Shocker Alert - Loquacious that I am I really have little to say about my latest outing with Maeve Kerrigan, #4 in the series. This is more a means of recording the read, than a review.

No, there was really nothing wrong with this book. Yes, I did enjoy it, but there was nothing that really excited me either. What I missed here was development Maeve. This was more Derwent's story and perhaps we need this to understand our Maeve. If you've read any of these you know Kerrigan and Derwent have a complicated relationship but to make him the prime suspect in a series of serial murders makes little sense to me. If and this is a big if, I truly believed he did it, maybe. But no, are we supposed to believe Jane Casey would trash Derwent, the foil that keeps Maeve on her toes and guides her growing expertise in her career? Not yet, at least. Derwent is just too important a character to have sitting in The Old Bailey waiting to swing from the gallows.

Remember I'm not rating books but if I were - 3 stars. Time to move on to #5.
40 s Gary2,734 396

This is the 4th book in the Maeve Kerrigan series by Jane Casey and probably my 6th book by this author in total. I have previously read and enjoyed the other novels by this author so I was always going to read the rest of this series. Although I enjoyed the novel I didn't find it as riveting as the previous ones but she has set such an high standard. This book was a good read but I try to not to rate all the books I enjoy 4 or 5 stars otherwise everyone appears the same. (I really do think there should be more stars to choose from, maybe 10 to give a better idea).
In this novel there is a murderer at large in London who meets women and then kills them. Police detective Maeve Kerrigan is leading the case to find the man who has strangled three women in their homes. There are no sign of break-ins and it appears that the women let their attacker in willingly. Maeve is struggling to find any leads but then the evidence starts to point to her colleague DCI Josh Derwent and Maeve refuses to believe he could be involved. It becomes evident that Derwent has dark secrets and the more Maeve learns about her partner's past, the more difficult it is to dismiss him as a suspect.
There are so many excellent female authors currently writing in this genre and Jane Casey is definitely worth reading.17 s Fiona1,341 273

Honestly I struggled a bit with this one - though I've tried to be fair in my rating as the story itself is a solid mystery and not at all the problem, I've gone with the subjective rating in the end. Just to be clear though, this is not a drop in quality, necessarily, just a lot of decisions that impacted my personal enjoyment of the book.

No, for me the problem is all about the Derwent. He gets pass after pass, defended by Maeve even from accusations that are 100% true specifically that he'd dis Liv because she's gay, when in the last book that exact behaviour was described from him, even as she judges one person when she knows he would have been worse, he gets to skate off without even a moment of pause on her part.

It's irritating. I've enjoyed this series enough to give it another try with the next book, but as much as I it, I wouldn't be able to make it through another one of those.crime-and-punishment detectives serial-killers17 s Janet 343 113

Book four in the series and young women are being murdered in their homes and their eyes are being removed. The murders could also be connected to an historical murder from 20 years back. The complex and feisty DC Kerrigan is again called upon to investigate alongside her Detective Inspector Derwent. Sexist and hard going but with his heart in the right place Derwent is for once reliant on Kerrigan as the case unfolds and the roads start leading to him.

This becomes another gritty police procedural that tests friendships, betrayal and loyalty. Handled well by Ms Casey the story unfolds at a pacy speed and twists and turns so you don't know where it's all heading. Kerrigan, though not perfect, is becoming a character I more and more as more of her personality is revealed through the books. But what I really loved was more of Derwent and his backstory giving an insight into what makes the man tick.

I really enjoyed this one from the many suspects to the clever plotting. It made me think ..... and that's not always a good thing .... in the dead of night!!

If you've not come across this series before I would highly recommend it. The books can be read as standalones ...... but much more enjoyable if read in order for the continuing themes.14 s MaliaAuthor 7 books628

4.5 stars
I'm not sure I've reviewed any other books in this series, but I have found them all extremely engaging. Maeve Kerrigan is a brave, witty,very human character and I am already looking forward to Jane Casey continuing this series. Along with Maeve, I am really warming to her slightly mad, macho colleague, Derwent, their banter is great dialogue and I hope Casey continues to grow this character. The story is interesting, an old case intersecting with new ones, which become very personal for Derwent, and really drew me in very quickly. Casey has a fast-faced style that is nonetheless, thoughtful and clever. These books, for me, are really about the development of the characters, something that can be absent in quite a few thrillers/mysteries, which focus only on the story. Highly recommended!

