A series of gruesome murders with the same signature has Detective Constable Scarlett Delaney and her mentor Detective Sergeant Frank Ash searching for The Jackdaw, a brutal killer who likes to decapitate his victims leaving five scratches across their faces. Scarlett, the daughter of a serial killer herself, is determined to prove her worth to her colleagues, even if it means keeping secrets from her mentor or defying orders. In the course of her investigation, she meets an enigmatic character Henry Devlin who claims to be a private investigator hired by the latest victim’s father to find the killer. Scarlett reluctantly teams up with Devlin whom she finds to be quite resourceful and as the narrative progresses it appears that Devlin has his own agenda. As the bodies begin to pile up, Scarlett and Devlin rush to find the killer before he/she strikes again.

Well-paced and gritty with an intriguing plot and a good dose of wit and dark humor to keep you entertained Jackdaw by Daniel Cole is an engaging read! I liked DC Scarlett Delaney and found the character of Devlin to be quite interesting. This is the first in a new series by the author and I would definitely be interested to read the next book. You will need to suspend disbelief but that is to be expected in this genre. The best would be to not overthink it and enjoy the ride. This was my first time reading Daniel Cole and I am eager to explore more of his work.

Many thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )

An ingenious serial killer pulling off kills worthy of a top magician, this book will have you as baffled as the police on the hunt for the killer!
The Jackdaw has struck again in yet another ‘how’s it possible’ murder, leaving just his trademark severed head, scratches on the face, a shiny item missing and a completely vanished body all accomplished with no witnesses in the middle of a party.
The case to finding The Jackdaw is down to Detective Constable Scarlett Delaney and her mentor and friend, Detective Sergeant Frank Ash.
Also on the hunt for The Jackdaw is devilishly handsome Henry Devlin who has been hired by the victim’s billionaire father in finding his daughters killer.
With his good looks, charm offensive and his certain skills set becomes secretly involved, off the record in Scarlets investigation.
Can a detective hold off arresting ‘a fixer’ as Henry describes himself long enough for the pair to work together in bringing down The Jackdaw?
This is a high action, extremely clever whodunnit that has you hooked from the very start.
The characters are brilliantly written and you soon become invested in all three main characters, Scarlet, Frank and Henry as they not only try to find out who the killer is but how the murders are being pulled off in such dramatic fashion.
Not only is the plot excellent, but the cleverness is on another level and will certainly keep you reading late into the night, or even in my case, right through the night.
It’s not very often you get a book so compelling that it refuses to let you put it down and sleep but this is one such book!
I am also happy I read the authors notes at the end of the book because he has confirmed he is already working on a follow up book because I am not ready to say goodbye to Detective Constable Scarlett Delaney just yet! If I hadn’t read that I would be crying out for more! I already can’t wait to see where the next book takes us and if it is as good as this one I will be well prepared to loose another nights sleep to it, whereas this one took me by surprise as to how good and addictive it was going to be!
If you enjoy a clever, riveting, gruesome serial killer thriller than this is the book for you and not to be missed.
The Jackdaw by Daniel Cole will be published on 10 Oct. 2023 and is available to preorder now ( )