Before we begin: this review will have mild spoilers because of things I want to talk about, so if you want to avoid all of that, please skip this post.

I somehow missed Rebecca’s first review of this series, but her review of the second book, Perfect Prey, caught my eye and I decided to give the first book a shot. Well, it’s a good thing I picked this up on a Sunday afternoon, where I had more free time because I finished the book just after dinner.

Perfect Remains is the first book in D.I. Callanach, starting when he arrives in Edinburgh from Interpol. Luc Callanach is half-Scottish, half-French, and not a very nice guy (especially since he’s literally a former model and all too aware of the power of his looks/considers it a curse). But he clearly wants to run a tight ship and when the body of a missing woman is found, he dives right into the case.

This book alternates between Luc’s POV and the POV of the killer, so it’s probably not too much of a spoiler to say that the killer reminded me of an incel, with his hatred of women (but total need to have them like him in the way he wants) and a very, very superior attitude. It was honestly chilling because it felt so real. I think that having his POV be so present in the book helped to rachet up the tension because as the reader, I knew what was going on and basically wanted the police to figure out what was happening as soon as possible.

The plot was really well-paced, with the different cases coming together and the pace gradually increasing until I reached the point where I could not put the book down. In retrospect, it feels a bit too convenient that most of the cases were related, but while I was reading I absolutely did not mind.

Now for the thing I wanted to discuss: the relationship between Luc and fellow DI Ava Turner [BIGGER SPOILERS AHEAD, SKIP NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU NEED]

The good thing is that the relationship progressed pretty naturally and helped with the plot. The thing that I’m not too enthusiastic about is the fact that a lot of Luc’s asshole behaviour seems to be because of one thing done by one horrible woman and it’s Ava who draws him out of the shell and makes him better. On one level, I get it and it’s written really nicely. On the other hand, once I found out why Luc was such an asshole, I had these “woman magically changes man” vibes. While Ava doesn’t set out to be anything but a friend to Luc, it’s pretty clear that her influence is the reason why he starts to change for the better, as seen by his first few interactions with his subordinates. I don’t think the author intended to have this dynamic but this plus a “false rape accusations are real” narrative was a bit uncomfortable in a bad way because women still have a hard time being believed.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this book. The plot and pacing were excellent and I liked most of the character development (shout out to a minor character who had a redemptive moment when he realised he, too, was an asshole and owned it). Despite my reservations about part of the romance subplot, I’ll probably still read the second book.