Book Review: Line of Sight by Claire Askew
Rating: ★★★★★
Summary:
Title: Line of Sight by Claire Askew
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Crime Fiction
Publication Date: February 2025
No. Pages: 436 pages
Keywords: Strong Female Lead
Content Warnings: Suicide, Sexual Assault, Violence, Racism, Kidnap
Review
Line of Sight was a gripping read from start to finish and is a must for fans of crime fiction, especially those featuring a strong female protagonist.
DI Birch is a woman on the edge. Frustrated with her new disability, plagued by reoccurring dreams and on a phased return to work, she is being kept on stale desk duty tasks by her pugnacious manager. Yet she can't help but be drawn into work when Bee, a member of the public and self-pronounced psychic comes to the station, claiming to have seen a young person in a ‘vision’. She believes this means someone is in danger and unbeknownst to Bee, there has been a missing person’s report filed for a young Vietnamese girl, just a couple of days before.
Faced with an arrogant, defensive colleague and a boss who has no confidence in her ability, DI Birch finds herself being confronted with huge personal choices when, yet another young Vietnamese woman is reported missing. She is soon sucked back into the world of policing, but having been removed from the case, matters find their way into her hands and before long she is immersed in a gripping, twisty tale. Can she find the girls before it is too late?
Set in the beautiful but haunting streets of Edinburgh, Line of Sight is the sixth book in Claire Askews', DI Birch series. I hadn’t realised this when I picked the up the book and assumed it was a standalone novel, however, take this as confirmation that you don’t need to have read the series to enjoy this book. The story flashes briefly back to previous books in the series, but Askew builds the characters in a way that if you are reading the books for the first time you feel like you are greeting old friends as opposed to missing glaring parts of their backstory. If anything, it has made me look forward to picking up book 1 and starting over with DI Birch and her colleagues.
Claire Askew writes in a fluent, compelling style which makes this book an immersive page turner. The fluid writing style does not mean that it is an easy read, in fact, Askew broaches challenging themes across the entire plot in a confident manner. It makes for uncomfortable reading at times and could be particularly triggering for some, however she uses the themes to deepen your relationship and understanding of the characters.
Photo Credit: Megan Lee
The book is bursting with characters but not in a way that makes it difficult to keep up with who is who or who is doing what. The cast of characters we meet are varied and rich, from colleagues, family, villains and victims. I was initially unsure about how the story would develop as Bee, a key character in the book, possesses the ability to see into the future. I worried this may come across as gimmicky or devalue the story but Bee's background and story, although not relatable built layers of emotion into the book in such a way that it is hard to be left with anything but empathy for the character.
DI Birch herself is an interesting character, and written in the third person the story immerses you into her world and it is written in a way that perfectly translates our protagonist’s anguish and frustration. At first, I didn’t find her overly likeable but as I moved through the plot my empathy and understanding for her character grew. Through the book we learn DI Birch is a strong, capable and brave woman who isn’t afraid to stand up for what is right. A true heroine!
The book is set in the beautiful city of Edinburgh but it could have been set anywhere. We didn’t get to see much or really get a feel for the city at all in the book as there was limited scene setting of the city. The setting was one of the reasons I picked up the book in the first place (I am a sucker for a Scottish thriller!) but while it doesn’t detract from the story, I feel like building in more of the beautiful scenery Edinburgh has to offer, would only add to the book.
Line of Sight was a gripping read from start to finish and is a must for fans of crime fiction, especially those featuring a strong female protagonist.
The Round Up
Standout Quote or Moment: My favourite moment would be a big spoiler, so I will go with a scene where DI Birch and her colleagues are interviewing Bee in her own home. You can feel the uncomfortable tension coming through the pages!
Read If: You love dark police thrillers with strong female protagonists
Similar Books: Elly Griffiths: The Ruth Galloway Series, D.S. Butler: Detective Karen series
Lasting Impression: A brilliant book that has left me excited to go and pick up book one in the series.
Written by Megan Lee
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