This fifth book in the superb Roy Grace series begins in 1997, when he was a 29-year-old Detective Sergeant, a meaningful time in his life, firstly because it was shortly before his wife, Sandy, walked out of his life never to be seen or heard from again, and secondly because it was when there was a serial rapist on the loose, a man dubbed the ‘Shoe Man’ who was believed to have raped at least five women and in all likelihood raped and killed a sixth victim whose body had never been found.
Then the book flashes forward to the present time, when a new series of rapes have occurred, following an almost identical m.o.: The Shoe Man had a shoe fetish, and always stole one of his victim’s shoes. [Who knew that so many men – and women – obsessed about designer shoes? Well, I guess Imelda Marcos provided a clue about her gender. This reader learned more than she ever wanted to know about designer shoes and their prices - - WOW - - what a sheltered life I’ve led!] The two investigations are recounted in juxtaposition with each other through most of the book, each with rising suspense as to the fate of the sixth victim in the older case, and his next in the current case – the police are convinced it is only a matter of time before there is another, as the time span between attacks gets shorter and shorter.
Grace, now a Detective Superintendent, is trying to plan a wedding with his adored – and very pregnant – fiancée, Cleo. By contrast, the flashbacks to the beginnings of the 1997 killer/rapist’s spree bring unbidden memories of Sandy, the wife who disappeared over 9 years earlier, with whom, ironically, he had tried desperately, and unsuccessfully, to conceive a child. Happily, Grace’s old nemesis, Assistant Chief Constable Alison Vosper, is now gone, her replacement seemingly an amiable chap. The other members of the team are present and accounted for, and always interesting in their own right. As the case continues, there appear to be one or two red herrings present – or are they? Grace and his team are never quite sure whether or not there is a copycat out there, or at the least more than one serial killer with a shoe fetish and a dysfunctional childhood.
My only complaint with the novel is that it seemed to sag a bit in the middle with what seemed to be some amount of repetition. That said, the pace picks up quite a bit thereafter. The author has one last shock, and a bit of a cliffhanger, in store for the reader as the book nears its end – - not anything to leave one unsettled, but on the contrary hungry for the next book in the series.
Recommended.
