Let the Dead Speak by Jane Casey

Jane Casey's Let the Dead Speak is the 7th in her series featuring Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent. Casey is one of my favorites in the crime/police procedural genre, and I've followed this series from the beginning.  

Maeve is now a Detective Sergeant, and the new position involves some changes in the way she approaches her job. Derwent, too, has some changes, but in his personal life.

I like that Una Burt is not as much of an antagonist as she has sometimes been in the past; she does her best to exercise some control over Derwent without it seeming like a personal vendetta.  Maeve is beginning to appreciate Burt's support. 

I was a little disappointed to see less of the personal subplots that have previously been an important part of this series; they have added depth and intriguing layers to the previous books.  There is an implication that the subplot involving Derwent's personal life is going to continue to influence the novels, but it is only a brief mention.  And is Rob completely out of the picture?

Both Maeve Kerrigan and Josh Derwent have evolved throughout the seven books, but does anyone else miss Derwent's irascible, brash, and frequently boorish behavior?  He's calmed down--oh, he is still politically incorrect and sexist, but it almost seems like an effort. Previously he has thoroughly enjoyed his own offensive behavior.  

I'm not going into the plot, the various blurbs do that quite well, but as usual, Casey manages to keep the reader a little off-balance, suspecting first one person, then another. The reader has to wait, learning with Maeve and Derwent as they interview and investigate. You might twig to certain clues or comments...and still not piece everything together properly.   

And now the long wait for the next book.

Read in June; blog review scheduled for July

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press

Police Procedural.  July 25, 2017.  Print length:  352 pages.