When two bodies are found brutally murdered at a building site in Battersea, DS Cal Drake is first to the scene. He sees an opportunity: to solve a high-profile case and to repair his reputation after a botched undercover operation almost ended his promising career in the Violent Crimes Unit.

Assigned to work with the forensic psychologist Dr Rayhana Crane, and on the hunt for an elusive killer, Drake’s investigations lead down the dark corridors of the past – to the Iraq war and the destruction both he and Crane witnessed there. With a community poised on the brink of violence, Crane and Drake must put their lives on the line to stop the killer before vengeance is unleashed.

Thanks to Jamie Norman at Canongate for sending me a copy for review

I took this book on holiday to read and after an unfortunate “pool” incident it didn’t make it home. Which is a real shame as I really enjoyed The Divinities as it took my crime reading to the dark gritty corners of London and introduced me to two interesting lead characters that I look forward to seeing again.

Cal Drake is the first police officer on the scene at a building site where the night guard has found two very dead bodies. Drake has put himself at the scene of a brutal double murder but his position in the force is not strong following past incidents; which readers will learn more about as the story unfolds. After pleading with his boss for the opportunity to investigate the two deaths he finds himself with a very short period of time to show significant progress in identifying a killer.

As pressure to deliver a result intensifies, Drake also finds himself gaining assistance from Dr Rayhana Crane.  Dr Crane is a forensic psychologist keeping her practice running after the death of her former business partner and struggling to get the proper work balance in place now she is running solo. The opportunity to work with the police is definitely arriving at an opportune moment but she will need to convice Drake she can be an asset and she also needs to convince him to let her help.

Though working the same investigation the pair don’t spend too much of their time together, this allows Drake to investigate and chase down leads and Crane to pursue an alternative line of enquiry (which leans into spoiler territory so I can’t elaborate). Suffice to say each has a fascinating story thread to explore and I enjoyed learning more about how each half of the duo operated.

Drake has a chequered past, he changed faith and explored new teachings then through his policework seems to know several of the city gangsters and can gain assistance when needed. Crane has worked in some fascinating areas too and her patients, trauma sufferers, can be more than a handful in more than one sense but Crane is more than capable of looking after herself.

The two threads of the story will start to pull together and the endgame in The Divinities is pure tension.

The Divinities is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08SR7JK4F/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1