Dead Inside (DC Maggie Jamieson #1) by Noelle Holten

DC Maggie Jamieson has been seconded to the newly formed Domestic Abuse and Homicide Unit (DAHU) after successfully closing a serial murder case with the murder team out of Staffordshire. She finds that the police team of her new unit is fully integrated with different agencies, including probation and domestic violence advocates. Almost immediately, the colleagues become involved in the search for a killer -- one who is murdering men who are domestic abusers.

Lucy Sherwood from Markston Probation has her hands full as she oversees the supervision of several different men who've been released after serving prison time for some sort of domestic violence offense. Lucy enjoys her job even though interacting with these abusers reminds her of her own personal situation and the issues with her husband, Patrick. When some of her probationers end up dead in particularly gruesome ways, everyone wonders if this is some sort of revenge or act of vigilantism.

As Maggie and Lucy, as well as the rest of the interdisciplinary team, look into the lives of the victims, survivors and perpetrators, they become convinced that the killer has an agenda. NO SPOILERS

This was a fast-paced debut that highlighted a department that I don't know much about -- probation officers. I would definitely have liked to learn more about different aspects of the job and more about Lucy in that role. But, as she's a secondary character in this crime novel, most of the book focused on her personal dilemma as a woman subjected to domestic assault. It seems that Maggie's stint with the DAHU is over and she's going back to her previous job in homicide. Not sure what will happen with the many different characters that were introduced in this story but they had not really been fully developed or become relatable yet anyway. For awhile it seemed that Lucy was the main character and the reader learns more about her than about Maggie Jamieson! I would be interested in reading the second book in this series to see the direction it goes and who goes along!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for the e-book ARC to read and review. Domestic violence/abuse is everywhere and much too little help is given to those affected by it. Those who are subjected to it can't be safeguarded to any degree and those who perpetrate it can't seem to be cured of their anger and controlling tendencies. And those who witness it need help as well. This is a particularly difficult subject as there is such an inclination for people to judge and blame, excuse or condemn. I think most people don't believe it could happen to them and I surely hope it doesn't.

This is the first book in a new series.

Genre - Crime thriller - domestic violence