The First Cut by Val Penny
It’s hard to escape a brutal past.
A vicious killer is on the loose. Victims targeted include an academic and members of Edinburgh's high society.
When the Murder Investigation Team find out that the killer is connected to her past, DS Jane Renwick is banished to the side-lines and forced to look on as the manhunt ramps up at a ferocious pace.
Has someone from Jane's birth family returned to haunt her? Is one of her relatives involved?
Where will the killer strike next?
This gripping police procedural is set in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The exciting novel is the first in Val Penny’s new series of Scottish thrillers.
About the author
Val Penny has an Llb degree from Edinburgh University and her MSc from Napier University. She has had many jobs including hairdresser, waitress, banker, azalea farmer and lecturer but has not yet achieved either of her childhood dreams of being a ballerina or owning a candy store.
Until those dreams come true, she has turned her hand to writing poetry, short stories, nonfiction, and novels.
Val is an American author living in SW Scotland. She has two adult daughters of whom she is justly proud and lives with her husband and their cat.
Review
‘The First Cut’ is the beginning of a new series by Val Penny but still set in the same world as her DI Hunter series. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and thought it was extremely well done. The story in this one is quite harrowing and made personal as you know it happened to a character you love. So if one of your trigger warnings is child neglect just be warned. I don't think the author went into unnecessary graphic details or anything but it does hit home as a storyline. Although this book is a spin-off from her other series you don't need to have read these to enjoy this book. Everything the reader needs to know is explained by the author.
DS Jane Renwick has been based over in MIT in Glasgow working a series of murders which have occurred in Edinburgh. They have included a professor at the university and over members of Edinburgh’s high society. But when a link is found to Jane she is pulled off the case and sent home. DNA found at one of the scenes has been linked back to Jane as being a close relation. It forces Jane to confront her past. She knows she has two brothers and maybe another sibling but hasn't seen any of them since she was placed into care at the age of 5. She doesn't even know if they are still alive. Jane and her friends all work in the background to find clues about her family and where they are now. Hopefully, before the killer can claim another victim…
I am a big fan of Val’s work and I have loved all the DI Hunter books which I have read, so I was excited when I learned that there was going to be a spin-off series. It of course had to be centred around Jane Renwick since she has left the original team to work at MIT over in Glasgow. I really enjoyed getting to see Jane from a different light as she was probably the character I have connected to least in the main series. Totally, 180 as now I think she has dual top billing alongside Tim! I felt heartsore reading about Jane’s childhood and I can definitely understand how this has developed her personality.
Despite there only being a limited number of people who the killer could be the author definitely keeps you guessing right to the end. I kept flipping between which sibling it was going to be and of course, it was the one I didn't think it was going to be! Val really kept the reader on their toes with this one. But it was the story which makes this book shine. It's a personal one since it revolves completely around Jane and therefore it really hits home. Val manages to squeeze out every drop of drama and emotion from every page and I just could not put this book down! I flew through it one day as the pace and tension just ramps up more as the book progressed. There was a grit and determination present as all involved wanted a resolution to this for Jane’s sake.
I loved this book. Let me know if you pick it up.
