Title: The West London Murders (Detective Rob Miller #2)
Author: Biba Pearce
Published on: 7 June 2021
Genre: Mystery and Thrillers | Police Procedural
The West London Murders is the second book in Biba Pearce‘s Detective Rob Miller series.
It’s been almost a year since Detectives Rob and Jo caught the Surrey Stalker. The Surrey Stalker had kidnapped Yvette, Rob’s fiancé and Rob managed to save her just in time. But the traumatic event affected Yvette and eight months later, she still refuses to go out of the house and has panic attacks often. Rob and Yvette are now married – Rob feels responsible for what happened to Yvette.
“Stabbing someone over and over again takes real anger,” he continued. “This was not a cold, calculated attack. That’s not to say it wasn’t pre-planned, but the attacker wanted that man dead, and he wanted it done in the most violent way possible.
The West London Murders start with Aadam, a rich man of Arabic descent, waiting for someone at his lavish home. When the bell rings and Aadam invites the person in, he never thought that would be the end of his life. The neighbor sees Aadam lying on the floor and calls the police. Aadam is found in a pool of blood and it is evident he was stabbed multiple times.
DI Rob Miller and his partner DS Mallory are called to the scene of crime. The detectives find the house spick-and-span; did the cleaner kill Aadam in a fit of rage? Soon, another body is found with multiple stab wounds. Looks like Rob and his team have a serial killer to catch.
Another fantastic addition to a gritty and gripping police procedural series by Biba Pearce. I am on a binge reading spree and with each book, this series keeps getting better and better.
In The Thames Path Killer, we saw Rob partner with Jo. They got along well and at some point in time, were attracted to each other. However, when the Surrey Stalker was caught, Rob had to be there for his fiancé Yvette. In this book, we see the duo partner up once again to solve crime.
When the first body is found, Rob has no idea there’s a serial killer on prowl. He seeks the help of his friend/criminologist Tony soon after the second murder. Tony believes the two murders are connected and suggests they might have a serial killer at play. The first victim was a drug dealer so initially his murder was thought to be a drug-deal-gone-bad.
As the story proceeds, we readers learn the murders have nothing to do with drug dealers or trafficking. The killer is leaving a trial of revenge killings but the police find no link between the victims. They hardly knew each other… so who is killing them in a fit of rage (multiple stab wounds) and why?
The mystery behind the killings keeps the reader guessing till the end. It goes without saying – storytelling is excellent. Also, the spotlight is not only on solving crimes but also on personal lives of the detectives. Rob and Yvette have a tough time adjusting to each other. Rob did his best to be there for Yvette but he has his career too to think about.
Readers be warned the descriptions of the killings can get gory at times and might not be suitable for the faint-hearted. Having said that, if you love police procedural, you would definitely want to add this series to your TBR.
The West London Murders by Biba Pearce is a gripping and completely engrossing thriller. Highly recommended to mystery and thriller fans.
The Book Decoder 
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