Find more and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.commystery-suspense12 s MadProfessah374 215

This is the fourth book in the DS Maeve Kerrigan series and may be the best of the bunch so far. I hope this is not because Rob (or boyfriend/relationship drama) is such a small part of the story but the fact is he is out of the country for most of the time period covered in THE STRANGER YOU KNOW.

Instead, this book is basically centered around Maeve’s relationship with her police detective partner DI Josh Derwent and his backstory. Derwent is a handsome (and vain) guy with a borderline personality disorder. In previous books he has been mostly a frequent foil and obnoxious obstacle for Maeve as he belittles and berates her while they ostensibly work together to solve crimes.

In THE STRANGER YOU KNOW, the London Murder Squad that Josh and Maeve work for are trying to track a serial killer who strangles his victims and then removes their eyes and placed them in their hands, with no sexual contact and no forensic evidence left behind. In time, we find out that some twenty years before when Josh was almost 18 he was the prime suspect in the unsolved violent death of his 15(!)-year-old girlfriend, Angela Poole, who was found strangled with her eyes gouged out. Somewhat bizarrely it’s Angela’s own father who provided the airtight alibi for Josh which prevented him from being charged for murder as her dad had nearly run him over in the public bus he drove at the time and multiple riders could attest to the incident.

Because of this unfortunate history, Josh and Maeve’s boss Superintendent Godley removes him from the task force working on solving the Gentleman Caller serial killer case as suspicion mounts that there are connections between the Angela Poole cold case and the current case. Things get weirder as the psychological profile of the Gentleman Caller has multiple components that accurately describe DI Derwent. Godley’s second-in-command DCI Una Burt is clearly invested in the theory of Derwent as murderer. This is an example of the ways that interpersonal interactions between members of the team trying to solve the crime(s) become an important aspect of the story.

The author Jane Casey does a masterful job of lathering suspicion on Josh and his circle of friends from two decades before, with several red herrings and side mysteries that distract and attract Maeve (and Josh) as they try and find the killer (or killers??) responsible for Angela’s death and the most recent killings.

One excellent feature of the series is Casey’s characterization of Maeve by providing the reader almost nonstop access to her inner thoughts and in this book far less of the narrative tension is sourced from danger to Maeve and her questionable decisions than in previous entries. Instead the resolution of the cold case and an increasing trickle of discoveries and revelations about Derwent and his childhood friends are more than enough to keep the reader enthralled and entertained in “The Stranger You Know.”

It’s impressive how Casey has managed to use different styles and writing structures in the first four books of the series while still maintaining the general tropes and narrative structures of the murder-mystery genre. The first book was about a serial arsonist and multiple first-person accounts were included. The second book was about kidnappings and Maeve herself became a victim of crime in it twice). The third book has her relationship with Rob as a key feature and included more examples of how Josh and Maeve get results together despite their squabbles. The criminal in this book was not a serial killer.

Overall, the fourth book in the DS Maeve Kerrigan series is an excellent entry in the British police procedural with female main character genre with a compelling set of mysteries to be solved and surprising (and welcome) developments in the larger arcs involving her primary romantic relationship, her professional advancement in the police force and the obsessed criminal who is stalking her.2020-read10 s Jacob Collins876 169

The Stranger You Know is Jane Casey’s best book to date that I have read. In this installment in the Maeve Kerrigan series three women have been strangled and their bodies have been discarded in a way that bears similarities to the Jack the Ripper murders. The police are quick to link the three cases but the evidence points to a shocking suspect: DI Josh Derwent, Maeve’s colleague. Maeve trusts her senses that Josh isn’t the killer, but this isn’t the first time that he’s been accused of murder. Josh’s past is just about to catch up with him.

I love Jane Casey’s writing, she produces utterly gripping material and she always has me hooked from page one. She adds real depth to her characters; this novel mainly focuses on Josh’s past which Jane has kept from us until now. Josh is an intriguing character, I’m never quite sure if I or don’t him and there are definitely moments when he has made me laugh. But after reading The Stranger You Know I think the series would definitely be lost without him, he and Maeve have become some of my favourite characters in crime fiction.

The Maeve Kerrigan books are getting better and better each time, Jane is a seriously talented writer and her characterisation skills are excellent. I’m sure it won’t be long before I’ll be diving into the next book in the series.7 s Paul888 76

Right now some of the best crime and psychological thriller writing is coming from women writers, think Val Mcdermid; Kathy Reichs amongst many well add another name to that list Jane Casey. The Stranger You Know is an excellent example of sheer brilliance in the crime thriller genre where there is something on every page, where you want to turn every page because you need to know what happens next. Casey does not make it easy to work out who the killer is and by the time you have pieced it together you are at the end of the book.

