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DCI Tom Douglas #5
Kill Me Again
A woman is dead. She looks like you. When Maggie Taylor calls her husband to say she is on her way home from work, she is horrified to discover that her two young children are alone in the house, abandoned by their father.Duncan doesn’t come home that night, or the next. Where he has gone, and why? All she knows is that he received a message on his phone just before he left - a text with a terrifying picture that only her eight-year-old son saw.And then Maggie discovers she’s not the only one looking for him. Who is he running from?Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas is brought in to investigate when a woman who looks just like Maggie is brutally murdered, and Maggie begins to realise how little she knows about her husband’s past.She doesn’t have long to decide whether to trust him or betray him, because one thing has been made clear. Another woman will die soon, and it could be her.A fast-paced, edge of your seat psychological thriller that will take you on a rollercoaster right to the last page.A DCI Tom Douglas ThrillerBooks in this series can be read in any order*****Praise for Kill Me Again‘Absorbing, complex, brilliantly planned.' – Suspense Magazine ‘A properly addictive, leave-the-light-on thriller!’ – Red Magazine ‘I was wowed by Kill Me Again on many different levels...' – Cleopatra Loves Books “This one had me awake into the early hours….the twists and turns of the story absolutely gripped me – the pacing is relentless, the timing perfect – and at no point did I guess the unexpected and shocking conclusion. Edge-of-your-seat page turner certainly captures it for me. This was one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a while.” - BeingAnneReading “What an incredibly thrilling read this was… An absolutely brilliant book which left me feeling completely exhausted with a twist right at the very end that I NEVER saw coming at all!” - Kimthebookworm ‘Darkly complex…full of mystery, intrigue and well-paced action…It is exciting and engrossing and kept me up well past bedtime. I’ll be thinking about this story, and some of the issues it raises, for a long time. I believe it’s the author’s best book to date. Thoroughly recommended” - Goodreads reviewerPraise for Rachel Abbott‘Rachel Abbott will keep you guessing long into the night, and just as soon as you’ve figured it out…think again!’ - Suspense Magazine 'I was left speechless in the first chapter and couldn’t put it down for hours. Rachel is amazing at building tension and keeping you turning page after page’ - Crime Book Club ‘Absorbing, complex and brilliantly planned. 10/10.’ - Novelicious ‘A properly addictive, leave-the-light-on thriller.’ - Red Magazine
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 17, 2016
About the author
Rachel Abbott
35 books2,597 followersI was born and brought up in the north of England, and worked for many years as the managing director of an interactive media company. I wrote every day - everything from creative proposals to user manuals - but most exciting of all was writing interactive dramas - including for the Cluedo (Clue in the US) interactive games. I was fortunate enough to sell my company in 2000 and we moved to Italy where we bought and restored an old country house.
I have published six full length novels and one novella, and my seventh Come a Little Closer is due for release in 2018. I now live on the beautiful island of Alderney in the Channel Islands, where I write full time.
Find out more on my website.
I have published six full length novels and one novella, and my seventh Come a Little Closer is due for release in 2018. I now live on the beautiful island of Alderney in the Channel Islands, where I write full time.
Find out more on my website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 758 reviews
March 25, 2016
**** 4 Fantasy Killing Stars ****
Maggie's life was awesome until she comes home from work to find her husband is not home, leaving her 8 year old son to care for his 5 year old sister. This is not something that normally happens. Duncan doesn't leave his children for no reason. Thinking he had to run for a work emergency, Maggie is able to calm herself down until her son reveals that daddy is sorry and that there was a picture on his phone of a woman that looks like Maggie.
Maggie begins to think that her husband has left her for another woman. She doesn't understand what went wrong, they were happy. Their life was good, at least that is what she thought until the phone rings.
"Your husband knows what he has to do. He has one more chance. Tell him, if he calls. It's his last chance."
Maggie's life is about to be spun into a dark world of fantasy and mind twisting lies. Her fight isn't just to bring back her husband but also to protect her own and her children's lives.
Maggie begins a journey into the past of the husband she loves and thought she knew. Only she finds that everything she thought was not as it seemed.
Duncan's past and present collide and nothing will be as it was. The life he has created for himself is on the verge of shattering and he is holding on by thread and his lies and secrets are about to slice that thread into pieces.
Maggie is able to track Duncan down and what she sees and is told will rock the foundation of their marriage beyond the point of repair.
She looked at her husband: at the face she had loved: the features she knew so well: the man she barely knew it all.
"I am sorry, Mags, there is no other way."
The ending twist, well I must say, I had a feeling this person was involved some how, but I was not expecting the level of evil this person was.
***********************************************************************************************
This book has twists, turns, loops and zig zags. Miss Abbott, you did one hell of a good job leading the reader into a maze of what is going on. I loved and felt bad for Duncan the entire time. Even when the truth came out, I still felt bad for the situation he put himself in. The weaving of all these characters was mind boggling but fit perfect together.
I will definitely be reading more Rachel Abbott books!!
Maggie's life was awesome until she comes home from work to find her husband is not home, leaving her 8 year old son to care for his 5 year old sister. This is not something that normally happens. Duncan doesn't leave his children for no reason. Thinking he had to run for a work emergency, Maggie is able to calm herself down until her son reveals that daddy is sorry and that there was a picture on his phone of a woman that looks like Maggie.
Maggie begins to think that her husband has left her for another woman. She doesn't understand what went wrong, they were happy. Their life was good, at least that is what she thought until the phone rings.
"Your husband knows what he has to do. He has one more chance. Tell him, if he calls. It's his last chance."
Maggie's life is about to be spun into a dark world of fantasy and mind twisting lies. Her fight isn't just to bring back her husband but also to protect her own and her children's lives.
Maggie begins a journey into the past of the husband she loves and thought she knew. Only she finds that everything she thought was not as it seemed.
Duncan's past and present collide and nothing will be as it was. The life he has created for himself is on the verge of shattering and he is holding on by thread and his lies and secrets are about to slice that thread into pieces.
Maggie is able to track Duncan down and what she sees and is told will rock the foundation of their marriage beyond the point of repair.
She looked at her husband: at the face she had loved: the features she knew so well: the man she barely knew it all.
"I am sorry, Mags, there is no other way."
The ending twist, well I must say, I had a feeling this person was involved some how, but I was not expecting the level of evil this person was.
***********************************************************************************************
This book has twists, turns, loops and zig zags. Miss Abbott, you did one hell of a good job leading the reader into a maze of what is going on. I loved and felt bad for Duncan the entire time. Even when the truth came out, I still felt bad for the situation he put himself in. The weaving of all these characters was mind boggling but fit perfect together.
I will definitely be reading more Rachel Abbott books!!
March 27, 2016
I should stop reading books by Rachel Abbott. I'm clearly just not a fan. This book frustrated me soooo much. It felt like a low rent Gone Girl and the main character was so stupid it was painful to read.
February 8, 2016
In this thriller we once again meet Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas and his colleagues as they investigate a murder in which the corpse has been cut after death to leave a sign. It reminds him of an unsolved series of murders twelve years ago in which three girls who looked alike were targeted. A family is in turmoil because the husband has walked out – disappeared. And Tom’s ex-girlfriend’s also gone missing. She looks very much like the recently murdered girl. He doesn’t believe in coincidence.
This darkly complex thriller is more than just an action-packed detective story. We are drawn into the deepest fears of many of the characters, both good and bad, and this racks up the tension for the reader. We feel their terror, see their despair and know their hatred. The whole book is full of mystery, intrigue and well-paced action. It’s exciting and engrossing and kept me up well past bedtime. I’ll be thinking about this story, and some of the issues it raises, for a long time. I believe it’s the author’s best book to date. Thoroughly recommended.
I received an advance review copy of this book.
This darkly complex thriller is more than just an action-packed detective story. We are drawn into the deepest fears of many of the characters, both good and bad, and this racks up the tension for the reader. We feel their terror, see their despair and know their hatred. The whole book is full of mystery, intrigue and well-paced action. It’s exciting and engrossing and kept me up well past bedtime. I’ll be thinking about this story, and some of the issues it raises, for a long time. I believe it’s the author’s best book to date. Thoroughly recommended.
I received an advance review copy of this book.
March 2, 2016
I’ve been buying Rachel’s Abbott’s books for my Kindle for a while now but I suspect like many people with overflowing bookshelves and heavy Kindles I hadn’t got round to reading any – until now.
When I was asked to review Kill Me Again and invited to take part in the blog tour, it seemed the perfect opportunity to see what I was missing so I didn’t hesitate to say yes please.
In Kill Me Again, women that look remarkably similar to each other are being murdered. In addition, there is also a marking on the bodies, very similar to marks found on murder victims 12 years previously. This aspect was never made public and it’s up to DCI Tom Douglas to decide whether there is a link to the unsolved crimes of 12 years before or it is just coincidence? Events become even more complicated and personal when someone close to him goes missing. In common with his colleague, DI Becky Robinson, I have to admit to developing a bit of a book crush on Tom Douglas and as I believe he appears in previous stories, I am looking forward to reading more.
