When three domestic abuse offenders are found beaten to death, DC Maggie Jamieson knows she is facing her toughest case yet.
The police suspect that Probation Officer Lucy Sherwood – who is connected to all three victims – is hiding a dark secret. Then a fourth domestic abuser is brutally murdered. And he is Lucy’s husband.
Now the finger of suspicion points at Lucy and the police are running out of time. Can Maggie and her team solve the murders before another person dies? And is Lucy really a cold-blooded killer?
Review
So murder is a bad thing? It’s a sin, illegal, morally wrong, evil. Right? Well, reading this book, I found myself wondering whether it can be justified. Four domestic abusers are found murdered. These men were vile, violent, scum of the earth. However, the law is the law and a special unit led by DC Maggie is working to apprehend the vigilante.
This book has multiple narrators and I mean, multiple. It took time to keep track of the shifting POVs but once I did that, it became easier to follow the story. My favorite character was Lucy, a Probation Officer who also happened to be a victim of domestic abuse. She was sympathetic and easy to root for.
Dead Inside is mainly about domestic abuse. Following a number of characters, we get to see different sides of abuse. We even got to hear from the abusers. I think one thing that stood out for me though is the fact that anyone can become a victim. We also shouldn’t judge those who stay in abusive relationships since it’s not always easy to walk out. Reading about the abuse wasn’t easy but I applaud the author for tackling such a hard, sensitive topic.
This ended up being a captivating read. I thought it would be more about the investigation and DC Maggie but maybe that will happen in the next installment. Nevertheless, I enjoyed meeting Lucy and having a Probation Officer as one of the narrators made this a unique read for me. I look forward to the next book.
A Haven for Book Lovers 
Glad you loved it 😍
Thanks Shalini 🙂
Thank you so much!! There is more of Maggie/investigation in the next book for sure. A wonderful review. x
Thanks Noelle. I can’t wait to read the next one. It was nice to meet Lucy though despite the circumstances 🙂
Wonderful review, Diana! I am keeping this for a later date, but I’m glad Noelle portrayed the faces of abuse and reminded us it can happen to anyone.
She really tackled the theme well,especially considering how sensitive and hard domestic violence is. Thanks Meggy.
I am almost done with this and I completely agree with your review! Took me a while because there are lots of narrators and it definitely did not go the way I was expecting it to, but I am really captivated by this, hard to say I like it because it’s hard to say you like the subject matter, and now I’m rambling! Fabulous review!
Thanks Berit, I totally get what you mean about the subject matter. The book was totally different from what I expected too but it was a good read. I look forward to reading your review.
Sounds like a great series, Diana and an interesting read! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Great review!
It is a wonderful debut. Thanks Stephanie.
It sounds like it! You’re welcome, Diana.
Wow. This does sound like it would make you really examine your truths regarding murder! So interesting!
It really does. I mean, would it be so bad if a serial killer, rapist got killed? In this case, the abusers deserved their fate in my eyes though the law is the law 🙂
Great review, Diana. I thought exactly the same when I was reading it, about whether or not murder can be justified.
Its an interesting dilemma. I know I wasn’t sad that the abusers died. Thanks Jacob.
Wonderful review, Diana! I recently finished this and wow, was I captivated, too! Noelle did an amazing job! All that insider knowledge she has made it feel so real.
I especially learned a lot about POs. I didn’t know that Noelle worked as a Probation Officer for so many years. Her experience really showed through though in portraying Lucy’s job. Glad this was a good read for you too. Thanks Jennifer.
Fantastic review! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Dead Inside as well.
Thanks Yvo. I can’t wait for the next book 🙂
Oh, that is such an interesting question, and found myself wondering about the same thing. There were those real life cases where abused women ended up killing the abuser and then these women ended up in jail. It always made me feel icky, like it just shouldn’t happen.
Sounds like a cool book, i defo put it on my watchlist!
I hear you. It doesn’t seem like justice to imprison people who kill their abusers. It’s a crazy world though. This book is quite thought-provoking. Thanks Norrie.
Wonderful review Diana. It sounds like there is a lot to think about with this one. The whole is killing justified question is a tough one.