Maeve Kerrigan is a detective constable who has a bugger of Detective Inspector Josh Derwent as her boss arrogant and sexist always undermining her. But it would be Derwent that would be reliant on Kerrigan in the end. With female dead bodies dropping all over London all connected by the MO, non sexual killing but the eyes are removed. They all seem to connect to a murder that is over twenty years old when Derwent himself was a suspect.

We are taken on a journey of loyalty and betrayal where we are left trying to work out whodunit while we feel the pressure upon Kerrigan, as she gives the story through her eyes in the first person. This is no ordinary police procedure novel but a full speed murder case with all the leads and blind alleys and interesting diversions.

This is one of the grittiest thrillers written in a while which has been so well written, that you are searching for clues and the identity of who really is the killer. Kerrigan is a flawed but complex character who is a very able heroine who I am glad to have discovered and want to read more of. This is a brilliant thriller by a brilliant crime writer.
crime-thrillers8 s Aoife1,403 621

Maeve Kerrigan is back, and this time it's her partner Detective Josh Derwent who needs the help when a series of brutal murders seems to lead right back to him, and a tragic moment from his past. As Maeve sets on the case to prove Derwent's innocence, she ends up discovering more secrets that aren't hers to keep.

Another great crime mystery with my favourite messy gal Maeve - I always enjoy reading these books and this has definitely become a favourite series of mine due to a combination of the often ghastly crimes being committed as well as a brilliant bunch of characters from Maeve and Josh's working relationship, her romantic life with Rob, the dark shadow of Chris Swain and then all the others in the unit from Liz, Godley and Maitland.crime favourite-author irish-author ...more9 s Sv323 105

4.5
Serinin en iyisiydi. 'Polisiye serileri neden s?ras?yla okumal?y?z?' sorusuna cevap niteli?inde bir kitap. Karakterleri önceki kitaplardan tan?madan yeterince tat al?nabilece?ini dü?ünmüyorum. Serideki tüm karakterler dikkat çekici, bu da seriye sürekli devam etme iste?i uyand?r?yor. Seriyi dü?ündü?ümden daha da çok sevdim.9 s Margaret Madden755 172

I absolutely love the Maeve Kerrigan series. DI Josh Derwent is the man we love to hate (with all his politically incorrect swagger and sexist comments) but they work SO well together in these books. Maeve is a great protagonist, yet the good old-fashioned detective work takes Centre stage in this installment. Lots of sub-stories and office politics keep Maeve busy and the surprises keep coming. Another cracker from Jane Casey. Off to read 5th installment straight away.books-i-own irish-fiction8 s Mark EdwardsAuthor 24 books5,026

This was my first book by Jane Casey and I loved it. I jumped in halfway through the series but it didn't matter at all. There are hints at backstory but this book can easily be enjoyed as a standalone - and I'm very much looking forward to going backwards and forwards and reading the rest of the series.

Jane has a no-nonsense, easy-to-read style that makes the pages turn quickly. The characterisation is superb - especially Maeve and Derwent but also the minor characters, good and bad – and there are some gripping set-pieces, such as the scene in the park halfway through. An excellent book with a compelling plot and a wonderful lead character.

(As stated in previous my new policy is to only award four stars to books that completely blow my mind, but this gets a very high four stars.)6 s Mackey1,113 362

I'm enjoying this series less and less. I despise corrupt cops and cops who look the other way when they see corruption so I'm just not sure I'll continue with this series. Great writing skills, so great that I literally hate her characters. books-read-2021 crime-fiction crime-police-procedural ...more7 s Nur ÖtkenAuthor 2 books37

?lk kez Jane Casey okurken nas?l s?k?lm???m, hatta yar?m b?rakm???m anlam?yorum. Ya yazar her kitapta daha iyi oluyor ya da ben gitgide onun tarz?na ba?land?m. Çeviriden ve edisyondan kaynakl? s?k?nt?lar olmasa daha çok sevece?im.
Bu kitap kimin as?l suçlu oldu?unu anlaman?n mümkün olmad???, her kö?eden yeni bir s?rr?n patlak verdi?i heyecanl? bir romand?. Ayr?ca karakterlerin ili?kileri de farkl? bir boyuta geçti. Özellikle bu seriye dahil oldu?undan beri pek ho?lanmad???m Derwent karakteri ?u anda gözümde fazlas?yla yükseldi. Yazar beklenmedik bir son yazarak ?a?k?na u?ratt?. Soluksuz okudu?um, zekice yaz?lm?? bir kurguydu.
Janey Casey bu türde Tess Gerritsen kadar sevdi?im bir yazar haline gelebilir.6 s Carol3,000 115

