In just a few short years, criminal defense attorney Nadine Matheson has made quite a name for herself with her series starring DI Anjelica Henley of the Serial Crimes Unit in London. The complex stories and cases involving the most depraved minds on the criminal circuit are reminiscent of the work of such great writers as Thomas Harris.

THE SHADOW CARVER, the latest entry in the series, features an unknown group exhibiting their own brand of justice after the courts fail the public with a grisly signature feature --- carving off the scalps of their victims. This lands directly in the laps of the SCU, but only after a few cases draw comparisons to each other do they realize that this is the work of a serial vigilante or vigilantes.

"THE SHADOW CARVER is built with layer upon layer of dark police procedural details that drive the narrative and the mystery straight through to its fiery conclusion."

The Prologue looks back at a recent case where a nurse, Sian Fox-Carnell, was sent to prison for the overdose deaths of a handful of patients in her care. Sian continued to plead her innocence, and after seven years behind bars, a court of appeals overturned her conviction and released her under monitored house arrest pending a new trial. This did not sit well with DI Henley, who had been involved in her initial apprehension, nor did it please the public or relatives of Sian’s victims.

Sian is bold during her house arrest, even going to Henley’s house to confront her in front of her young daughter. Not long after, Sian is kidnapped by faceless attackers and thrown into a van. After being physically manhandled, she is hanged to death from a lamppost in a residential area. It is only upon bringing her down from the high point where she was dangling that the police and forensics team notice that she had been scalped.

We get a brief glimpse into some of those responsible for this brutal act of vigilantism with a spirited discussion among three individuals. This is quickly followed by another death with a similar scalping of a man who allegedly sexually abused his daughter. His body is dumped in a nearby waterway, and the scalp has been saved as a trophy of the deed.

It is not long before the SCU recognizes that yet another case of an alleged burglary and attempted murder of a man is the work of those who killed Sian. This is confirmed when the victim’s wife, who had somehow fled, is revealed to have been attacked herself. An effort had been made to remove her scalp in the same gruesome fashion.

The bodies continue to pile up, and the tension rises as coverage in the news and on social media is a constant distraction. THE SHADOW CARVER is built with layer upon layer of dark police procedural details that drive the narrative and the mystery straight through to its fiery conclusion. Of course, Matheson not only provides insider information on the criminal process but also loads her story with plenty of surprises that continue to make this one of the most satisfying thriller series being written today.