I enjoy police procedurals though if the author isn't careful they can take it too far and forget about the people part of the equation. Happily, French blends procedure with character development yet doesn't get mawkish or sentimental. Her writing is direct, plain but not boring; she writes with enough detail to sketch out what's happening or provide a visual but is spare enough for the reader to fill in. French goes further than just giving us the details of the investigation but digs deeper and examines the psychology of everyone involved. She brings to life the fears, hopes, dreams and beliefs of the cops, the victims, their friends, families and co-workers. 
 There's a subplot involving Detective Kennedy and his sister which didn't completely work for me but it did give us insight into "Scorcher" Kennedy and how events unfolded towards the end of the story. While I liked Kennedy, I really liked his rookie partner Richie and their developing relationship. 
 The story held my attention and kept me reading, even when they arrested a suspect about halfway through the book. I had to keep reading to find out what happened next. French introduced some twists and turns and red herrings that kept me guessing, even when I thought I knew where the story was going. It's an intelligent, complex story that won't leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy but if something were to happen to me, I'd want "Scorcher" Kennedy on my case. 
 I received a hardcover from the publisher for review. This review first appeared at BookTrib: http://beaconnors.booktrib.com/review...