Sharon Bolton | DAISY IN CHAINS

Plot (via Goodreads):

Famous killers have fan clubs.

Hamish Wolfe is no different. Locked up for the rest of his life for the abduction and murder of three young women, he gets countless adoring letters every day. He's handsome, charismatic and very persuasive. His admirers are convinced he's innocent, and that he's the man of their dreams.

Who would join such a club?

Maggie Rose is different. Reclusive and enigmatic; a successful lawyer and bestselling true-crime writer, she only takes on cases that she can win.

Hamish wants her as his lawyer, he wants her to change his fate. She thinks she's immune to the charms of a man like this. But maybe not this time . . . 

Would you?

Review:

Last year, I had an amazing experience reading a novel called Dead Woman Walking by Sharon Bolton. This was my first book by Sharon Bolton and going into it, I knew it was not going to be my last. As I eagerly awaited what would come next from this incredible talent, a dear friend of mine (shout out to Dennis @scaredstraightreads) invited me to participate on Instagram in #itsaboltonhalloween in which bloggers featured 2-3 Bolton novels for the month of October in anticipation of her upcoming release, The Craftsman. Of course, going back in time and remembering how much I enjoyed my first Sharon Bolton novel, participating in this was a no brainer. I decided to choose The Craftsman as I have been eager to get my hands on it and the novel that Bolton wrote before Dead Woman Walking. That novel is Daisy in Chains...and if I knew then what I know now, I would've picked this one up the minute I finished Dead Woman Walking. Now, let's meet Daisy. 

Here's what I will say about Bolton's novels - what you expect and what you get are completely different. This writer's talent is unbelievable and her novels are so far beyond what you would expect when you read the plot. Daisy in Chains is an immersive, fine tuned novel that has easily placed her above any other writer out there. Each novel is really set apart from each other and I think that's what I enjoy the most about her writing. The stories couldn't be any different and yet she finds a way to keep you on your toes the entire time...not to mention keeping you terrified the entire time. 

Daisy in Chains is by far one of the best thrillers I have ever read. It features an unapologetic female protagonist, a brooding detective, and oh yeah - a serial killer. Does it get any better than that? The detail in this novel is incredible. It features letters from prison, excerpts from a book our female protagonist is writing, and plenty of other articles from the media. I mean, this is like reading a documentary. There is so much information that it's hard to describe this read other than being completely and utterly compelling. Most of the heavy crime had already happened, which was fine by me because I actually enjoyed the aftermath. A serial killer in prison, families wanting answers, a dash of the police procedural, and some really creepy stalker moments. 

So, I loved the characters in this one so much. Maggie Rose is like a more ballsy version of Nancy Grace. She is brave, callous, and dangerously smart. Pete Weston is the kind of detective that you want to save from the ugly of the world. Hamish Wolfe was by far my favorite. With the looks of Patrick Bateman and the cunningness of Hannibal Lecter, he was really a force to be reckoned with. Yes, I saw him kind of play with the mind of Maggie Rose and Pete Weston, but the entire novel, I kind of thought he was seducing and manipulating me as a reader and I couldn't tell what was the truth, what was a lie, and what he was up to next. Talk about a chilling character. 

I would like to say the pacing to this one is good, but that would be a lie. The pacing to this novel is remarkable. It starts off with a bang and doesn't stop the entire novel. Luckily, I read this one on a weekend because there is no way I could sit at my desk and wonder what would happen next or where the story would take off. It was hard to even an appropriate time to put this one down just to sleep, let alone the annoyances of life such as eating and staying hydrated getting in the way of this story. I was at times scared, always intrigued, and fascinated with this story until the shocking and dazzling ending. In true Sharon Bolton form, I never saw any of it coming...and I loved every minute of it.

Rating: 4.5/5