The Dangerous Kind

By Deborah O’connor Zaffre, 366pp, £ 12.99

Radio host Jessamine uses her show to investigate the past lives of convicted killers, pinpointing the red flags that led up to their acts of violence. When she becomes involved in an open missing person case, however, she suddenly finds herself living through the kind of event she’s spent a decade examining with the benefit of hindsight. The

Dangerous Kind is a highly topical psychological crime thriller that flicks between past and present through the perspectives of four central characters. O’connor’s plot mixes several high- profile real- life scandals, including child grooming, sexual abuse and historical sex crimes, making it an uncomfortable read in parts, yet the relentless pace keeps you turning the page for the next revelation. Jessamine herself epitomises the evolution of journalism, and comments on the surge in popularity for true crime, while another character’s story shows how society is now prepared to listen to these historic offences, and protect the vulnerable people involved. Thought- provoking and haunting, O’connor doesn’t shy away from the controversial, but embraces it. The story twists and turns throughout, leading up to an ending you won’t see coming until the very last.