Having read the first in the DI Eve Hunter series, I was very excited to get back into Eve’s world of crime scenes and of course, murder. It just took me a little bit longer than I would have liked to get round to it!

Deborah Masson continues to flesh out the characters who we’ve come to know and love, subtly touching upon previous events that do not overburden readers of the first book in the series, but is equally beneficial for bringing newcomers up to speed. That being said, the book could easily be read as a standalone without the need for prior background context, if desired. I would definitely recommend reading Hold Your Tongue though as it’s a cracking debut.

There is effective use of multiple narration and points of view throughout the story, which keeps it edgy and fresh throughout. Deborah has also presented a well-thought out story which commends her level of research into police procedures, and has all the red herrings, tense confrontations and jigsaw puzzle pieces we need to remain hooked.

It is worth noting that that this book takes a different direction to the first in that it doesn’t focus on a series of continual serial murders, but has a tighter focus on police procedural and the underworld of crime (the corruption we don’t see happening on a mass scale behind closed doors). This therefore sets a different tone for the book, but certainly shouldn’t be considered as a fault. Masson does an excellent job of bringing our attention to the world of the rich, where status is regularly abused – something that has been quite prevalent in the media recently. Similarly, there is much to be covered about human trafficking, toxic masculinity and female empowerment throughout the book which makes it all the more worthwhile to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Out For Blood’ and would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read it. Masson has certainly crafted a solid and original sequel with an intricately woven plot that ticks all the boxes you want from the genre.