As well as the crime element there is also something of a moral issue with this story. When solicitor Maggie Taylor discovers things about her husband Duncan which makes her wonder whether she ever really knew him, she is faced with a dilemma. Does she go to police with the information or does she trust her husband? She has an unenviable decision to make and depending on her conclusion, could bring a whole lot of danger to her door. I felt a lot of sympathy for Maggie. She was trying to do the best for her two young children as well as her husband, whilst under the pressure of a new job. Not only was she trying to make a good impression with her new bosses but was given the task of defending a particularly odious and vile criminal that made even hardened police officers shudder.
I was so engrossed by this story that I actually missed my stop on the train. This is very much a fast paced, edge of your seat suspenseful read with realistically drawn characters, all wrapped up with excellent writing and a wonderfully twisty and complex plot that slowly reveals more secrets and lies. I now want to find the time to read the other books by Rachel Abbott that I have waiting. Definitely recommended.
When I was asked to review Kill Me Again and invited to take part in the blog tour, it seemed the perfect opportunity to see what I was missing so I didn’t hesitate to say yes please.
In Kill Me Again, women that look remarkably similar to each other are being murdered. In addition, there is also a marking on the bodies, very similar to marks found on murder victims 12 years previously. This aspect was never made public and it’s up to DCI Tom Douglas to decide whether there is a link to the unsolved crimes of 12 years before or it is just coincidence? Events become even more complicated and personal when someone close to him goes missing. In common with his colleague, DI Becky Robinson, I have to admit to developing a bit of a book crush on Tom Douglas and as I believe he appears in previous stories, I am looking forward to reading more.
As well as the crime element there is also something of a moral issue with this story. When solicitor Maggie Taylor discovers things about her husband Duncan which makes her wonder whether she ever really knew him, she is faced with a dilemma. Does she go to police with the information or does she trust her husband? She has an unenviable decision to make and depending on her conclusion, could bring a whole lot of danger to her door. I felt a lot of sympathy for Maggie. She was trying to do the best for her two young children as well as her husband, whilst under the pressure of a new job. Not only was she trying to make a good impression with her new bosses but was given the task of defending a particularly odious and vile criminal that made even hardened police officers shudder.
I was so engrossed by this story that I actually missed my stop on the train. This is very much a fast paced, edge of your seat suspenseful read with realistically drawn characters, all wrapped up with excellent writing and a wonderfully twisty and complex plot that slowly reveals more secrets and lies. I now want to find the time to read the other books by Rachel Abbott that I have waiting. Definitely recommended.
April 6, 2023
Labai patiko! 💖
Geras, įtraukiantis siužetas. Įtampa išlaikyta iki pat pabaigos. 😊👌
Geras, įtraukiantis siužetas. Įtampa išlaikyta iki pat pabaigos. 😊👌
May 4, 2016
Another great one from Rachel Abbott, this lady really knows how to write great books. In this book Maggie and her family have relocated to Manchester for Maggie to commence a new job. The children and Maggie adapt quite well to the move but the same cannot be said about her husband Duncan. One night Maggie has only just left work to return home when she receives a call from her son to say that Daddy has left and gone out right in the middle of preparing their dinner. Then when Maggie tries to call her husband to see why he has left the kids alone she then finds his phone has been disconnected. This all leads to a fantastic story and connects with the recent murders of several women who look like each other, Maggie included. Maggie soon finds out her husband is not who she thought he was and this is where we go on a wonderful journey of tension, suspense and pure excitement as we try to figure out what is going on. Great ending, just loved it, another that will stay with you to think about.
July 5, 2016
It really does seem that every city in the UK has one of these ‘cop hunts serial killer’ series attached to it. From Inverness to Portsmouth, there are fresh fictional serial killers appearing all the time, coming up with more and more fiendish ways to off their victims and leaving the poor cops – all of whom by now should be world-experts on the breed – baffled right until the denouement.
Manchester obviously has more than one of these series (the streets of Manchester evidently being both rainy and murdery), and – although I’m no expert – of the ones I’ve read I’d place this is middling to average. The plot is twisty and turny enough to keep the reader intrigued, but the prose is uninspired and the dialogue is sometimes ear-torturingly awful. Furthermore, even though the book bends over backwards trying to justify it, I couldn’t buy that a wife and mother whose having her life threatened and who’s kids are clearly in danger wouldn’t just go to the police.
(Another bugbear, but this comes because I actually work in a vague way in the law. It stretches credibility that a criminal solicitor would be earning the kind of money this book claims she does. A corporate solicitor can be paid a shedload, a criminal solicitor – because it’s mainly legal aid work – less so. Please, please don’t use this book as career advice.)
Bodies of young women have started being discovered at Manchester’s canals, there’s a sexy homicide cop who’s great at his job, and a lawyer who’s recently moved to Manchester and whose husband has suddenly disappeared
It’s a thriller rather than a whodunit, so I guess that makes it okay that all the bad guys are easy to spot. Still I don’t think this is the kind of book that’s meant to be read with the brain fully engaged. ‘Kill Me Again’ (I’m not actually sure how that title relates to the book) is a time waster to read on a long journey where any distractions won’t make you lose whatever thread there is; it’s a book just waiting its moment to be adapted for Sunday night ITV entertainment, where it will fit in quite nicely.
Manchester obviously has more than one of these series (the streets of Manchester evidently being both rainy and murdery), and – although I’m no expert – of the ones I’ve read I’d place this is middling to average. The plot is twisty and turny enough to keep the reader intrigued, but the prose is uninspired and the dialogue is sometimes ear-torturingly awful. Furthermore, even though the book bends over backwards trying to justify it, I couldn’t buy that a wife and mother whose having her life threatened and who’s kids are clearly in danger wouldn’t just go to the police.
(Another bugbear, but this comes because I actually work in a vague way in the law. It stretches credibility that a criminal solicitor would be earning the kind of money this book claims she does. A corporate solicitor can be paid a shedload, a criminal solicitor – because it’s mainly legal aid work – less so. Please, please don’t use this book as career advice.)
Bodies of young women have started being discovered at Manchester’s canals, there’s a sexy homicide cop who’s great at his job, and a lawyer who’s recently moved to Manchester and whose husband has suddenly disappeared
It’s a thriller rather than a whodunit, so I guess that makes it okay that all the bad guys are easy to spot. Still I don’t think this is the kind of book that’s meant to be read with the brain fully engaged. ‘Kill Me Again’ (I’m not actually sure how that title relates to the book) is a time waster to read on a long journey where any distractions won’t make you lose whatever thread there is; it’s a book just waiting its moment to be adapted for Sunday night ITV entertainment, where it will fit in quite nicely.
February 4, 2017
Kill Me Again is the fourth novel to feature DCI Tom Douglas and if you’ve never had a case of “fictional character crush” before, then you certainly will once you meet Tom Douglas! And be still my beating heart….. Tom is possibly back on the market! If you haven’t read any of Rachel’s books before I would always recommend starting with Only The Innocent where we are first introduced to Tom. But saying that, all of Rachel’s books work really well as standalone books.
The storyline here is wonderfully clever and complex with twists and turns galore, some I guessed and others came as a rather big shock! Rachel Abbott has an intense and hypnotic writing style that grabs you from the start. Her characters are always ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances that test their moral compass. Maggie, the defence solicitor, ends up questioning everything she knows about her husband when he acts very out of character. Following his disappearance it becomes obvious that the dead women being discovered in unusual locations in Manchester are connected to Maggie in more than just looks.
I love books set in and around Manchester and the unique and hidden settings described here were used to compliment the plot to great effect throughout. And although I loved the recurring characters of Tom and Becky, I have to say that I didn’t take to the character of Maggie as much as I thought I would! Sometimes I just wanted to shake some sense into her due to her incredible naivety and the risks she took with her children’s safety! I found her so frustrating but then I thought, who knows how they will react when faced with the prospect of having to protect their family?
I really enjoyed this latest case for Tom Douglas and still think he should be transferred to the small screen as these books would make brilliant tv viewing. And now that I’m all up to date I can finally start to get excited about The Sixth Window out later this month! Bring it on!
The storyline here is wonderfully clever and complex with twists and turns galore, some I guessed and others came as a rather big shock! Rachel Abbott has an intense and hypnotic writing style that grabs you from the start. Her characters are always ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances that test their moral compass. Maggie, the defence solicitor, ends up questioning everything she knows about her husband when he acts very out of character. Following his disappearance it becomes obvious that the dead women being discovered in unusual locations in Manchester are connected to Maggie in more than just looks.
I love books set in and around Manchester and the unique and hidden settings described here were used to compliment the plot to great effect throughout. And although I loved the recurring characters of Tom and Becky, I have to say that I didn’t take to the character of Maggie as much as I thought I would! Sometimes I just wanted to shake some sense into her due to her incredible naivety and the risks she took with her children’s safety! I found her so frustrating but then I thought, who knows how they will react when faced with the prospect of having to protect their family?
I really enjoyed this latest case for Tom Douglas and still think he should be transferred to the small screen as these books would make brilliant tv viewing. And now that I’m all up to date I can finally start to get excited about The Sixth Window out later this month! Bring it on!
