I’m not generally a fan of recurring characters, but this outing for Tim Weaver’s world weary private investigator, David Raker works perfectly as a standalone. One reason I enjoyed it is because I suspect Weaver is a ‘Twin Peaks’ fan.
Raker is hired by the parents of missing teen, Megan Carver who is a girl with secrets, in the mode of Laura Palmer. Soon enough, he is on the trail of a deranged serial killer with a side hustle in plastic surgery.
The overwrought premise of the story and its plot holes are barely noticeable beneath the rapid pace. Weaver’s taut, economical prose gives off a certain breezy but sinister chill.