Consumed by Greg Buchanan

Author: Greg Buchanan

Title: Consumed

Publisher: Orion 

Published: 2023

Pages: 528

Genre: Crime / Thriller 

 

     On a lonely farmstead, a 70-year-old woman falls down outside and, unable to move, is consumed overnight by two of her pigs. It seems like a tragic accident, except the woman was well-known photographer Sophia Bertilak - and inside her house, someone has removed all her photos from their frames, seemingly erasing her past... The first photo Sophia ever took remains her most infamous: a missing girl who was never seen again. Forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen is drafted in for the post-mortem - and slowly becomes obsessed with the victim, her family, and the crimes she brought to light decades ago. As Cooper pulls on a dark thread of deception, secrets, and lies, she begins to unravel the case - as well as herself...

     This was a book that I initially picked up because of the cover. where it sat on the rack in the bookshop, it stood out amongst the current crop of new releases. I suppose it really does help to have a distinctive image to draw people in. So I picked it up and flipped it over. Now I may have read crime fiction in its many guises from contemporary right back to the classic, but for me, a forensic veterinarian was most definitely a first. Now it does take a great deal to work out what it meant she did for a living. But I suppose in your mind this would seem like a very small part of an investigation. It peeked my curious as to just know how this author was going to spread this out to cover its five hundred and twenty-eight pages. But as someone who is always curious about new authors, I was willing to take the chances and see how this was going to pay out. Now it turns out it has only been a couple of weeks since buying it when I found myself opening the cover and jumping in. 

     Did I know this was a sequel... no does it seem to matter... as it turns out apparently not as I quickly got to grips with our hero without realizing the above. But this may just go to show the writer's skill in that his style means we as readers can jump in a pick up the threads very quickly. As for Cooper, she is a character that I have come to really enjoy reading. She is smart quick-witted and has the dogged determination that one would expect from any good detective. Now on the other hand because she does not work as a police officer we can give her far more leeway within the story than otherwise might be given. What this means is that whilst we may not always agree with the choices she makes we can see a little of ourselves in them. Someone who does not have to follow procedure or for that matter know what they are.  She is willing to take the risks need to get to the bottom of the case that has become her whole world.  

     When it comes to the actual narrative of this book, I must say that I was captivated after the first chapter. Buchanan has done an amazing job of creating the world in which Cooper inhabits. Each location can be seen clearly in our mind's eyes. And it all helps to bring us into the story.  It is in my opinion one of those books where the story has been so perfectly crafted that you simply do not want to put it down. Buchanan brings us each of the twists and turns at what feels like exactly the right moment. And for me at least I think I became just as invested as Coooper in finding out what exactly took place all those years ago. Consumed, however, does not deliver just one mystery that Cooper has to decipher. It at times feels like we are peeling back the layers of the onion. This is probably part of the reason why this book becomes so consuming. As we delve deeper we get these little wins but must keep going in the hunt for the complete truth of this work. 

     This I suspected has been one of my favorite books that have read this year. It has a feeling all of its own and the author's style means that I suspect any crime fan will be able to jump in and have a great experience with it. He shows that stories like this can be written without the need for a police detective as its hero. And in some ways, I think this adds a little more peril to the tale. We know there is no big force behind her that could come swooping in just in the nick of time. What I am left with is a story that I'm sure will stay with me for quite some time and one I can highly recommend

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