March 30, 2016
I've marked this as four stars but I'm giving it four and a half stars. I really enjoyed this read, a real page turner if ever there was one. An intriguing story of murder and deceit with some really well written characters.
My only reservations with the novel were that the story got a bit too incredible to be believable and some plot lines were all a little too convenient with their timing to resolve an impending crisis. Also there were one or two reveals at the end that were blatantly obvious from maybe half way through the novel.
It's to the authors credit then that I'm still giving this four and a half stars. Despite my reservations about certain aspects of it, as listed above, it's just a really good bloody read. I was totally engrossed for the whole read. A very clever story for the most part and an excellent cast of characters playing it out.
I will no doubt seek out and read this authors other works as I had a blast reading this and would have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending it.
Edit: got this from Amazon on a 30 day free trial on kindle unlimited and now realise that most of Rachel's other novels are part of the unlimited package too. Have approx 18 days left on the trial so have chosen one of here shorter novels(I'm a slow reader) Sleep Tight to read next. Hopefully finish before my trial ends.
My only reservations with the novel were that the story got a bit too incredible to be believable and some plot lines were all a little too convenient with their timing to resolve an impending crisis. Also there were one or two reveals at the end that were blatantly obvious from maybe half way through the novel.
It's to the authors credit then that I'm still giving this four and a half stars. Despite my reservations about certain aspects of it, as listed above, it's just a really good bloody read. I was totally engrossed for the whole read. A very clever story for the most part and an excellent cast of characters playing it out.
I will no doubt seek out and read this authors other works as I had a blast reading this and would have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending it.
Edit: got this from Amazon on a 30 day free trial on kindle unlimited and now realise that most of Rachel's other novels are part of the unlimited package too. Have approx 18 days left on the trial so have chosen one of here shorter novels(I'm a slow reader) Sleep Tight to read next. Hopefully finish before my trial ends.
January 20, 2017
It almost killed me to finish it and I'm honestly shocked at how many 5 star reviews this novel has received. I hadn't read any Rachel Abbott books before and selected it as a Kindle First book after reading the many positive reviews. I found the writing style very basic and tedious and the decision making by the majority of the characters can only be described as absolutely ludicrous and laughable. The author also has an annoying habit of giving clues as to the direction of the story and the 'who-done-it' and then re-emphasising the point or giving a further clue in case you didn't get it the first time. There was absolutely no character development in terms of the perpetrators and so I was left wondering what had lead them down the path of their misdemeanours and this lessened the credibility of their actions. I'm sorry but if you're serious about finding a good crime novel or thriller then seek out Colin Harrison, David Mark or Michael Connolly and give this book a wide berth.
October 28, 2016
Kto jeszcze nie poznał tej kryminalnej serii z dreszczykiem, ten nie musi przejmować się nadrabianiem historii – „Zabij mnie znów” sprawdza się doskonale także jako niezależny thriller, jako początek przygody z autorką i pierwsze spotkanie z funkcjonariuszami manchesterskiej policji. Kto jednak kontynuuje przygodę, ten zauważy, że Rachel Abbott podobnie jak w „Obcym dziecku” (recenzja TUTAJ) tak i tutaj dopięła wszystkie skomplikowane wątki fabuły na ostatni guzik, dodając zakończenie, które może zbić z tropu niejednego czytelnika. A mi pozostaje jedynie zastanawiać się, czy pewnego dnia powrócimy do postaci z „Zabij mnie znów” i czy przeszłość po raz kolejny dogoni swoje ofiary.
May 29, 2019
Swoon!
Kill Me Again is exactly the sort of story I’m looking for when I have cravings for an entertaining detective story. It has everything: family drama, secrets, lies, devious suspects, revengey stuff, and competent police officers who work around the clock to catch the killer.
So, please don’t mind me while I wax lyrical about DCI Tom Douglas, but I can’t help it. He’s one of my favourite detectives, an all around lovely dude who is not only a diligent detective, but a decent human being I find very inspiring. The fact that he’s not real is almost beside the point. I’m pretty sure there are many people like him, and they deserve our attention.
DCI Douglas and his partner in crime-hunt, Becky, have a pretty gruesome case on their hand. Women who look alike keep turning up dead, and the killer’s modus operandi bears a striking resemblance to a case Tom worked on twelve years ago. The clock is ticking, and people in possession of crucial information are too afraid to come forward. When Tom’s ex goes missing, it becomes all too personal for him.
Becky is the perfect partner for Tom. She’s young and enthusiastic and her occasional recklessness is perfectly balanced by DCI Douglas’ careful and methodical approach. She swoons about him every now and then, but so what? Who wouldn’t? Even I do!
I absolutely loved how Rachel Abbott kept dropping little hints from the beginning, and the mix of fast paced action scenes and all the delicious drama was crafted into a captivating, thoroughly addictive story with loveable detectives and a fascinating tangle of lies and deception.5
P.S. Someone please, please make a TV series of these books with Gerald Butler as DCI Douglas. Thank you.
Kill Me Again is exactly the sort of story I’m looking for when I have cravings for an entertaining detective story. It has everything: family drama, secrets, lies, devious suspects, revengey stuff, and competent police officers who work around the clock to catch the killer.
So, please don’t mind me while I wax lyrical about DCI Tom Douglas, but I can’t help it. He’s one of my favourite detectives, an all around lovely dude who is not only a diligent detective, but a decent human being I find very inspiring. The fact that he’s not real is almost beside the point. I’m pretty sure there are many people like him, and they deserve our attention.
DCI Douglas and his partner in crime-hunt, Becky, have a pretty gruesome case on their hand. Women who look alike keep turning up dead, and the killer’s modus operandi bears a striking resemblance to a case Tom worked on twelve years ago. The clock is ticking, and people in possession of crucial information are too afraid to come forward. When Tom’s ex goes missing, it becomes all too personal for him.
Becky is the perfect partner for Tom. She’s young and enthusiastic and her occasional recklessness is perfectly balanced by DCI Douglas’ careful and methodical approach. She swoons about him every now and then, but so what? Who wouldn’t? Even I do!
I absolutely loved how Rachel Abbott kept dropping little hints from the beginning, and the mix of fast paced action scenes and all the delicious drama was crafted into a captivating, thoroughly addictive story with loveable detectives and a fascinating tangle of lies and deception.5
P.S. Someone please, please make a TV series of these books with Gerald Butler as DCI Douglas. Thank you.
October 31, 2023
Talented author Rachel Abbott did it AGAIN
with "KILL ME AGAIN".
"KILL ME AGAIN" is "DCI Tom Douglas, Book 5", which is also a standalone read.
This book brilliantly showcases the "How Well Do You Really Know Your Husband of 10 Years?" premise.
Abbott's Tom Douglas is a savvy DCI and the book's police procedurals are on-point.
Similar to Abbott's "NO MORE LIES" (DCI Tom Douglas, Book 11), this book was well-plotted, fast-paced, character-driven, gripping, unpredictable, and unputdownable.
I listened to the audiobook read by Lisa Coleman, who did an outstanding job with the narration.
I will be looking forward to circling back and listening to the earlier books in this series.
4.5 stars
January 10, 2018
his might be my favourite so far in the DCI Tom Douglas series and if you follow my reviews you know that I need to read my books in order so I would highly recommend you start with book 1 (list below) if you haven't had the pleasure of reading any Rachel Abbott books yet, however if you are suffering from FOMO and can't wait - I would say that all her books in this series can be read as standalone.
In Kill Me Again we have two series of murders, twelve years apart and remarkably similar and the "dashing" DCI Douglas is on the hunt to track down and stop this ruthless killer especially as he failed twelve years ago to catch him.
I loved the alternating stories featuring a younger Tom Douglas which allowed the reader to dig deeper into his past and background. This is a well written police procedural which has some fascinating characters. Highly recommended if you like your books full of twists, turns, secrets and shocks and will keep you guessing throughout.
In Kill Me Again we have two series of murders, twelve years apart and remarkably similar and the "dashing" DCI Douglas is on the hunt to track down and stop this ruthless killer especially as he failed twelve years ago to catch him.
I loved the alternating stories featuring a younger Tom Douglas which allowed the reader to dig deeper into his past and background. This is a well written police procedural which has some fascinating characters. Highly recommended if you like your books full of twists, turns, secrets and shocks and will keep you guessing throughout.
Read
July 6, 2022I have just given up at the half way mark. Look, it hard some very clever descriptive passages that are genuinely creepy.
But the main character Maggie is incredibly frustrating. It is stretching belief too far that a smart defence solicitor would not contact the police when
1. Her husband mysteriously disappears half way through cooking the children's dinner.
2. Her children are threatened by strange creepy villains.
3. Her own life is threatened on numerous occasions.
4. Local women are being murdered and they all look like Maggie.
5. She is new to Manchester, has no friends or support.
I'm sorry but this is just not credible.
But the main character Maggie is incredibly frustrating. It is stretching belief too far that a smart defence solicitor would not contact the police when
1. Her husband mysteriously disappears half way through cooking the children's dinner.
2. Her children are threatened by strange creepy villains.
3. Her own life is threatened on numerous occasions.
4. Local women are being murdered and they all look like Maggie.
5. She is new to Manchester, has no friends or support.
I'm sorry but this is just not credible.
