Vigilante by Kerry Wilkinson

Vigilante is the second in the DS Jessica Daniel detective series by Kerry Wilkinson. These are low on violence or shock value, just daily investigative work by a determined police woman that gets the job done.

This opens in the low income area of Manchester, where someone has stabbed a young local criminal just out of prison. Forensics finds a lead - DNA under his fingernails from scratching his assailant - problem is, the DNA match belongs to a career criminal already serving life inside Manchester Prison. Jessica has no witnesses and no leads when two other low tier thugs are killed. This time there are hair fibres on the victims, again belonging to inmate Daniel McKenna. Interrogating him at the prison, they see there is no physical way he could get out - unless the wardens and guards are in collusion. Two more deaths lead the case in multiple directions - as one of the dead was a prison guard, and another, one of their own. Besides how McKenna could escape and return to his cell, what would be the motive behind these random attacks?

Like all great mysteries, it's more about the puzzle and the personality. This takes place fifteen months after the previous novel, and although it stands on its own, readers will want to read Locked In first. As well as recurring characters, all the beans are spilled about the previous case, which is nice to know beforehand. Along with her usual team, this adds Welsh DC Carrie Jones, and a love interest in nerdy forensics member Adam. Jessica becomes so obsessed with the case she blindly pursues a wrong direction.

So blind she asks her team to break the law, so certain she is correct.

The villain was pretty easy to guess. When the killer entered the stage, a giant spotlight directed by the patron saint of armchair detectives shone down, and we knew who it was. Which begs the question to you, reader: is it as enjoyable to know (or guess and be right), as it is to be surprised at the reveal of the villain? I say yes. I found this an enjoyable sequel to tike all great mysteries, it's more about the puzzle and the personality.

My other reviews in the Jessica Daniel series:

Locked In (#1)

The Woman In Black (#3)

2011 / Tradeback / 406 pages