Without Trace By Leigh Russell

‘Without Trace’ is the latest book by Leigh Russell.

DI Geraldine Steel knows people go missing all the time; sometimes because they don’t want to be found. So when her partner Ian asks her to look into the disappearance of his football-buddy’s girlfriend, her first instinct is to reassure him there’s no need for concern. Until she’s called to a suspected murder, and all her instincts tell her she’s right about the identity of the victim. The young woman has earth and leaf mould and fragments of twigs in her long fair hair, her nose, her mouth, under her finger nails, clinging to her clothes. It’s as if she’d been completely encased in earth. And yet she was found on the pavement, at the side of a suburban road, where she wasn’t in contact with any soil or mud. Had she managed to escape a living grave? Without a crime scene, the investigation focuses on her boyfriend. But Ian insists his friend is incapable of murder, and Steel is torn. Without evidence, she knows their case is weak. But without evidence, can she let a possible killer go free? She needs to find out what really happened. Where did the assault occur? Why are there traces of DNA from two other unidentified sources on the body? What reason could there be to attack a popular young woman who never did anyone any harm? And why bury her body so carelessly that she was able to escape? Then another young woman is reported missing. Unless he has an accomplice, they have an innocent man in custody. And Steel is running out of time.

This is the first book in the DI Steel that I’ve read and it was a good introduction to the series.

The story is seen from both the killer and the detective investigating the murders, as more women go missing, the countdown is on to find the killer and the police are feeling the pressure. DI Geraldine Steel is finding this case intense as the main suspect in it is the friend of her partner and all the evidence points towards this man. The narrative from the killer is fascinating reading, as he talks freely about his obsessions with his garden and young women.

This book can be read as part of a series or a standalone as the author does include the back story so the reader isn’t lost in the story. It’s an interesting police procedural book that really made for gripping reading. Geraldine is a great protagonist, she’s a quiet character taking in the world around her, whilst the killer has mind blowing reasons for the murders.

Taunt from the first page, ‘Without Trace’ is a fast paced thriller where the countdown is on to catch the killer.

You can buy ‘Without Trace’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.