July 12, 2020
Setting: Manchester, UK. In this latest instalment of the crime series featuring DCI Tom Douglas, Tom is thrown back to a series of unsolved murders of two young women and the attempted murder of a third from 15 years before when, despite his best efforts, the perpetrator was never caught. Now, two more women have been found murdered, with similar marks cut into their legs as in the previous investigation and again resembling each other - worse still, Tom's ex-girlfriend, who also resembles the victims, has gone missing.
Also in the present day, defence lawyer Maggie Taylor, recently moved to Manchester, phones home on her way back from work to find her plumber husband Duncan has inexplicably gone out, leaving their two young children alone. Maggie is unable to contact Duncan and then begins to receive threatening phone calls and messages, telling her that her husband must honour his commitment and warning her not to involve the police....
This is another real edge-of-your-seat thriller in this series, with unexpected twists and turns as stunning to the characters as to the reader. Yet again great characters set against the grim background of the derelict areas of post-industrial Manchester, fast-paced action and plenty of twists and turns keep you guessing right to the ultimate shocking ending. Definitely 5 stars for this one - 9.5/10.
Also in the present day, defence lawyer Maggie Taylor, recently moved to Manchester, phones home on her way back from work to find her plumber husband Duncan has inexplicably gone out, leaving their two young children alone. Maggie is unable to contact Duncan and then begins to receive threatening phone calls and messages, telling her that her husband must honour his commitment and warning her not to involve the police....
This is another real edge-of-your-seat thriller in this series, with unexpected twists and turns as stunning to the characters as to the reader. Yet again great characters set against the grim background of the derelict areas of post-industrial Manchester, fast-paced action and plenty of twists and turns keep you guessing right to the ultimate shocking ending. Definitely 5 stars for this one - 9.5/10.
May 19, 2022
Świetna, jak do tej poty wszystkie książki autorki! Uwielbiam jej styl, fabułę i bohaterów. Trochę nie mogłam się wciągnąć, ale więcej w tym mojej winy, niż książki :).
February 2, 2023
Įtemptas, painus, su daug, daug veiksmo, kūrinys bet labai įdomus ... Man labai patiko!
Labai prikaustė, kai kur beskaitant likau be žado ir taip nesinorėjo paleisti knygos iš rankų, kad susiskaitė labai greit ... 👏
Labai prikaustė, kai kur beskaitant likau be žado ir taip nesinorėjo paleisti knygos iš rankų, kad susiskaitė labai greit ... 👏
June 15, 2023
Dar viena puiki serijos dalis apie Tomą Daglasą. Šį kart byla ir jos tyrimas asmeniškai paliečia patį detektyvą. Keistomis aplinkybėmis dingo Leo. O rastas lavonas moters, kuri jau labai panaši būtent į Leo.
Tomas prisimena senas bylas, kurių metu buvo taip pat nužudytos aukos labai panašios tarpusavyje. Tuo metu įtariamąjį turėjo, tačiau pastarasis turėjo albi. Bet tyrėjo nuojauta dažnai būna teisi.
Tuo tarpu jauna teismo gynėja Megė Teilor vieną vakarą grįžusi namo randa paliktus vaikus vienus, o vyro Dankano nei pėdsako. Pagal vaikus, tėtis susikrovė krepšį ir išvyko. Megan negali susisiekti su vyru ir visko išsiaiškinti, bet greit pasijunta stebima bei sekama. Visgi Dankano ieško ne ji viena...
Iš pradžių gali atrodyti, kad šios dvi bylos nesusijusios, tik ne šioje detektyvinėje serijoje. Čia viskas turi sąsajas ir viskas yra svarbu. Netrūko veiksmo ir vis naujų intrigų. Tarp kitko ši knyga man labai priminė knygų serija apie Milą Vaskez, nu ta gėrio ir blogio tema kaip saldainis.
Tomas prisimena senas bylas, kurių metu buvo taip pat nužudytos aukos labai panašios tarpusavyje. Tuo metu įtariamąjį turėjo, tačiau pastarasis turėjo albi. Bet tyrėjo nuojauta dažnai būna teisi.
Tuo tarpu jauna teismo gynėja Megė Teilor vieną vakarą grįžusi namo randa paliktus vaikus vienus, o vyro Dankano nei pėdsako. Pagal vaikus, tėtis susikrovė krepšį ir išvyko. Megan negali susisiekti su vyru ir visko išsiaiškinti, bet greit pasijunta stebima bei sekama. Visgi Dankano ieško ne ji viena...
Iš pradžių gali atrodyti, kad šios dvi bylos nesusijusios, tik ne šioje detektyvinėje serijoje. Čia viskas turi sąsajas ir viskas yra svarbu. Netrūko veiksmo ir vis naujų intrigų. Tarp kitko ši knyga man labai priminė knygų serija apie Milą Vaskez, nu ta gėrio ir blogio tema kaip saldainis.
August 22, 2016
Having previously read all the books in this series I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book, sadly though this was me just getting round to reading it but wow it’s another cracker.
DCI Tom Douglas is back again in the fifth in the series from Rachel Abbott, I have a major soft spot for Tom. He’s such a fab character.
Two series of murders, twelve years apart, Tom Douglas see’s the similarities and with ex girlfriend Leo missing and looking like the first victim, Maggie a defence lawyer who’s husband is missing who also looks like Leo and the first victim, Tom and Di Becky Robinson have a race against time to unravel the past and the present and find out what the heck is going on and who is involved.
Rachel Abbott has a way of writing a story that you can’t put down. Each book has been a page turner and I’ve found myself reading into the small hours. This book is full of twists and turns, it’s action packed and tells a complex story. The characters are all well formed and intriguing and you can’t help feeling mixed up in the plot. Kill me Again left me breathless and wondering if the people we think we know really are what we believe?
I highly recommend Kill Me Again and this could be read as a stand alone book but its a great series and I think you would benefit reading them all in order.
DCI Tom Douglas is back again in the fifth in the series from Rachel Abbott, I have a major soft spot for Tom. He’s such a fab character.
Two series of murders, twelve years apart, Tom Douglas see’s the similarities and with ex girlfriend Leo missing and looking like the first victim, Maggie a defence lawyer who’s husband is missing who also looks like Leo and the first victim, Tom and Di Becky Robinson have a race against time to unravel the past and the present and find out what the heck is going on and who is involved.
Rachel Abbott has a way of writing a story that you can’t put down. Each book has been a page turner and I’ve found myself reading into the small hours. This book is full of twists and turns, it’s action packed and tells a complex story. The characters are all well formed and intriguing and you can’t help feeling mixed up in the plot. Kill me Again left me breathless and wondering if the people we think we know really are what we believe?
I highly recommend Kill Me Again and this could be read as a stand alone book but its a great series and I think you would benefit reading them all in order.
March 1, 2016
While this one is just as good as all the others, I found myself wanting to slap Maggie Taylor pretty much the whole time. She holds off on going to the police for so long even though she's been getting threatening messages from people who know who she is and where she lives. Her kids could absolutely have been at risk. Then once she knows everything, she is still hesitant to turn in her husband. It is more than clear that he is a pathological liar from the second she finds him in a motel. She really should have turned him in then. Add all that to the fact that even after she sees that he is perfectly willing to kill Leo with no remorse, she still doesn't mention to the police that he was at the warehouse. And how did she not think it was suspicious to find out that Frank is the one who recommended her for a job right when she's questioning everything she knew in the past? I mean come on now! You've been getting creepy phone calls, use your head!
Also, while I'm glad that Tom and Leo have broken up and that they seem to be fully broken up, I'm also glad that she didn't die and that she's going to try to get past her issues with her new bf. I'm a little concerned that Becky and Tom are going to get together, especially now that I really like her boyfriend. There's just been lots of hints that Becky is into Tom...I guess we will see in the next one.
Plot summary: Twelve years ago, Michael Alexander is dumped by a girl and his therapist has him join a chat room where people fantasize about killing the objects of their rage. His therapist, calling himself Invictus, facilitates Michael and two others into a private chat where they discuss ways they could murder his ex girlfriend while he has a solid alibi. In return, he is supposed to kill the mother of one of the other boys. They choose two more victims to muddy the waters - all three look alike. One of them survives the attempt. Tom Douglas found him very suspicious, but his superior didn't agree and it was around the time that Tom's daughter was born, so he had to let it go. Tom suspects that he may not be Lucy's bio dad, but he lets that thought go. His DI Phillipa agrees with him and finds it very suspicious that Alexander fell off the grid as soon as the hunt for the killer died down, ostensibly to care for his mother, who actually died when he was 8.
He changes his name to Duncan Taylor and marries a woman named Maggie who becomes a defense lawyer. They've been living in southern England where Duncan has been living a double life as a plummer and serial killer, drowning women who drink too much. They move to Manchester when Maggie gets hired by a new firm. Unbeknownst to her, that is where he is from and his old therapist is the one who recommended her - so that he could get Duncan back. His old killing buddies want revenge because he didn't get his inheritance because Duncan didn't kill his stepmother 12 years ago. They start killing women who look like Maggie and they abduct Leo Harris, intending to draw Duncan out. He takes off and leaves his kids alone before Maggie gets home.
