Silk by Chris Karlsen

I was offered the chance to read Silk, and I took it mainly because of the blurb. I love a good mystery, especially if it involves Jack the Ripper. Unfortunately, I found that most of the book didn't actually concern Jack the Ripper. On the bright side, we are introduced to another, extremely interesting, serial killer.

Silk is basically told through two points of view: Metropolitan Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone (the hero) and the villain, from where the title comes from. I can't exactly explain why without giving away spoilers though. Anyway, to try to sum the book in a non-spoiler-y way, a series of murders have happened, and Inspector Ruddy (I'm not typing his full name and job description twice) has to solve it, while dealing with the press, which has somehow found an inside source. At the same time, we are shown the villain, from how he first murdered, to how he met his tragic end.

For me, the engaging part of the book was undoubtedly the murderer's point of view. It sounds morbid, but morbid is interesting (even if I never, ever, want to meet someone like him in real life). Although Inspector Ruddy has his own issues and love interest in this story, he's essentially the good guy. It was easy to get a feel of how the thought. The murderer on the other hand, well, he was clearly evil, but he didn't see himself so. The self-justification and narcissism meant that I was going to keep a very close eye on his chapters, if only to see where he slips up.

I enjoyed this book until the ending. I was looking forward to a battle of wits, but instead, I felt that everything ended rather anti-climatically. The villain isn't caught because the Inspector is dogged and smart, instead, the case is practically handed to Inspector Ruddy on a silver platter. And even though the case was solved, the book seemed to drag on for a while. I just checked Goodreads (for the image), and it turns out maybe this is part of a series, so the ending could be setting up for book two. I'm not sure, because once the mystery was "solved", I skimmed the rest of the book.

Apart from the ending, I enjoyed this book. Some of the scenes were extremely vivid and aren't suitable for younger readers, but it does emphasise how twisted the murderer is. On the whole, it's an engrossing book, and a good read.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review.