DARK TIDES by Freya Wallace

A 5* follow-up to the 4* first book in the series, although Knox's shying away from anything personal frustrated me. Again.

I finished this book between dinner, doing a night shift, getting a bit of shut eye, even setting aside the latest adventures of Robert Langdon for it. Why? Mostly because it's a British-set book without anything faux or sensationalist, and because I'd connect to it more than RL's symbolism modus operandi. But, I digress.

The writing is as strong as in the first book, and Knox remains someone I wanted to sit down and have a 'pull your head out of your arse before you lose Lucy' chat with. I mean, even his dog, the lovely Dylan, spent more time with her than he did. That Lucy didn't give ultimatums didn't feel true at times - until the last 2 pages of the book. I wondered why she bothered with him, tbh. There's more to her than meets the eye, and she may well be the one who brings Knox back to life. But, guy, wake up before it's too late. Talk to her. Text her. Don't expect her to read your mind. She's your gf, not just Dylan's sitter. And if you're not careful you'll lose him to her!! And maybe get some therapy, instead of seeking it in the bottom of a bottle. 

As to the storyline? It's well orchestrated and well done. I was sad for the people left behind, mostly, especially the vicar's wife and the fractured bereaved family that ended up with guilt on top, which Knox was responsible for. Did he jump the gun? I think so. Should he have known better? Yes, as Ava was trying to rein him in, and at the end of the book, this thread remained open. Could it have had consequences? Yep. Absolutely. I couldn't get a read on this latecomer of a character and that not everything got tied up meant that lives could potentially have been ruined for no reason. But, the author seems to write fairly quickly and there's enough of the previous book in this one to make me think that perhaps things will out in book 3. Just perhaps by way of a phone call from someone Knox reached out to. Or a hidden letter that comes to light. I'd like to know if his instincts were right, or if he ends up wondering if he's lost something vital. At the end of this book he's taking time away from work, which felt like it should have been made mandatory by his bosses, because logic deserted him when emotions took over, which was quite ironic, as only the job was allowed to let him have feelings. 

This series would work well without the Lucy aspect, as the police procedural side of it is believable, with realistic dialogue, with proper investigations, with rules mainly being followed. Knox isn't some maverick US 'cop' (there are too many types, so I'm using this descriptor loosely) without restraint and trigger, well, taser, happy. Although a taser could've been handy in the big scene at the end. There's realism, it's low key and there's a familiarity to things. I'm up for more. 

ARC courtesy of the author for my reading pleasure.