When Becky gets called to the scene of the first current dead body, she believes it is Leo. She had seen pictures and Tom had just gotten a call from Leo's brother in law, as Leo had not showed up to her niece's christening. Tom has gone to check on her and found her apartment empty. When Tom goes to the morgue to identify the body, he realizes it isn't her. However, the three horizontal cuts on the leg of the victim link it to the murders from 12 years ago. A friend of the woman, who turned out to be a nurse, Louisa, comes to identify her and help figure out who killed her. She knew that the victim was out on a date with a man she may have worked with. Louisa and Tom are interested in each other, but nothing comes of it yet.
Maggie starts getting threatening phone calls and trying to figure out what happened to Duncan. He cleared out a cupboard that he always kept locked before he left and she's afraid it has to do with an affair, but once she sees the first dead woman on the news, she knows it's about that. Her son sees a white van following them and she calls to report this to a policeman she knows, but when he calls her back she doesn't want to tell him the whole story, having heard from Duncan (who asked her not to involve the police). Tom and Becky show up to interview her, but she doesn't tell them anything, although they know she's lying and that she's not telling them something about her husband.
Her sister comes up to help with the kids and she figures out that he used to be called Michael and that at one point, he was in foster care. She and her sister track him down after he calls her asking her not to go to the police. The other killers send her a photo of the second victim, stating she's next. She confronts her husband, who confesses only that he "unwittingly" helped plan his ex girlfriend's murder, but that he took off because he was afraid of being implicated. She feels sick, knowing that he feels no guilt about the other women who were killed, but she still decides not to go to the police. The other killers abduct her and her son when she goes to pick him up from football. They end up letting her son go and he goes to the police. His description of the man and his knowledge of the original license plate of the van lead them to two men who were prior suspects. Becky's boyfriend's knowledge of the transit system (he works for transit police) help the narrow down where Leo and Maggie are being held.
Maggie is taken to a warehouse where they have been keeping Leo and they show up with Duncan. They tell Duncan he has to kill one of them but Maggie had to choose, then give Maggie the option to decide to kill Duncan. Duncan tries to convince Maggie that Leo is already half dead anyway (her arm is infected since they sewed the restraints to her skin). The second guy involved shows up to cause a problem with Ben and in the ensuing chaos, Maggie slips out, finding Tom right outside about to bust in with the police. They take down the other two killers, but Duncan slips out and tells Maggie not to mention him. She doesn't, but when Tom and Becky come to follow it up with her, they tell her all they have discovered about Duncan.
Duncan comes back to get Maggie and tells her that they are going to fake his drowning death, as he can't swim. She ends up killing him first and then faking it and Becky is so convinced, she jumps in to save/apprehend Duncan, almost drowning in the process herself. Luckily, her bf Mark had followed her to the scene and between him and Tom, they resuscitate her. The police find Duncan's body a few days later.
Tom and Leo make up, but only as friends - Leo is happy in her new relationship and Tom thinks they'll just backslide into their old roles. But he's happy for her. Becky tells Tom that Louisa (who has been helping care for Leo) assumes that she is his girlfriend, but that she is definitely into him. Tom teases her about Mark.
Frank/Invictus calls Maggie, telling her she has now joined the club and implying that he has been manipulating his patients into becoming killers all along, including her husband and one of the criminals she has been defending.
Also, while I'm glad that Tom and Leo have broken up and that they seem to be fully broken up, I'm also glad that she didn't die and that she's going to try to get past her issues with her new bf. I'm a little concerned that Becky and Tom are going to get together, especially now that I really like her boyfriend. There's just been lots of hints that Becky is into Tom...I guess we will see in the next one.
Plot summary: Twelve years ago, Michael Alexander is dumped by a girl and his therapist has him join a chat room where people fantasize about killing the objects of their rage. His therapist, calling himself Invictus, facilitates Michael and two others into a private chat where they discuss ways they could murder his ex girlfriend while he has a solid alibi. In return, he is supposed to kill the mother of one of the other boys. They choose two more victims to muddy the waters - all three look alike. One of them survives the attempt. Tom Douglas found him very suspicious, but his superior didn't agree and it was around the time that Tom's daughter was born, so he had to let it go. Tom suspects that he may not be Lucy's bio dad, but he lets that thought go. His DI Phillipa agrees with him and finds it very suspicious that Alexander fell off the grid as soon as the hunt for the killer died down, ostensibly to care for his mother, who actually died when he was 8.
He changes his name to Duncan Taylor and marries a woman named Maggie who becomes a defense lawyer. They've been living in southern England where Duncan has been living a double life as a plummer and serial killer, drowning women who drink too much. They move to Manchester when Maggie gets hired by a new firm. Unbeknownst to her, that is where he is from and his old therapist is the one who recommended her - so that he could get Duncan back. His old killing buddies want revenge because he didn't get his inheritance because Duncan didn't kill his stepmother 12 years ago. They start killing women who look like Maggie and they abduct Leo Harris, intending to draw Duncan out. He takes off and leaves his kids alone before Maggie gets home.
When Becky gets called to the scene of the first current dead body, she believes it is Leo. She had seen pictures and Tom had just gotten a call from Leo's brother in law, as Leo had not showed up to her niece's christening. Tom has gone to check on her and found her apartment empty. When Tom goes to the morgue to identify the body, he realizes it isn't her. However, the three horizontal cuts on the leg of the victim link it to the murders from 12 years ago. A friend of the woman, who turned out to be a nurse, Louisa, comes to identify her and help figure out who killed her. She knew that the victim was out on a date with a man she may have worked with. Louisa and Tom are interested in each other, but nothing comes of it yet.
Maggie starts getting threatening phone calls and trying to figure out what happened to Duncan. He cleared out a cupboard that he always kept locked before he left and she's afraid it has to do with an affair, but once she sees the first dead woman on the news, she knows it's about that. Her son sees a white van following them and she calls to report this to a policeman she knows, but when he calls her back she doesn't want to tell him the whole story, having heard from Duncan (who asked her not to involve the police). Tom and Becky show up to interview her, but she doesn't tell them anything, although they know she's lying and that she's not telling them something about her husband.
Her sister comes up to help with the kids and she figures out that he used to be called Michael and that at one point, he was in foster care. She and her sister track him down after he calls her asking her not to go to the police. The other killers send her a photo of the second victim, stating she's next. She confronts her husband, who confesses only that he "unwittingly" helped plan his ex girlfriend's murder, but that he took off because he was afraid of being implicated. She feels sick, knowing that he feels no guilt about the other women who were killed, but she still decides not to go to the police. The other killers abduct her and her son when she goes to pick him up from football. They end up letting her son go and he goes to the police. His description of the man and his knowledge of the original license plate of the van lead them to two men who were prior suspects. Becky's boyfriend's knowledge of the transit system (he works for transit police) help the narrow down where Leo and Maggie are being held.
Maggie is taken to a warehouse where they have been keeping Leo and they show up with Duncan. They tell Duncan he has to kill one of them but Maggie had to choose, then give Maggie the option to decide to kill Duncan. Duncan tries to convince Maggie that Leo is already half dead anyway (her arm is infected since they sewed the restraints to her skin). The second guy involved shows up to cause a problem with Ben and in the ensuing chaos, Maggie slips out, finding Tom right outside about to bust in with the police. They take down the other two killers, but Duncan slips out and tells Maggie not to mention him. She doesn't, but when Tom and Becky come to follow it up with her, they tell her all they have discovered about Duncan.
Duncan comes back to get Maggie and tells her that they are going to fake his drowning death, as he can't swim. She ends up killing him first and then faking it and Becky is so convinced, she jumps in to save/apprehend Duncan, almost drowning in the process herself. Luckily, her bf Mark had followed her to the scene and between him and Tom, they resuscitate her. The police find Duncan's body a few days later.
Tom and Leo make up, but only as friends - Leo is happy in her new relationship and Tom thinks they'll just backslide into their old roles. But he's happy for her. Becky tells Tom that Louisa (who has been helping care for Leo) assumes that she is his girlfriend, but that she is definitely into him. Tom teases her about Mark.
Frank/Invictus calls Maggie, telling her she has now joined the club and implying that he has been manipulating his patients into becoming killers all along, including her husband and one of the criminals she has been defending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2020
A more stupid heroine has never walked. I don't know how she functions, she's a walking advertisement for the evils of lobotomy. And I'm not talking about how her judgment is impaired from the fact that she's just discovered her husband has a shady past and is on the run from some highly effective and nicely menacing (albeit dumbass) villains. At one point, she point blank tells a borderline acquaintance where her husband is hiding (and where he was previously hiding). Ten pages later, when she overhears the villains saying that her husband was handed to them on a silver platter, she thinks they're referring to some ancient incident and oh thank god her creepfart hubby is safe, thank god she didn't convince him to return to their home.
Even after admitting to herself that he's a remorseless pathological liar.
