You don’t know him. But he knows you.

Soon he would be able to touch her, to feel the warmth of her blood. And when the time came, nothing would stop him.

As D.C. Jennifer Knight investigates a routine stabbing in the quiet town of Haven, she is shocked at what seems like a personal message from beyond the grave.

When more bodies are found, Jennifer is convinced the killings are somehow linked.

What she discovers is more chilling than she could possibly imagine. The murders mirror those of the notorious Grim Reaper – from over twenty years ago. A killer her mother helped convict.

Jennifer can no longer ignore the personal connection. Is there a copycat killer at work? Was the wrong man convicted? Or is there something more sinister at play …

With her mother’s terrifying legacy spiralling out of control, Jennifer must look into her own dark past in a fight not only to stop a killer – but to save herself and those she loves.

My thanks to Bookouture for my review copy which I received through Netgalley.

In the dim and distant past I went through a phase of reading many ghost stories/supernatural thrillers. My recollections of those books were that there were some outstanding stand-alone novels, they frequently took place in rural locations and the emphasis was on chills. I don’t remember any of them being police procedurals where the focus was on the police rather than the unseen menace. To this end Don’t Turn Around was a welcome surprise.

The focus is on DC Jennifer Knight – she becomes embroiled in an investigation which seems to be mirroring the crimes committed some 20 years earlier by a vicious murderer that called himself Grim Reaper.

Very quickly it becomes clear that clear that all may not be as it seems as Jennifer as suspects begin to act in the most unnatural manner – almost as if they were taking on a new personality during their interviews.

Mysterious occurrences start to come thick and fast and it soon becomes apparent that DC Knight is facing an unearthly opponent. I really enjoyed the change to the more conventional crime thriller as when paranormal foes are introduced it does feel that ‘anything goes’ and I was intrigued to see where the story may head.

Suffice to say that Caroline Mitchell delivered an entertaining thriller which certainly played out in the most unexpected way. Don’t Turn Around is positioned as the start of an ongoing series featuring DS Knight and promises more supernatural chills – I am certainly in favour of that and will be keen to see what else may come forward for Jennifer Knight to face.

One slight niggle (very slight) was that initially I felt Jennifer’s relationship with her colleague Will was too jokey and that it distracted from the development of the characters. Stick with it as this settles down but as the characters were being introduced I found them slightly irritating – by the end of the book I was more comfortable with their partnership, ride it out as it is worth sticking with this one.

There is a suggestion that this will appeal to fans of James Oswald – have to agree with that and it is nice to see new voices making something different work so well.

Am looking forward to seeing what comes next for DS Knight but well worth picking up Don’t Turn Around to see how the journey begins.

Caroline Mitchell is on Twitter: @Caroline_writes

And can be found at www.caroline-writes.com