Good Follow Upper

In the second book of this series, Hanlon has recovered from her injuries and enjoys her boxing training. Her promotion to DCI is still pending and she seems the special project of the AC. Enver Demirel enjoys his promotion to DI and works from Euston. Hanlon’s best friend Whiteside remains in a deep coma, something she feels guilty over.
When a student is killed in what looks like a BDSM accident, one of her philosophy lecturers seems to be the main suspect but there’s no proof at all. The head of the department asks the AC to keep the investigation discreet. Why he chooses Hanlon to lead the case puzzles me as she’s not exactly known for her soft touch. The team that currently works the case is led by her old accomplice Demirel. Hanlon goes undercover as a mature student and finds out that the murdered student wasn’t universally liked, nor is the lecturer. The investigation leads her into the world of BDSM (not as undercover). Pain is something she’s familiar with.

The author is very particular about the locations of his scenes. Certain parts of the book read like a street guide of London. He throws in a lot of local history as well. I quite like such an eye for detail but I know that there are people who dislike such directions.
Since his promotion, Enver is more confident than before. Although with women, he’s still insecure. He’s got a crush on Hanlon but thinks that she’s far out of his league. He meets a very friendly Oxford policewoman with whom things look promising.
This may not be to the liking of Hanlon although there’s no indication as to her sexual orientation. It’s just her reaction towards this officer. Also, her first name remains a secret. We do find out more about her past and parentage, more than she knows herself even. I feel a bit sorry for her; she’s not very likeable and is all alone without friends or family. She doesn’t have any hobbies apart from running triathlons and training her body like mad. As a top sportswoman, she’s on a strict healthy diet and food doesn’t really interest her. She also dislikes foodies and their endless discussions. She hates murderers and especially their arrogance and egoism
It’s a bit unrealistic that 2 boxing adepts would form a police team but it’s an original idea. I’ve got nothing with the sport myself as I’m averse to pain, but many others love it. There is a lot of violence in this series and not just in the ring. This is a perfect read for people that like a bit of action. I’m certainly not in favour of a police force that would practise Hanlon’s tactics and behaviour. But in this work of fiction, it all makes perfect sense to torture a very nasty person by putting their scrotum on fire. And that’s but one example.
I like this series, but in all honesty, the first book was a bit better than the second. Maybe because I knew very early on whom the killer was that I preferred the first story. I thought that it would be very hard to surpass that first book and I hope that the next one will be as good.
I thank Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the free ARC they provided and this is my honest and unbiased review of it.