Series: D.I. Dani Stephens #1
Published by Canelo on September 12, 2019
Genres: Crime, Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Police Procedural, Suspense, Thrillers, Women Sleuths
Pages: 400
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
He’s your attacker.
He’s a murderer.
He’s your twin.When DI Dani Stephens returns to work after an attack that almost ended her life, she’s quickly plunged into a horrific new case, as dead bodies are discovered on the streets of Birmingham.
But with no link between the victims, Dani has to get inside the killer’s mind - so turns to the murderer she knows best. Her own twin brother...
But what makes a psychopath? Can understanding her twin help her find a murderer who leaves no trace? As the circle closes on Dani, the clock is ticking and she needs a breakthrough – before she becomes the latest victim.
A heart-stopping crime thriller that fans of Peter James and Mark Billingham won’t be able to put down.
The Essence of Evil is my first time reading Rob Sinclair’s work and yet I know it definitely won’t be my last. Carefully crafted with tension in spades, Sinclair has given us a complicated heroine to root for in DI Dani Stephens. Dani’s strength and intensity are clear within the first few chapters as are her flaws and insecurities. Alongside Dani’s present POV and diary entries, we are also introduced to Steven Grant, a criminology professor with a difficult past. What seems like a fairly straight forward scene and investigation to most has Dani seeing something more organized and sinister.
I can’t delve too much into what I loved about this exceptional book but I do love how Sinclair brought me to the point that I had no idea who I could trust out of every character, including Dani. My top highlight for this thriller was Dani Stephens and her struggle with adjusting to life with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). As frustrating as some of her outbursts could be, I was tied up in knots wishing that her recovery was easier. My only complaint is I wanted to see more of DI Easton.
Honestly, I loved this book. Dani is an easy protagonist to root for as the investigation heats up and her emotions struck me as authentic. The mystery was carefully plotted and kept me guessing for far longer than I expected and I was worried that I had lost my “sleuth sense.” Rob Sinclair is definitely one to watch and I hope we get to see more of Dani in the future. Maybe, a bit of DI Easton! Now I’m going to track down a copy of one of Sinclair’s other books.
