Hope to Die by David Jackson

Hope to Die by David Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

CROSS YOUR HEART AND . . . HOPE TO DIE
There was a hate in this killer. A thirst for obliteration rather than a mere desire to end a life . . .

A brutal murder takes place in the grounds of a Liverpool cathedral. A killer is on the loose, driven by a chilling rage. The victim: the last person you'd expect to be subjected to such terrible violence. Can DS Nathan Cody crack the case before another innocent is chosen?


My first novel by this author and my first introduction to DC Nathan Cody. Having missed the first novel in this sequence of DC Cody books I thought it might be difficult to understand the character but Jackson made it easy to get the back story.

All the characters were filled in nicely so missing the first book in the series didn’t spoil the enjoyment.

Psychological thriller with good tension and nit overly long chapters kept the pace going nicely but the concept wasn’t entirely new. There were a couple of surprises but not enough to make the story really stand out. Having said this it’s an excellent read and Jackson even managed to create empathy for the killer who had been mercilessly mentally abused by his mother. Reading parts where he is only 6 having wet the bed and all the punishment that incurred were very moving.

Well deserved 4 stars from me.