Too Close to Breathe

“There hadn’t been a suicide note. The victim remains resolutely tight-lipped, stone-cold silent; the best and the worst witness of her end. A note would allow mourners to hold on to something. Assert blame. Be angry at what’s written… Even so, I imagine I see a ghost of a smile at the corners of her swollen mouth, the kind of smile that speaks of secrets.”

Too Close to Breathe
By Olivia Kiernan
Published: March 2018
Source: Advance review copy

Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan has barely had time to recuperate from a case that nearly got her killed when she is called to the scene of what appears to be a suicide of Eleanor Costello, but how odd that there is no suicide note.

Eleanor was a respected lecturer at the local university but as Frankie starts to look into the case she notices there are a lot more questions, first and foremost is where is Eleanor’s husband? As many cases of married couples the first thing Frankie wants to do is locate him. As the investigation starts to pick up, another body is found bearing similarities to Eleanor’s cause of death so this has now picked up even more urgency.

As the case starts to send Frankie and her team into the dark web the plot does get a bit convoluted but nevertheless it keeps the reader engaged. Not only that but Frankie’s past case may be catching up to her and will she be emotionally strong to handle that? Her superior cautions her but Frankie is not going to back down from this case.

A really great debut. The author did a good job of setting the scene, introducing potential suspects and reasons but kept me guessing. Even when there were parts that got a bit convoluted, I didn’t want to stop reading this one. I will definitely be looking forward to the next case led by Frankie Sheehan.