The One About A Lone Bomber: One for Sorrow by Helen Sarah Fields | Book Review

I had requested this book on NetGalley as soon as I saw Avon Books’ tweet about seeking book bloggers to review Helen Field’s latest installation to her ‘D.I Callanach’ series. Unfortunately for me, they were only giving physical ARC copies to bloggers who have read and reviewed the previous books– understandably. But that was not the end of it, as Avon announced that the book may or may not be available to request on NetGalley, so I rushed to the website and sent in a request for an e-arc of the book.

Lucky for me, NetGalley and Avon Books granted my request for the e-arc and now I have an early copy to read and review for you all!

First of all, I want to make it clear that this is the 7th book in the on-going ‘D.I Callanach’ series by Helen Fields. Unfortunately, I did not realise that this wasn’t a standalone novel, but if you’ve read some of my book reviews before you will know that me accidentally reading a book that is far along in a series is almost a common occurrence at this point. That being said I did see a review that claims that you don’t need to read all the previous books before reading this one. I decided to follow that stranger’s book review, and dive straight into this book.

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One for Sorrow

by Helen Sarah Fields

Edition: Paperback, 400 pages

Expected Publication: May 3rd 2022 by Avon (first published February 17th 2022)

ISBN: 0008379335 (ISBN13: 9780008379339)

Series: D.I. Callanach #7

Goodreads:

Bestselling author Helen Fields is back with her best book yet. A masterful crime thriller that is set to be the most memorable read of 2022.

One for sorrow, two for joy
Edinburgh is gripped by the greatest terror it has ever known. A lone bomber is targeting victims across the city and no one is safe.
 
Three for a girl, four for a boy
DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach face death every day – and not just the deaths of the people being taken hostage by the killer.
 
Five for silver, six for gold
When it becomes clear that with every tip-off they are walking into a trap designed to kill them too, Ava and Luc know that finding the truth could mean paying the ultimate price.
 
Seven for a secret never to be told…
But with the threat – and body count – rising daily, and no clue as to who’s behind it, neither Ava nor Luc know whether they will live long enough to tell the tale…
 
With twists and turns you’ll never see coming, prepare to be gripped by this devastatingly good thriller. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride and MJ Arlidge.

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‘One for Sorrow’ follows DCI Ava Turner and DI Luc Callanach as they strive to catch the person behind Edinburgh’s greatest terror. It appears that a lone bomber has been targeting victims across the city. DCI Turner and DCI Callanach are racing against time to figure solve the clues, find patterns and find the evil behind the bombing before another victim is added to the long list. Helen Fields is an incredibly talented writer, with a flair for creating tension and suspense, and this book is clearly proof of that.

As someone who is a fan of Crime novels and regularly reads books of the genre; certain plot points can get quite predictable and repetitive, and that’s not really fun when you’re reading a book that requires that element of suspense and mystery. However, this book pleasantly surprised me how many twists and turns there were– most of which I didn’t even see coming. It was almost like going on a rollercoaster blindly, not knowing whether you were going to turn right or left, up or down but you’ve just got to hold tight and enjoy the ride. Not only that, but I feel like I experienced anguish, anger and grief all throughout this book.

Let’s talk about the characters first. Because this is my first introduction to Ava Turner and Luc Callanach, as well as the other characters in the series, I was worried I wouldn’t get as much of a solid introduction to all the characters. However, I felt like the book did a good job of establishing enough backstory for the characters as the story progressed. Keep in mind that this book is only one part of an on-going book series, us readers will get to learn more about the characters as the series goes on. Ava Turner is a strong-willed, spirited detective that is literally married to her job. The same can be said about Luc Cllanach– both make quite a pair actually. This book does hint that there is an intimate past between the two main characters, one of which I have yet to delve into. However even if you take away the more-than-coworkers vibes, it is clear that there is some sort of mutual understanding and bond that only Ava and Luc share between them. Something intimate, and something just for the two of them. I do plan on reading the first couple of books in this series, so I hope my questions are answered. If you are a regular reader of this series and like the pairing, I assume you will love the direction that Ana and Luc are seemingly going in.

(Also, can we talk about that ending?! Talk about a cliffhanger!)

This book is pretty lengthy but the amount of action and suspense that was packed into this one book will have you feeling almost breathless with it’s fast-paced, gripping and definitely not for the faint-hearted. One minute you think you know which way the story is going, and then the next page will take a whole different turn. This book had me racing to keep up and reach the conclusion before someone interrupts my reading time. Truly a great addition to the crime fiction genre.

I guess I’ll be reading the first six books in the series while waiting for the next book. September 2022 cannot come quicker!

4 stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for giving me an Advanced Reader’s Copy of ‘One for Sorrow’ by Helen Sarah Fields in exchange for an honest review.

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Have you read any of the books in the ‘DCI Callanach’ series? If not, will you be adding it to your tbr?

Let me know in the comments below!

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