(The scene where this aspect of his personality is revealed is wonderful. Maggie comes across as a competent criminal defence lawyer for the first time; Duncan insisting that the mindbogglingly disturbing things he did—evil by omission—were a "mistake", that they were perpetrated by a version of himself totally dissociated from present day Duncan, that he couldn't tell Maggie ever because he was afraid she wouldn't love him. I had hearts in my eyes from this utterly pitiless evisceration of the situation.)
The book goes downhill before and after this scene. This whole book is a downhill slope with a little bump in the middle for this solitary amazing scene.
There were a couple of other things were quite nice. Maggie's children are A++. Josh is so weirdly mature that it's less cute and more like the author didn't want a realistic child being inconvenient and useless in a situation fraught with danger. By contrast, his sister Lily is a delight. She just wants to watch Frozen ALL THE TIME, talk at the top of her voice, and get terrified and raise false alarms. Where is she when the chips are down and Maggie needs her children to be obedient or else they will all die? NOWHERE. Only mini-adult!Josh gets to feature at times like these. He is instrumental in ensuring that help arrives at the nick of time, by behaving calmly and logically. I can only imagine the mayhem and confusion and fabrications that would result if a kid like Lily was in his situation, but we can't have nice things, can we?
Speaking of villains, asdfghjkl. I cannot. Ohhh, Sam. The very first recounting of his first murder made me tumble into love. The way he manipulates a painfully naïve girl, the mounting dread the canny reader feels throughout, the WHAM LINE with which the chapter ends ("He didn't stutter once,") all of it is just LOADS OF KEYSMASHING. His stalking of Maggie and her family was so oily in the most skin-crawling way, I loved it. Let me be honest: these were very fucking stupid villains (Maggie was able to locate her missing husband through his vehicle registration and the knowledge that he was holed up closed to home; the villains didn't even think to start their search there OR follow her movements. Or rather, they routinely stalked her except the one time it would have ended the plot too early.) BUT despite their dumbassery, they were very proactive and I applaud that.
They were also inconsistently characterised. Despite repeatedly being told their urbane manners distinguish them from typical "Manchester thugs", their methods swing from crude strangulation or messy throat-cutting to I'm-a-special-Villain-Sue-kind-of-sadist who sews a woman's arm to her bindings as punishment for trying to escape. Why must you toy with my heart, Sam.
For the most part, the pace and plotting was excellently done, especially the murder victim flashbacks and Maggie's constant state of fear. The grand climactic face-off in the mill was also A++ because Sam and Duncan are the gifts that keep on giving. (I deduct brownie points for the armour-piercing speech Maggie gives Sam to save her and innocent bystanders' lives. It was too cookie cutter, sans impact, and didn't seem like realistic dialogue. Compare and contrast: the terribly nuanced and heartbreakingly desperate speech she gives Sam to convince him to spare her son's life. THAT sounded like a lawyer and all-round tough cookie talking.)
Alas, this book is loath to give anyone too much of a good thing because it introduces, at the thirteenth hour, a brand new spree of serial killings. And it's presented 100% as "Maggie suddenly remembered that all these things had happened and she'd known all along, even though she didn't have so much of a reaction when the killer's MO was mentioned ten pages ago."
I admit I was very apprehensive about getting into this book because it was one of those new age detective series where there is continuity/consequences from installment to installment (unlike Agatha Christie or Nancy Drew). Thankfully, this being the fifth in order didn't make it difficult to follow the plot, which was all over the place but stuck to characters introduced in this book only.
I may not have gotten to know much about Tom Douglas, the series namer, but my initial impression is "flatter than cardboard". Especially where his ex, Leo, is concerned. The main internal conflict here is "OH HEY TOM I CAN'T TRUST YOU," and Tom moping about this after the break-up like this is something he can fix for her. Leo does "fix" the problem by having a random and unrealistic epiphany after a second break-up over the same thing. She literally just ups and decides to have more colour and enthusiasm in her life, YAY. And then bad things happen, so the epiphany is put on hold, and the whole thing was told to us via a cold turkey summary of her recent past. I love the smell of character development in the morning.
Tl;dr: I absolutely don't understand why so many people are raving about the tediousness that is this book.
Even after admitting to herself that he's a remorseless pathological liar.
(The scene where this aspect of his personality is revealed is wonderful. Maggie comes across as a competent criminal defence lawyer for the first time; Duncan insisting that the mindbogglingly disturbing things he did—evil by omission—were a "mistake", that they were perpetrated by a version of himself totally dissociated from present day Duncan, that he couldn't tell Maggie ever because he was afraid she wouldn't love him. I had hearts in my eyes from this utterly pitiless evisceration of the situation.)
The book goes downhill before and after this scene. This whole book is a downhill slope with a little bump in the middle for this solitary amazing scene.
There were a couple of other things were quite nice. Maggie's children are A++. Josh is so weirdly mature that it's less cute and more like the author didn't want a realistic child being inconvenient and useless in a situation fraught with danger. By contrast, his sister Lily is a delight. She just wants to watch Frozen ALL THE TIME, talk at the top of her voice, and get terrified and raise false alarms. Where is she when the chips are down and Maggie needs her children to be obedient or else they will all die? NOWHERE. Only mini-adult!Josh gets to feature at times like these. He is instrumental in ensuring that help arrives at the nick of time, by behaving calmly and logically. I can only imagine the mayhem and confusion and fabrications that would result if a kid like Lily was in his situation, but we can't have nice things, can we?
Speaking of villains, asdfghjkl. I cannot. Ohhh, Sam. The very first recounting of his first murder made me tumble into love. The way he manipulates a painfully naïve girl, the mounting dread the canny reader feels throughout, the WHAM LINE with which the chapter ends ("He didn't stutter once,") all of it is just LOADS OF KEYSMASHING. His stalking of Maggie and her family was so oily in the most skin-crawling way, I loved it. Let me be honest: these were very fucking stupid villains (Maggie was able to locate her missing husband through his vehicle registration and the knowledge that he was holed up closed to home; the villains didn't even think to start their search there OR follow her movements. Or rather, they routinely stalked her except the one time it would have ended the plot too early.) BUT despite their dumbassery, they were very proactive and I applaud that.
They were also inconsistently characterised. Despite repeatedly being told their urbane manners distinguish them from typical "Manchester thugs", their methods swing from crude strangulation or messy throat-cutting to I'm-a-special-Villain-Sue-kind-of-sadist who sews a woman's arm to her bindings as punishment for trying to escape. Why must you toy with my heart, Sam.
For the most part, the pace and plotting was excellently done, especially the murder victim flashbacks and Maggie's constant state of fear. The grand climactic face-off in the mill was also A++ because Sam and Duncan are the gifts that keep on giving. (I deduct brownie points for the armour-piercing speech Maggie gives Sam to save her and innocent bystanders' lives. It was too cookie cutter, sans impact, and didn't seem like realistic dialogue. Compare and contrast: the terribly nuanced and heartbreakingly desperate speech she gives Sam to convince him to spare her son's life. THAT sounded like a lawyer and all-round tough cookie talking.)
Alas, this book is loath to give anyone too much of a good thing because it introduces, at the thirteenth hour, a brand new spree of serial killings. And it's presented 100% as "Maggie suddenly remembered that all these things had happened and she'd known all along, even though she didn't have so much of a reaction when the killer's MO was mentioned ten pages ago."
I admit I was very apprehensive about getting into this book because it was one of those new age detective series where there is continuity/consequences from installment to installment (unlike Agatha Christie or Nancy Drew). Thankfully, this being the fifth in order didn't make it difficult to follow the plot, which was all over the place but stuck to characters introduced in this book only.
I may not have gotten to know much about Tom Douglas, the series namer, but my initial impression is "flatter than cardboard". Especially where his ex, Leo, is concerned. The main internal conflict here is "OH HEY TOM I CAN'T TRUST YOU," and Tom moping about this after the break-up like this is something he can fix for her. Leo does "fix" the problem by having a random and unrealistic epiphany after a second break-up over the same thing. She literally just ups and decides to have more colour and enthusiasm in her life, YAY. And then bad things happen, so the epiphany is put on hold, and the whole thing was told to us via a cold turkey summary of her recent past. I love the smell of character development in the morning.
Tl;dr: I absolutely don't understand why so many people are raving about the tediousness that is this book.
March 2, 2017
This author just keeps getting better and better. Kill Me Again was fantastic and had me enthralled right from the first chapter.
February 18, 2016
I don't know what others think are the characteristics of a great thriller. For me it's a book that you just can't set aside - to eat, to do housework, to sleep... This one had me awake into the early hours, only setting it aside when my eyes became too gritty to continue, only to pick it up and read to its conclusion as soon as I woke the next morning.
It's really quite a story. Two series of murders, twelve years apart, with the same characteristics - with DCI Tom Douglas and DI Becky Robinson trying to uncover the truth, racing against time, with the added complication that Tom's girlfriend Leo is missing, and looks remarkably like the first girl found murdered. Then there's Maggie Robinson, a defence lawyer recently arrived in Manchester, wrestling with the defence of a criminal who repels her - and whose husband suddenly disappears, leaving her children unattended. And that's just for starters. Then the menacing phone calls start, and Maggie realises that she really doesn't know her husband at all...
