Trick or Treat

Trick or Treat is the seventh novel in the DS Imogen Grey police procedural novels, by Katerina Diamond.

Young Marcus is taken right off of his street on Halloween night, and the only person who saw the crime was a teenaged boy who was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, and wants to remain in the shadows. When Marcus’ parents are confronted by the police, they act as if nothing is wrong but Imogen isn’t convinced. As her investigation continues, Imogen begins to realize that the family has some skeletons in their closet, and she needs to hurry to find young Marcus before it’s too late.

Although this novel is the seventh in the series, it is not necessary to have read the previous novels before exploring this one. There is some backstory between the characters that will be missed out on without the previous six novels, but it is not enough to make a difference in the enjoyment of the novel. The plot is easy to follow and there is enough in the storyline to keep every reader engaged.

Imogen is the perfect female protagonist- she is brave, kind-hearted and is willing to accept her flaws and all of her human dysfunction. As she struggles to mend her broken relationship with her partner, Adrian, she realizes he is dealing with more emotional turmoil than she could even begin to imagine, and she shows nothing but patience and acceptable. Adrian is instantly likable and his struggles with coming to terms with a traumatic experience from his past makes him heartbreakingly honest and relatable.

The story is told mostly from Imogen’s perspective, although Adrian (and a few others) take over briefly. Trick or Treat has relatively small chapters, with page-turning cliff-hangers at the end of most of them, making it hard to put down. The major twist in this novel is hinted at right at the beginning of the novel, but it is so well done that there is still the element of surprise, which was delightfully unexpected. I wanted nothing more than justice for Marcus and for the perpetrator, and Diamond delivered.

Trick or Treat is the perfect read for fall. A police procedural with an undercurrent of emotional trauma, and, of course, the hidden-in-plain-sight psychopath all come together through Diamond’s realistic writing, her connection to the characters, and her well-developed storyline.  Imogen is definitely a character who can back up an entire series of novels, and I look forward to seeing more of her!