Wolf by Mo Hayder

Yes! It's time for another Mo Hayder post. I look forward to each and every new release by this author with twisted glee and anticipation!

DI Jack Caffery's brother has been missing for decades. In his time as a cop, he has never stopped looking for clues to his brother's fate. When the Walking Man finds a dog sporting the message "Help Us" he asks Jack to step in, promising in exchange to reveal something key in that long ago disappearance. But uncovering the identity of the person behind the message is just part of an increasingly odd and twisted crime. And as Jack investigates, time is surely running out for the family in danger. 

There's not much that matches my excitement in being able to spend an afternoon absorbed in a new book by one of my favorite authors. Mo Hayder's phenomenal plots (really, I'm not joking. They're phenomenal. I've said it before but pieces are in place multiple books ahead of time and it's only in coming across the meaning of those pieces that you then remember where you saw it first!), impeccable attention to detail (those pieces again), and truly creepy way of bringing it all together and all to life keep me coming back for more. And she honestly never disappoints.

It's hard to find something new to say in reviewing a long running series. Especially when I'm trying valiantly, I feel, to keep my fan girl gushing in check while also not giving too much away about the series or the particular installment. This is the seventh book to feature Caffery and while many of them can be read on their own, there are obviously ties to the previous books throughout the series. Jack's brother has been a long running element, one that plays a big role in the character's development. The Walking Man is another key player who has been in the series for a number of titles now - in fact the books featuring him are a sub series the author refers to as the Walking Man Series.

If you do happen to be new to Hayder - and if you haven't read her before I do highly, highly recommend her, but with a warning: the books are quite violent and quite disturbing. If you're sensitive to those things this is not the series for you. Anywho, if you're new to her here's the series list in order as reference:

Birdman
The Treatment
Ritual - Walking Man 1
Skin - Walking Man 2
Gone - Walking Man 3
Poppet - Walking Man 4
Wolf - Walking Man 5

Treat yourself and start from the beginning!