The Cutting Place By Jane Casey

”The Cutting Place’ is the ninth book by Jane Casey in the Maeve Kerrigan thriller series.

Everyone’s heard the rumours about elite gentlemen’s clubs, where the champagne flows freely, the parties are the height of decadence . . . and the secrets are darker than you could possibly imagine. DS Maeve Kerrigan finds herself in an unfamiliar world of wealth, luxury and ruthless behaviour when she investigates the murder of a young journalist, Paige Hargreaves. Paige was working on a story about the Chiron Club, a private society for the richest and most privileged men in London. Then she disappeared. It’s clear to Maeve that the members have many secrets. But Maeve is hiding secrets of her own – even from her partner DI Josh Derwent. Will she uncover the truth about Paige’s death? Or will time run out for Maeve first?

Although this is the ninth book in Jane Casey’s series, this was the first book that I read by the author and I must admit it was a great story and introduction to a new series.

The story starts with the discovery of a dismembered female body and DS Maeve Kerrigan is called in to investigate. As she looks into the background of the victim, she begins to ravel the possible motives behind the woman’s death as well as the discovery of an elusive club.

The story is primarily told through Maeve’s perspective but there is an inclusion of chapters seen from the narrative of someone who has just done something terrible and their identity is not revealed.

I really enjoy a good murder thriller and ‘The Cutting Place’ was just that. DS Maeve Kerrigan is a great character, a strong woman who works hard in a predominantly male environment but has earned her colleagues respect through her eye for detail. Her relationship with her colleague and flatmate Josh Derwent is a turbulent one that makes for interesting reading, combining the professionalism and personal aspects of their relationship with wit and drama. The premise for the book revolves around a secret society club and it makes for interesting reading as Maeve investigates it and the sordid tales surrounding it.

The story is a tense and dramatic one, with suspense leaping off each page, the dynamics between the characters, as well as suspicious characters makes for truly gripping reading, that really leaves the reader on the edge of their seat.

Although in the book, Jane provides some character background, I was really intrigued by the relationship between Maeve and Josh and will most definitely be looking into reading the previous books from the series.

‘The Cutting Place’ is a gruesome and dark tale about the dark underbelly of high society, a fantastically written and a thoroughly well researched police procedural, packed with humour and some tender moments helping the reader recover from the darker ones, a must read!

You can buy ‘The Cutting Place’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.