The Blame by Charlotte Langley

The Blame by Charlotte Langley is a debut psychological suspense police thriller in which two detectives begin a love affair, only for one of them to become a prime suspect in a chilling murder.

Detective Erin Crane is assigned to the investigation into sixteen-year-old Sophie Madson's murder along with her partner, detective Tom Radley. Over the years they’ve formed a close professional bond built on mutual trust and a shared contempt for the unscrupulous head of the anti-corruption team, Walker. This case will prove a bigger test of their relationship than either of them could ever have imagined.

During the investigation, Tom discovers Erin’s biggest secret: that she put a man in prison under false evidence. But to her surprise, far from driving them apart, the revelation brings them closer together, and Tom and Erin embark on a love affair – despite the risk to their careers and the case.

Then Erin discovers dashcam footage from a van driver, showing Sophie Madson getting into Tom’s car barely an hour before she died. Tom becomes the prime suspect in the murder case and everything Erin thought she could trust begins to crumble...

About the author

Charlotte Langley works as a journalist and a personal finance reporter at the Telegraph and is a fresh, breakout voice in gripping psychological police dramas.

Review

‘The Blame’ is a great debut that is packed full of twists and turns! I really enjoyed it and sped through it in a couple of sittings.

I liked Erin as the main protagonist, as she was clever, maybe slightly naive but wouldn't stop looking for the truth even if it might harm her. Lewis was another favourite and I can't wait to see what happens to both of them next. I'm guessing that there will be another book in the series! I would definitely read it as I'm intrigued to see what happens to Erin and her life.

The pacing in the book was great and there were more than enough twists and turns to keep the reader hooked! It was definitely one of those ‘one more chapter’ types of books and that is always a good thing. The subject matter was of course jarring, especially since we are hearing so many cases of women being harrassed etc by the police. Just look at Sarah Everett and the author did a good good balancing the issue with the entertainment aspect of being a book.

Let me know if you pick this one up!