Book Review: Dying Breath, D.S. Nikki Parekh Book 5, Liz Mistry
Mystery: Dying Breath, D.S. Nikki Parekh Book 5, Liz Mistry
Blog Tour, September 16, 2022
“Little girl, come out and play. Today’s the day, I’ll make you pay.”
Nikki Parekh has a lot on her shoulders. Her father, a murderer who killed her mother and has vowed to kill her as well, is sending her postcards. The postcards indicate that he has returned to the U.K., leading her to get protection for her family. This is difficult for everyone, but is especially hard for her teenage daughter. Nikki and her partner, Marcus, have tried to protect the children from the full knowledge of their peril. For her daughter Charlie, though, this is proof that her mother is paranoid and overprotective, not trusting her enough to be honest. In other words, a typical reaction from a teenager to a parent even under typical circumstances.
The police have a special task force set up to capture Freddie Downey, Nikki’s father. Parekh is NOT allowed to go anywhere near them, much to her frustration. Instead, she is charged with finding the missing owner of an arm. A human arm was left at the scene of a dog fight. It hardly seems possible that the person is still alive so they are treating it as a murder inquiry. Together with a taskforce specializing in animal crimes, they are seeking a dogfighting ring that seems to have escalated to something even more macabre.
And indeed, they have accelerated to kidnapping and murder. A young man cowers in a cage, surrounded by fighting dogs in their own cages. He watched his “friend” get ripped apart in the ring by those same dogs. He is sure his turn is coming…but has no idea of when.
Liz Mistry fills page after page with twists, turns, and revelations. Somehow, though, in the midst of a multi-faceted plot, she manages to bring out the deeply human aspects of her characters. Nikki Parekh is a troubled soul, though when you watch your father murder your mother it would be hard to keep your equilibrium. Still, she works hard to be a good mother, a good partner to Marcus, and a good cop. Balancing those competing demands is a constant challenge and she does not always get the balance right. That does not stop her from trying.
Freddie Downey is as cold a criminal as you will find. Cruel, manipulative, vengeful, he blames his daughter for everything that has ever gone wrong in his life. Not content with killing her, though, Downey is eager to tear her entire life apart. When he stumbles across Charlie’s rebellious streak, a new opportunity for that destruction presents itself.
Dying Breath has an involved and compelling plot with multiple facets that come together in a shocking conclusion. This is a terrific series and this may be the best one yet.
Our thanks to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources for our copy of Dying Breath, provided so we could participate in this blog tour. The opinions here are solely those of Scintilla. For other perspectives, check out the other participating bloggers.
Also see:
Book Review: Broken Silence, Liz Mistry
Book Review: Dark Memories, A D. S. Nikki Parekh Novel Book 3, Liz Mistry
Book Review: Blood Games, DS Nikita Parekh Book 4, Liz Mistry
Book Review: Dying Breath, D.S. Nikki Parekh Book 5, Liz Mistry