The plotting in Kill Me Again is really complex, but her writing draws you in effortlessly, and keeps you turning the pages - there's the multiple murder storyline past and present, the issue of Leo's disappearance and its impact on Tom, and the twists and turns of Maggie's story as she uncovers layer after layer of secrets.
The characters are excellent. I remember Tom from reading The Back Road a while ago - I liked him very much then, and even more now. Becky is an endearing sidekick, astute, intelligent, hardworking, and there's enough detail about her personal life that I really got to know and like her. Maggie is wonderful, you feel her fear and confusion, sometimes her anger, as you follow her discoveries step-by-step and wonder if you'd make the same choices if you faced a similar situation. Subsidiary characters are really well drawn too - with a particular commendation for Maggie's eight year old son Josh, one of the most real and convincing children I've come across in a while. And the setting - much of it a part of Manchester that I know quite well (I once worked there) - was vividly drawn, real in its detail.
The twists and turns of the story absolutely gripped me - the pace is relentless, the timing perfect - and at no point did I second guess the unexpected and shocking conclusion.
It's really quite a story. Two series of murders, twelve years apart, with the same characteristics - with DCI Tom Douglas and DI Becky Robinson trying to uncover the truth, racing against time, with the added complication that Tom's girlfriend Leo is missing, and looks remarkably like the first girl found murdered. Then there's Maggie Robinson, a defence lawyer recently arrived in Manchester, wrestling with the defence of a criminal who repels her - and whose husband suddenly disappears, leaving her children unattended. And that's just for starters. Then the menacing phone calls start, and Maggie realises that she really doesn't know her husband at all...
The plotting in Kill Me Again is really complex, but her writing draws you in effortlessly, and keeps you turning the pages - there's the multiple murder storyline past and present, the issue of Leo's disappearance and its impact on Tom, and the twists and turns of Maggie's story as she uncovers layer after layer of secrets.
The characters are excellent. I remember Tom from reading The Back Road a while ago - I liked him very much then, and even more now. Becky is an endearing sidekick, astute, intelligent, hardworking, and there's enough detail about her personal life that I really got to know and like her. Maggie is wonderful, you feel her fear and confusion, sometimes her anger, as you follow her discoveries step-by-step and wonder if you'd make the same choices if you faced a similar situation. Subsidiary characters are really well drawn too - with a particular commendation for Maggie's eight year old son Josh, one of the most real and convincing children I've come across in a while. And the setting - much of it a part of Manchester that I know quite well (I once worked there) - was vividly drawn, real in its detail.
The twists and turns of the story absolutely gripped me - the pace is relentless, the timing perfect - and at no point did I second guess the unexpected and shocking conclusion.
August 22, 2016
Kill Me Again has been on my TBR pile for a while now, and despite Rachel Abbott being one of my favourite authors I just couldn’t find a slot to fit it in to my schedule. Well I’m glad to say I’ve finally read Kill Me Again, and Rachel Abbott certainly hit the mark in this compelling crime thriller. In this book we meet up with one of my all time favourite detectives Tom Douglas, he’s not your usual stereotype detective for a crime thriller as he’s sensible, smart and level-headed, you won’t see Tom break rules, or go all “gung ho” on a case. I like the fact that Tom is credible and a very likeable character, as we learn more of his background story in Kill Me Again, I found this made him all the more intriguing.
Maggie Taylor was another intriguing but complex character, we are introduced to her when her husband Duncan goes missing, she has to make some very difficult choices throughout Kill Me Again, and I’m not sure I would have made the same ones if I were in her situation, at times I felt sorry for her, and at other times I just wanted to shake her and tell her “to get a grip”! This is what I find with Rachel Abbott’s writing she is able to create multi dimensional characters which draw the reader in, and then adds a plot with twist and turns galore, which keep you reading late into the night. As the plot progresses it looks like the recent murders are connected to previous crimes twelve years ago, the pace picks up momentum and the tension mounts.
Kill Me Again is Delivered in Short concise chapters that are guaranteed to keep the reader wanting “just one more chapter”. The plot has multiple strands, so many in fact it began to feel like spaghetti junction! But Rachel Abbott managed to tie them all together effortlessly, into a riveting “edge of your seat” read. In my opinion Rachel Abbott goes from strength to strength Kill Me Again had all the ingredients I could wish for in a crime thriller, I found it well crafted and it certainly delivered on tension, suspense and intrigue. When Rachel’s next book is released it will be going to the top of my TBR pile that’s for sure.
My thanks to Ceri Chaudry and Rachel Abbott for my copy of Kill Me Again in exchange for an honest review.
First published to my blog http://thebookreviewcafe.com
Maggie Taylor was another intriguing but complex character, we are introduced to her when her husband Duncan goes missing, she has to make some very difficult choices throughout Kill Me Again, and I’m not sure I would have made the same ones if I were in her situation, at times I felt sorry for her, and at other times I just wanted to shake her and tell her “to get a grip”! This is what I find with Rachel Abbott’s writing she is able to create multi dimensional characters which draw the reader in, and then adds a plot with twist and turns galore, which keep you reading late into the night. As the plot progresses it looks like the recent murders are connected to previous crimes twelve years ago, the pace picks up momentum and the tension mounts.
Kill Me Again is Delivered in Short concise chapters that are guaranteed to keep the reader wanting “just one more chapter”. The plot has multiple strands, so many in fact it began to feel like spaghetti junction! But Rachel Abbott managed to tie them all together effortlessly, into a riveting “edge of your seat” read. In my opinion Rachel Abbott goes from strength to strength Kill Me Again had all the ingredients I could wish for in a crime thriller, I found it well crafted and it certainly delivered on tension, suspense and intrigue. When Rachel’s next book is released it will be going to the top of my TBR pile that’s for sure.
My thanks to Ceri Chaudry and Rachel Abbott for my copy of Kill Me Again in exchange for an honest review.
First published to my blog http://thebookreviewcafe.com
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July 11, 2016This complex psychological/crime thriller starts when Maggie Taylor a criminal defence lawyer moves to Manchester following a great job offer. Her husband, Duncan s less sure of the move but as she is the main breadwinner of the family he relocates with her and their two young children. However, one evening Maggie finds her husband gone, leaving her children alone in the house. Little does she know that this will prove to be a nightmare that will change everything for her family forever.
This isn't the first Rachel Abbot thriller I have read but I must say this is probably the most chilling psychological thriller I have read from this author. As the past twelve years previously is incorporated into this dark tale, I was gripped until the very end of this thriller.
Dark, complex and unrelenting in its tortured path this book will keep you up at night and remain with you long after you have read the last page.
This isn't the first Rachel Abbot thriller I have read but I must say this is probably the most chilling psychological thriller I have read from this author. As the past twelve years previously is incorporated into this dark tale, I was gripped until the very end of this thriller.
Dark, complex and unrelenting in its tortured path this book will keep you up at night and remain with you long after you have read the last page.
February 22, 2016
I have read all of Rachel's books and with "Kill Me Again" I think she has excelled herself.
I loved meeting DCI Tom again. He feels like an old friend.
The story revolves around two murders, one that took place 12 years ago and one that happened in te present. it sounds as if it might be complicated to follow but Rachel's writing makes it easy.
As usual Rachel uses her skills as an author to build up the tension. There were a few times when I was holding my breath wondering what was going to happen next.
This, to me, is a perfect example of what a psychological thriller should be. I recommend everyone to read this immediately.
I loved meeting DCI Tom again. He feels like an old friend.
The story revolves around two murders, one that took place 12 years ago and one that happened in te present. it sounds as if it might be complicated to follow but Rachel's writing makes it easy.
As usual Rachel uses her skills as an author to build up the tension. There were a few times when I was holding my breath wondering what was going to happen next.
This, to me, is a perfect example of what a psychological thriller should be. I recommend everyone to read this immediately.
March 16, 2017
I’ll admit it. I am completely hopeless when it comes to reading books in order. I try (by and large) to do it with series, but very often fail. I’m not averse to starting on a later book and going back to find out what I missed. I sort of did that with the DCI Tom Douglas books by Rachel Abbott, starting with The Back Road, going back to read, Only The Innocent and then Sleep Tight. I recently read (and loved) The Sixth Window, so I thought it only fitting that I went back to fill in the gaps. Only I read the wrong one first (oopsie). But it’s okay because, 1 – it made some sense of a few comments in The Sixth Window and 2 – it’s fluffing fabulous.
I started this book off by listening to the audio book and finished it reading the book. I do enjoy a good audio book and the quality of the narration on this series is very good. However, it is a slower ‘reading’ experience and quite an investment of time and I was desperate to know how this book was going to play out so, as my driving time was for once at a premium, I grabbed for the kindle instead. There is such power in these pages, such a sense of dread, not only from the position Maggie finds herself in and the threat to her own family, but also surrounding a cold case that DCI Douglas was unable to solve which seems to have come back to haunt him in the most personal of ways.
Examining both moral and ethical dilemmas for solicitor Maggie as she is drawn further into her husband’s secret past, this book oozes tension. There are so many times when I felt wrong footed by the action, the facts as they were uncovered both shocking and telling. There is one particularly gruesome scene in which one of the potential victims is punished for trying to escape that really made me wince. It wasn’t necessarily gratuitous in description but it still felt brutal none-the-less and if you have even a small phobia of needles, you may want to skip that scene entirely.