The Stranger You Know by Jane Casey
Maeve Kerrigan series Book #4
2?'s

From The Book:
He meets women. He gains their trust. He kills them. That's all London police detective Maeve Kerrigan knows about the man she is hunting. Three women have been strangled in their homes, and it appears to be the work of the same sadistic killer. With no sign of break-ins, every indication shows that the women let their attacker in willingly. The victims' neighbors and friends don't seem to remember anything unusual or suspicious, and Maeve is almost at a loss about how to move forward with the investigation.

Then the evidence starts to point to a shocking suspect: DCI Josh Derwent, Maeve's partner on the police force. Maeve refuses to believe he could be involved, but how well does she really know him? Secrets Derwent has long kept locked away are coming back to haunt him, and the more Maeve learns about her partner's past, the more difficult it is to dismiss him as a suspect. After all, this is hardly the first time Derwent's been accused of murder.

My Thoughts:
This is supposed to be a mystery??? The only mystery I could see is where was the mystery? In the opening pages a woman is found dead in the trunk of a car. Maeve and her partner, Josh Derwent , are called to the scene. Derwent must think he is the reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes and obviously s himself a great deal and thinks every word out of his mouth is funny and absolutely the gospel. The entire police force including the commander is dirty. Not a single one that you could say you even a little. We learned of Maeve's past cases...hope she did more investigating on those and we learned more than we needed to know about her sex life. I guess the woman is still in the trunk but I won't be reading any more to find out.5 s Susan SwiderskiAuthor 3 books38

This isn't a break-neck thriller that pushes readers to the edge of their seats, but it is a well-developed tale replete with descriptive details that can completely absorb them into a world of "coppers" on the hunt for a serial killer. I have to admit, this book got off to a slow start for me, but I quickly settled into the slower pace and ended up thoroughly enjoying the ride. The plot provides plenty of twists and turns to plant doubt about various suspects and to keep readers guessing, but I think the author's stongest talent lies in her fully-developed characters, and in the realistic way they interact with each other.

Maeve Kerrigan is an intelligent, insightful police investigator with integrity out the wazoo and an inquisitive mind that makes her a valuable asset to any investigation. Her senior partner Josh Derwent is a brilliant investigator, but he also has a disagreeable disposition, and seems to derive great pleasure from picking at her with his insulting opinions. And he also has a past... a past that's come back to haunt him. A past that's made him the prime suspect in the serial killings. The question becomes: will Maeve follow her bosses' orders and keep Josh in the dark about the investigation, or will he strongarm his way into getting her to work with him?

I didn't realize this was the fourth book in a series, but I'm pleased to say it stands well on its own. I'd give it a very strong three and a half stars, rounded up to four.first-reads7 s Lynn543 20

The Stranger You Know is the 4th book in the Maeve Kerrigan series. Maeve is a detective constable based in London. Her supervisor is DI Josh Derwent who she tolerates because she has to. The banter between them is at times humorous and adds interest to the case. Maeve has a boyfriend Rob who is in police work too and is in the U.S for a work related project during most of this book. It appears that Maeve and Josh are heading for friendship or at least respect for each other but neither would admit that right now.

Maeve has been asked to be on the serial killer case. However, she is not to talk to Derwent about the case which is odd because he is her supervisor. The recent murders appear to be tied to an unsolved murder from twenty years ago. The murder victim of the unsolved murder was Josh Derwent's first love. The recent murder victims are arranged the twenty year old murder case.

If you police procedurals with strong characterizations and interesting plots, you should really this series. It could be read as a standalone and you wouldn't get lost. Each book builds on the characters so the readers starts to care for them. The characterization part reminds me of Ellie Griffith books about Ruth Galloway where the reader starts to care about Ruth and the secondary characters. I think if you read this as a standalone , you will want to go back and pick up the first three books. The Maeve Kerrigan series is at the top of my favorite crime fiction reads. best-crime-read-20165 s Jill Hutchinson1,531 102

This is my introduction to the Kerrigan/Derwent series and I am still trying to decide if I it or not. My problems are this:
*I don't usually care for books written in the first person
*The detective Josh Derwent is too nasty to be believed and how he has kept his job is beyond me.
* The author gave away the villain by falling back on the old device of introducing a character early in the story, giving a couple of pages to him/her and then never mentioning the character again until the finale.

