determined to bring justice to light, ‘One By One’ is a great book filled with twists, suspense that keeps the reader fully engaged throughout.

You can buy ‘One By One’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.