As always, the characterisations within the book is spot on. I love the characters of Tom and Becky and the relationship between them is brilliant, perhaps one of the best Detective duos I have read. Tom is put in an impossible situation in this investigation with the suspicion that the case is becoming altogether too personal. I could really feel for Maggie and the position she was in, but also felt incredibly frustrated that someone with her experience in criminal law would allow herself to be manipulated to easily and would turn away from everything she knew was right for her husband.
Rachel Abbott is very skilled at using pace and setting to direct action. Set in Manchester, the older, derelict parts of the city were used to great effect to depict the desperation and isolation of one of the killer’s potential victims. Even the sense that she was hidden in plain sight added to the tension and the feeling of despair. And she always uses the ebbs and flows of a police investigation to great effect, ramping up pace when the story allows, yet in the quieter moments creating such menace using the simplest of methods, that you are often left on the edge of your seat.
The ending was pitched perfectly as Tom and the team sought to try and prevent one final murder and bring the reign of terror to an end. And the way in which Maggie comes to terms with her husbands past… Well let’s just say he got his just deserts of sorts. And there is still an underlying threat; one thread not quite resolved, so whether or not justice has been served or not is up to the reader to decide.
A very creeping and unnerving 4.5 stars.
I started this book off by listening to the audio book and finished it reading the book. I do enjoy a good audio book and the quality of the narration on this series is very good. However, it is a slower ‘reading’ experience and quite an investment of time and I was desperate to know how this book was going to play out so, as my driving time was for once at a premium, I grabbed for the kindle instead. There is such power in these pages, such a sense of dread, not only from the position Maggie finds herself in and the threat to her own family, but also surrounding a cold case that DCI Douglas was unable to solve which seems to have come back to haunt him in the most personal of ways.
Examining both moral and ethical dilemmas for solicitor Maggie as she is drawn further into her husband’s secret past, this book oozes tension. There are so many times when I felt wrong footed by the action, the facts as they were uncovered both shocking and telling. There is one particularly gruesome scene in which one of the potential victims is punished for trying to escape that really made me wince. It wasn’t necessarily gratuitous in description but it still felt brutal none-the-less and if you have even a small phobia of needles, you may want to skip that scene entirely.
As always, the characterisations within the book is spot on. I love the characters of Tom and Becky and the relationship between them is brilliant, perhaps one of the best Detective duos I have read. Tom is put in an impossible situation in this investigation with the suspicion that the case is becoming altogether too personal. I could really feel for Maggie and the position she was in, but also felt incredibly frustrated that someone with her experience in criminal law would allow herself to be manipulated to easily and would turn away from everything she knew was right for her husband.
Rachel Abbott is very skilled at using pace and setting to direct action. Set in Manchester, the older, derelict parts of the city were used to great effect to depict the desperation and isolation of one of the killer’s potential victims. Even the sense that she was hidden in plain sight added to the tension and the feeling of despair. And she always uses the ebbs and flows of a police investigation to great effect, ramping up pace when the story allows, yet in the quieter moments creating such menace using the simplest of methods, that you are often left on the edge of your seat.
The ending was pitched perfectly as Tom and the team sought to try and prevent one final murder and bring the reign of terror to an end. And the way in which Maggie comes to terms with her husbands past… Well let’s just say he got his just deserts of sorts. And there is still an underlying threat; one thread not quite resolved, so whether or not justice has been served or not is up to the reader to decide.
A very creeping and unnerving 4.5 stars.
October 7, 2021
Un thriller psychologique efficace, au suspense diablement maitrisé!
Maggie Taylor est avocate, installée depuis quelques semaines à Manchester, en compagnie de ses deux enfants, Josh et Lilly, huit et cinq ans, et de son mari Duncan. Celui-ci après avoir mené de brillantes études interrompues pour aider sa mère malade, se satisfait de son métier de plombier qui lui permet de s’occuper des enfants. Tout semble aller pour le mieux dans cette petite famille, jusqu’au jour où Duncan disparait mystérieusement, en laissant les enfants seuls à la maison.
Maggie tombe de haut et ne comprend pas ce qui a poussé son mari à quitter sa famille sans aucune explication. Les heures passent, Duncan reste injoignable. Maggie est effondrée et en colère face à l’attitude incompréhensible et irresponsable de son mari. Aux informations du soir on parle de la découverte du corps d’une jeune femme : Josh le fils du couple est formel, son père a reçu par SMS le soir de sa disparition la photo de cette jeune femme brune qui ressemble trait pour trait à Maggie… Qui est-elle ? Etait-elle la maitresse de Duncan ? Pour quelle raison Maggie reçoit-elle d’étranges coup de fils d’un homme qui cherche lui aussi Duncan ? Son mari était-il accablé de dettes qui l’ont poussé à vouloir disparaitre ? Maggie craint pour la vie de son mari, la sienne et celle de ses enfants.
En parallèle, l’enquête sur le meurtre de la jeune femme est prise en main par le détective Tom Douglas. Très vite, un second corps apparait : l’âge, la morphologie et la couleur des cheveux des victimes sont identiques, et les traces particulières laissées à un certain endroit des corps rappelle à Tom une précédente affaire, survenue douze ans plus tôt… Touché de près par cette série d’homicides, Tom regrette amèrement cette précédente enquête demeurée inachevée.
Nou suivons d’une part la situation cauchemardesque vécue par Maggie, et d’autre part le travail des enquêteurs, ce qui permet à l’auteure de varier les points de vue. L’affaire est également menée sur deux périodes différentes, mais la distinction entre ces deux époques est toujours fluide. Le suspense est méticuleusement entretenu, des rebondissements inattendus viennent rythmer ce thriller psychologique de haut-vol. Je suis bluffée par cette intrigue machiavélique! Rachel Abbott n’hésite pas à explorer les émotions humaines les plus abjectes pour créer ses personnages : vengeance, manipulation, haine habitent les protagonistes de ce roman très sombre.
Je remercie les Editions Belfond et Netgalley pour cette lecture divertissante.
Maggie Taylor est avocate, installée depuis quelques semaines à Manchester, en compagnie de ses deux enfants, Josh et Lilly, huit et cinq ans, et de son mari Duncan. Celui-ci après avoir mené de brillantes études interrompues pour aider sa mère malade, se satisfait de son métier de plombier qui lui permet de s’occuper des enfants. Tout semble aller pour le mieux dans cette petite famille, jusqu’au jour où Duncan disparait mystérieusement, en laissant les enfants seuls à la maison.
Maggie tombe de haut et ne comprend pas ce qui a poussé son mari à quitter sa famille sans aucune explication. Les heures passent, Duncan reste injoignable. Maggie est effondrée et en colère face à l’attitude incompréhensible et irresponsable de son mari. Aux informations du soir on parle de la découverte du corps d’une jeune femme : Josh le fils du couple est formel, son père a reçu par SMS le soir de sa disparition la photo de cette jeune femme brune qui ressemble trait pour trait à Maggie… Qui est-elle ? Etait-elle la maitresse de Duncan ? Pour quelle raison Maggie reçoit-elle d’étranges coup de fils d’un homme qui cherche lui aussi Duncan ? Son mari était-il accablé de dettes qui l’ont poussé à vouloir disparaitre ? Maggie craint pour la vie de son mari, la sienne et celle de ses enfants.
En parallèle, l’enquête sur le meurtre de la jeune femme est prise en main par le détective Tom Douglas. Très vite, un second corps apparait : l’âge, la morphologie et la couleur des cheveux des victimes sont identiques, et les traces particulières laissées à un certain endroit des corps rappelle à Tom une précédente affaire, survenue douze ans plus tôt… Touché de près par cette série d’homicides, Tom regrette amèrement cette précédente enquête demeurée inachevée.
Nou suivons d’une part la situation cauchemardesque vécue par Maggie, et d’autre part le travail des enquêteurs, ce qui permet à l’auteure de varier les points de vue. L’affaire est également menée sur deux périodes différentes, mais la distinction entre ces deux époques est toujours fluide. Le suspense est méticuleusement entretenu, des rebondissements inattendus viennent rythmer ce thriller psychologique de haut-vol. Je suis bluffée par cette intrigue machiavélique! Rachel Abbott n’hésite pas à explorer les émotions humaines les plus abjectes pour créer ses personnages : vengeance, manipulation, haine habitent les protagonistes de ce roman très sombre.
Je remercie les Editions Belfond et Netgalley pour cette lecture divertissante.
June 10, 2022
Tikrai daug įtampos, daug neatsakytų klausimų dėl dingusio vyro, jau atrodo daugmaž susidaro šioks toks vaizdas kas galėjo nutikti , ir tada viskas pasisuka kita kryptimi, nes ryškėja kitas vaizdas, ir nesitiki, kad šeimos vyras ir šaltakraujis žudikas gali būti vienas ir tas pats asmuo, o knygos pabaiga išvis netikėta ir žmonos Megės veiksmai atima žadą. Tikrai prikaustanti, paini, sudėtinga ir dar viena tobulai sustyguota Abbott istorija nepaliks abejingų.
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