Other readers may not be bothered by my complaints and frankly, the story is interesting and otherwise well written. It concerns a serial killer and an old case which involved the death of Derwent's girlfriend which may be connected to the recent murders. Derwent becomes a suspect and has to fight his superiors who hate him, to prove that he isn't guilty.

Interesting but not my favorite team of British detectives.mystery-police-procedural5 s Emily204 9

'I'm not staying out of it. I'm in it. It's my story, for fuck's sake. This is about me.'

'It's about three dead women. Four, including Angela.'

Yes, Jane Casey!!! This is my favourite book in the Maeve Kerrigan series so far. The mystery isn't the most difficult to solve, but it's still a great take on the "Brooding cop, dead girlfriend" trope. Though this book was more explicitly about Derwent's journey than Maeve's, there were still some really really great Maeve moments in it. Love seeing her relationship with Derwent grow and the trust get established between the two of them. Also love that though this book was about Derwent's Trauma and Angst, Maeve never become a doormat or lost her fire with him. He's still the Worst, he still drives her crazy, and they're still great together. awesome-heroine important-friendships mystery4 s Maddie315 210

Great police procedural with gripping fast-paced plot and great characters. Definitely a series to follow.brit crime-mystery-thriller fiction4 s Liz Barnsley3,562 1,045

First of all thank you to the publishers for allowing me a copy of this book via Netgalley.



So here we are at book 4, in a series I have loved from Jane Casey, namely that of Maeve Kerrigan and more importantly (Sorry Maeve!) her sometime boss and sidekick the adorably unable (but loveable) DCI Josh Derwent. This instalment finds Maeve and co on the track of a serial killer….However she is put in a difficult position when it becomes clear to her that the prime suspect is Derwent himself…

I adored this book for many reasons. Firstly the series main characters are all so very good, and much as I have a crush on Derwent, Maeve is just as loveable – I especially her ironic and plausible outlook on her own psyche and actions – often telling herself off as she dives head first into a situation she KNOWS she should avoid..and the way she tends to just fall into the people who are eventually going to become important to her and gives them pieces of her soul without even realising she is doing it. As someone who often has those “lightbulb” moments herself I can relate. As for Josh Derwent, well. He is difficult to describe..the best I can do. You know that silly game you play with friends called “Marry, Sleep with or Kill ?”…well in the book world Josh Derwent would be my answer to all three. Really. And he’s getting a bigger role in each novel…this one was, as described to me by the author “Wall to Wall Derwent” and that made me one happy reader. The aptly named Godley is also a treat as he tries to keep the unruly pair under control and the rest of the cast of unly and ly characters all add to the whole. The relationships developed amongst all the characters over the course of the novels is beautifully done – so much so that often the best bits don’t have anything to with their current mystery.

So that leads nicely on to talking about this particular mystery. It had some terrific twists and turns – and no I wasnt automatically sure during reading that my beloved Derwent wasnt a murderer…nor will you be until you read it yourself. The current murders have their roots planted firmly in the past…and a death that Derwent was caught up in during his teenage years – in the telling of the tale you come to understand him and his motivations a lot more. I always enjoy a book where the past intrudes on the present and this one is a classic and brilliantly imagined example of that. So enjoy. You know you want to. What? Not met Maeve and more importantly (yes yes I know) Derwent before? Well you need to start with “The Burning”.4 s Elif269 48

Jane Casey okumaya ba?layal? epey oldu. Bütün kitaplar?n? kütüphaneme katt?m ve okudum. Parafili'nin sonuna gelmek üzereyim. Sadece dün gece 250 sayfa okumu?um. Okumu?um diyorum çünkü zaman?n nas?l ak?p gitti?ini anlamad?m. Ak?c?l???na laf yok. Anlat?m biçimi, konusu, karakter tan?mlar?, sahne betimlemeleri her ?ey mükemmel. Bir kad?n karakterin bask?n olmas? umut verici. ??inde çok iyi olan Maeve gerçekten de zor bir meslek seçmi? ve sonuna kadar ba?ar?l? olmakta kararl?. Erkek egemen dünyada kendine bir yer edinmi? ve bunu di?iyle t?rna??yla yapm??. Çok çal???yor ve çal??mas?n?n kar??l???n? al?yor.4 s Julia BuckleyAuthor 24 books751

This is an absolutely fantastic series. The books are very hard to put down, especially this one.4 s Zeynep Dilara785

maeve ve josh ikilisi bana istedikleri her ?eyi yapt?rabilir
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