Dog Rose Dirt by Jen Williams

Author: Jen Williams 

Title: Dog Rose Dirt 

Publisher: Harper Collins 

Published: 2021

Pages: 368

Genre: Mystery Thriller 

     What if your mother had been writing to a serial killer? A convicted murderer with a story to tell. Serial killer Michael Reave - known as The Red Wolf - has been locked in Belmarsh Prison for over 20 years for the brutal and ritualistic murders of countless women. A grieving daughter with a secret to unearth. Ex-journalist Heather Evans returns to her childhood home after her mother's inexplicable suicide and discovers something chilling - hundreds of letters between her mother and Reave, dating back decades. A hunt for a killer ready to strike again. When the body of a woman is found decorated with flowers, just like his victims, Reave is the only person alive who could help. After years of silence, he will speak to Heather, and only Heather. If she wants to unearth the truth and stop further bloodshed, she'll have to confront a monster.

     For the longest time, I was obsessed with crime novels from the U.S. they were all I was interested in. But over the last couple of years, I have given myself the opportunity to get to know crime novelists from my own country.  And yes I realize just how much I've been sleeping on them. Coming across Jen Williams was definitely another of my random finds. But I'm most defiantly an absolute addict for serial killer novels so what was I going to do. Also, there is a slim chance that I may have been watching way too many true crime documentaries and podcasts and the blurb has that kind of vibe to it. So  I was really excited to jump into this book and see what might be on offer from another British writer. 

     Heather seems to be in a bad place when we first come to meet her. I suppose it goes with the territory in this kind of story. We have come to expect the broken hero and maybe now it has become a bit of a cliche. Nevertheless, it is a trope that we lap up each time. And if I'm honest Williams has created a great one here in Heather Evans. I suppose we are drawn to her as she grieves for the loss of her mom, it's only natural after all. It is also the catalyst for everything to come and it guides her for better or worse throughout the course of the novel. The only thing I would say is that the journalist side of her probably gives her a slight step up on the rest of us when it comes to looking into all the past events. The author has also done a great job of crafting her supporting cast. Each of them feels very genuine and we can get invested in what they bring to the story.  It all feels very much like the are real people even the ones that seem a little suspect. 

     When it comes to the story itself this is definitely one of those ones that aims to sneak into your subconscious and make you look over your shoulder. She has done a great job of slowly turning the screws on us building the layers of tension as we slowly peel back the layers of this mystery. I think that she has done a great job of bringing her story into the real world and giving us something that feels like we have seen parts of it on news headlines. Maybe in part, this is due to her serial killer feeling a little more grounded. This is not a world of sophisticated game-playing genius killers. For me, I think it makes the story a bit more chilling. And I never felt like I was being pulled out of the world she created by these elements. It's a testament to her writing that she captivates you from the get-go and I defiantly wanted to get to the end as soon as my reading would allow. Which as it turns up wraps everything up in a more than satisfying way.

     For a book that I took a complete chance on it more than paid off.  Williams proved with this one book that she can write an amazing crime novel that definitely feels like it's been ripped from the headlines.  And I would be more than happy to suggest to anyone to go and give this author a go.