Kairen Cullen is an experienced doctor of Educational Psychology who now writes full-time. She has a blog http//:psychologistthinkingaloud, which is inspired by her work as a professional psychologist, work with the media and her personal experience. She has had many articles and two books published, which are aimed at a general audience on child psychology, children’s development and parenting. She has also started to write fiction, which draws upon psychology and is focused on crime, relationships and contemporary life.
Willing to Die is the latest thriller from Lisa Jackson’s long-running Montana series. Predictably, like its precursors, it is a fast paced, thought-provoking and above all else, a believable police procedural narrative.
Pescoli, is a detective not averse to using unorthodox methods in order to get her man. She is abruptly brought back from maternity leave when her sister and brother-in-law are found murdered in their San Francisco home. At first sight, the family murders are too huge a coincidence for the reader to swallow, but as the narrative snakes onward, the implausible opening becomes less so.
San Francisco’s Police Department (SFPD) are not keen on outside help or interference, especially in the shape of a detective from Montana.
As the plot snakes, further incidents occur in Albuquerque and Montana, posing challenges for Pescoli, both professionally as well as personally.
There are few clues regarding the murders in San Francisco initially, but the plot soon thickens, threatening to involve Pescoli and her family. It becomes evident where the danger lies, and the circumstances of the detective’s sister and brother-in-law’s murders.
Jackson’s trademarks of vivid characterisation, and management of a diverse array of characters is on full display in this 8th novel in the Montana series. If you’ve yet to experience these US police procedural thrillers by Lisa Jackson, then this latest instalment is as good a place to start as any.
