In The Dark: #TurnToDust by Rachel Amphlett @RachelAmphlett @BOTBSPublicity #BlogTour #TeamKayHunter

Title: Turn to Dust (Kay Hunter #9)
Author: Rachel Amphlett
Publisher: Saxon Publishing
Date of publication: July 13th 2020
Genre: crime fiction, police procedural
Format reviewed: e-ARC
Number of pages: 338

When the body of a naked man is found in the middle of a barren field, a rural community is left in shock – and fear.

Discovering that someone is offering money in return for information about the dead man and anyone connected to him, Detective Kay Hunter realises there is a dark side to the victim’s past.

When a key witness disappears and a web of deceit and lies threatens to derail the investigation, she fears the worst.

Can Kay and her team of detectives find out who is behind the man’s murder before another victim is targeted?

Turn to Dust is the ninth book in the Detective Kay Hunter series and perfect for readers who enjoy fast-paced murder mysteries.

She had no fear of the dead. It was the live monsters that crossed her path that gave her nightmares from time to time.

The Kay Hunter series is like a comfort blanket. When I pick one of the books, I get a warm feeling inside. I know the author will have hidden little gifts between the pages – a smile there, a joke here, care all over – all wrapped together with an addictive writing. Nothing is over the top, everything is carefully measured to offer the reader an engaging police procedural with a family touch.

Turn to Dust is no different from its predecessors. Reading it plunged me in a familiar setting with the tingle of excitement brought by a new case. And what a case! A naked victim, barely any clue as to his identity, what brought him in a field, and how he got the injuries found by the pathologist. It was clear from the get-go that the mystery was thick and would require extensive and painstaking effort from the entire team! Imagine a puzzle only made of shades of black. That was the image I had in mind during most of the book. It was both exciting and worrying! Not every investigation hits the ground running. What happens when you have a terrible death, and close to no leads? Scrap that, no lead, period! But Kay is resourceful, and the tiniest element gets examined, until finally, something comes up. Something that neither the protagonist or myself had seen coming! We are living in the 21^st century, I am lucky to live in a developed country, so far from current issues plaguing other places in the world… But are we really safe? Who is to say we are not suffering from the same diseases we denounce in front of the TV while eating our takeaway? More than that, it doesn’t require long hours of traveling to find people in need of help. The deeper I delved into the book, the darker the story became. Thankfully, the author always kept a light on thanks to the amazing characters peppered in the series, as a reminder many of us care. Kay wants to get to the bottom of the events, she wants to understand, yes, but the need for justice is even stronger. Veterans and homeless people are possible targets and someone is handing out money to get answers and make sure they are ahead of the police to shut more vulnerable mouths before the truth comes out. I was outraged at the unfairness of what was happening, and my feelings were connected to those of the team. Distressed at the lack of tangible elements in the case, everyone is pulling at thin threads to try and get the big picture. But it’s an ugly picture. The chase at the heart of Turn to Dust is slow and hits many dead ends, it is the kind of investigation that remind you you don’t get results in forty-eight hours. Real police work takes time, sweat, brain, and a bit of luck. Add to this a perfectly coordinated team and you may find the right path…

The denouement is a real team effort and after chapters of unfruitful efforts, I felt true relief ooze for the pages of the book. This series beats to the hearts of every recurring character involved and it makes each novel personal and authentic.

Turn to Dust is another winner in the Kay Hunter Series!

Verdict

I loved it!

Grab your copy today! Click here

I would like to thank Sarah at Books on the Bright Side and Rachel Amphlett for inviting me to be part of the tour and providing me with a copy of the book.

Take a look at the previous installments in the series! Click on the links to read my reviews!

1. Scared to Death
2. Will to Live
3. One to Watch
4. Hell to Pay
5. Call to Arms
6. Gone to Ground
7. Bridge to Burn
8. Cradle to Grave
9. Turn to Dust  

Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a film extra and freelanced in radio as a presenter and producer for the BBC. 

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and is a bestselling author of crime fiction and spy thrillers, many of which have been translated worldwide.

Her novels are available in eBook, print, large print and audiobook formats from libraries and worldwide retailers.

A keen traveller, Rachel has both EU and Australian citizenship.