Cut to the Bone by Alex Caan

Cut to the Bone
By Alex Caan
Published by Twenty7 (E-book - out now; Paperback - 3 November 2016)
ISBN: 978-1785770500

Publisher's description

Ruby is a vlogger, a rising star of YouTube and a heroine to millions of teenage girls. And she's missing. She's an adult - nothing to worry about, surely? Until the video's uploaded. Ruby, in the dirt and pleading for her life.

Who better to head up the investigation than the Met's rising star, Detective Inspector Kate Riley? She's leading a shiny new team, high-powered, mostly female and with the best resources money can buy. It's time for them to prove what they can do. Alongside her, Detective Sergeant Zain Harris - poster boy for multiracial policing and the team's newest member - has his own unique contribution to make. But can Kate wholly trust him and when he's around, can she trust herself?

Ruby's millions of fans are hysterical about what may have happened to her. The press is having a field day and as the investigation hurtles out of control in the glare of publicity, it becomes clear that the world of YouTube vloggers and social media is much, much darker than anyone could have imagined in their worst nightmares.

And the videos keep coming . . .

My verdict
Alex Caan is certainly an author in keeping up with modern times, creating a dark crime thriller about the vlogging community. When YouTube star Ruby Day goes missing, no one is that worried - until a video shows what seem to be her final moments. Cut to the Bone is a dark and intriguing read.

Vlogging is a subject I know little about, even though I have two teenage boys, so Cut to the Bone was a fascinating read. There's a lot of technical information to digest - but the chapters are concise to take this into account - and I certainly learnt a lot. I particularly love the London setting with familiar places and landmarks.

Both of the main police characters - DI Kate Riley and DS Zain Harris - have their own dark pasts to contend with. Can they be trusted? Can they trust each other? Should they trust each other? Cut to the Bone had various threads that tied up at the end, but also left the story geared up for a sequel - does this mean we will discover more about Kate and Zain's pasts in the next book? I look forward to finding out.

I received an Advance Reader Copy.