Bring Her Back (Detective Zac Boateng, #1)

by Chris Merritt

[zooloo1983]

I have now finally read the first book in the series and it was amazing! Although I have one small complaint; because I knew what was going to happen in the book as I have read book two and three; I did not expect that in the opening chapter of the book to be bawling like a baby! Jeez! I was a wreck, I mean the blow had been softened as I knew what was coming but I still not expect that, my heart is broken completely. It is such a powerful way to open the book and it is a sucker punch in the gut but it gets you hooked straight away to Zac and his life.

I thought I had seen Zac at his lowest, however, this is the start of his low point. The scenes with Etta and Kofi made me smile, the home life is the strong point for Zac and the love for his family, his roots, all power us through. The only downside to Zac, well he goes a bit off the books and keeps his team in the dark. Zac is crippled with guilt and the feeling of letting everyone down. The depression is crushing and sometimes it the grief is so overwhelming you wonder how Zac is going to function, he has a new lease of life following a lead to close down his past. It leads him in the darker world of gangs, recognising he is getting too deep but unable to escape until it is too late.

It was fab to meet Darian Wallace in this book and this man has an amazing brain, I must admit it is a brain I am slightly jealous of! The man not so much! Watching him on a mission to reclaim the stolen years as he is on release from prison. He is cold and calculating and I was intrigued to see how everything would end especially as I have read the later books.

It is so hard to discuss the book without ruining the plot, and that is something I do not do! We have two different storylines running parallel throughout and when you see Zac mixed up in the fold, well the world may as have collapsed around me with the shocks and turns. I did have an inkling to where either of the stories might go and it really did not disappoint me.

I kept forgetting that this is a debut as I have read them in the wrong order, so it was awesome to see how the story all began. I wish I had read them in order but I think I am glad I read them in the order I did. I had the chance to truly appreciate how far his writing has come and to see how far the characters have come too. I have always loved Zac and this has just made him a firm favourite character of mine, I need another book in this series!!

Bring Her Back, formerly The Murder List, is one intense rollercoaster of a ride. I did find I was enthralled by what was going on with Darian and Zac. Zac’s homelife was at the forefront a lot, the innocence of Kofi all of which just amplified the intensity of the murders and the hunt for the killer. We meet Kat Jones who is also in the next two books and this is her introduction to Zac and the team and to us. She is tenacious and she wants to do what is right and to support Zac and her new team, and what an introduction it is!!

Chris has written characters that you care about, you hold your breath, you champion them on to the end and you might shout a little bit with all the secrets that are kept. However, when it comes to Zac and his family it seems that he always keeps secrets, as it seems the same behaviour can be seen in Life or Death, I do hope he learns soon that Kat and Etta can be trusted.

The book is at times can be dark and intense, brutal murders and so many times you will find your heart in your throat but I loved it!! It kept me on my toes and if I had not been moving house I would have devoured this book a lot quicker than I did. All I wanted to do was get back to the book, it was on my mind, I had to know who was acting out the murders? Would Zac be ok? How is Kat going to fit in the team? Don’t worry all is revealed in the book! Phew!!

This series shows us a Detective in the rawest form, his home life is prominent and he is a Detective with passion, tenacity and a lot of flaws! I love this series and I do not want it to end…please don’t let it end!