Book Review: The Cutting Place

Irish author Jane Casey spins a pulse-quickener of a mystery in The Cutting Place, which finds DS Maeve Kerrigan investigating the death of a young journalist, Paige Hargreaves. Paige was working on a story about the Chiron Club, a mysterious mens-only elite club, right before her sudden disappearance, and as Kerrigan sets off on her trail, it soon becomes apparent to her that there are forces at play who'll stop at nothing to prevent the dark truths about what goes on behind their closed doors from coming out. This may be the ninth book to feature Kerrigan and her partner DI Josh Derwent, but it's ample proof the series hasn't run out of steam, for Casey builds on her suspenseful premise with well-placed clues and detours that add more heft, while packing the narrative with stories of abuse at the hands of powerful men, even as the breadcrumbs lead to the book's twisty big finish.