Roses for the Dead by Jenny O'Brien - Book Review

Series: Detective Alana Mack #2

Publication Date: 14th Feb 2024 

Genre: Police Procedural, Contemporary  

4 Stars 

One Liner: Better than book one and enjoyable 

Detective Alana Mack is worried when a woman goes missing from the same train where another one has died. It appears that a killer is targeting women and leaving their bodies along Dublin’s Dart train line. As bodies pile up, Alana knows she has to solve the case as soon as possible. 

Things get even more complex when she receives a threatening message. Can Alana use the clues to find the killer and prevent more deaths? 

The story comes in third-person POVs from Alana (more), Paddy, Lorrie, and the killer. 

My Thoughts: 

The second book in the series reads well as a standalone. It is also better than the first book in many ways. The POV jumps are not random but are limited to four characters and come in different chapters. There’s no excessive dwelling on the past except for a couple of references for new readers. 

Multiple cases soon converge into a single/ dual track. The circumstances are such that the police are trying hard for a breakthrough. This means they go through the same information a few times. However, something new turns up each time to prevent monotony. 

Alana is also better in this one. Yeah, she is still abrupt and a touch rude. But it doesn’t put the reader off. We can see her stress and the calculated risks she has to take. Moreover, her thoughts and emotions are centered on the cases most of the time, so it is easier to empathize with her. Her disability is seamlessly woven into the plotline to keep it real and is aligned with her arc. 

We get the killer’s POV quite early, which means it is easy to guess who it is. I did guess who it was in the first third itself, but that didn’t make the story any less intriguing. There are a couple of twists, though nothing major. Yet, the plotline keeps you hooked to see if you’re right. 

The pacing is slow, as I assumed. This will be a slowish series, and that’s okay. The story doesn’t drag. Moreover, things take time when the police and forensics are involved. 

Alana and Paddy make a great team. The non-romantic relationship between them is a great plus. Paddy has a side track, which adds a layer to his character. They are both complex people, so the series should be interesting as we proceed. 

The Dublin setting doesn’t come alive in this one, but there’s enough to follow the case. The setting has changed from book one to two (it was a seaside place last time), so that could also be the reason. 

The ending has a touch of hope for Alana’s personal track, though she and I are in no hurry to take the leap. Let’s go slow and steady. 

To summarize, Roses for the Dead is a compact police procedural with some intriguing characters and an absorbing plot. Looking forward to the next in the series. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Storm Publishing, for the eARC.  

#NetGalley #RosesForTheDead

***

TW: Descriptions of injuries after bullying and physical abuse.