What a fabulous thriller! 500 pages of real page-turning action, intrigue and murder. From page one I was hooked by the story of DCI Red Metcalfe and the serial killer known as Silver Tongue. There are some really gory murders and Starling does not hold back with his descriptions, but the pace and speed of the story is so gripping that I can forgive the odd stomach-churning moment. Red Metcalfe is a fascinating character, I especially liked the way that Starling incorporated the story of how Red joined the Police Force, the things in his past that haunt him but that also make him such a determined and thorough detective. Silver Tongue is a very clever serial killer, Red is obviously dealing with someone who is determined, deranged and very intelligent. The four police officers working on the case together soon work out just why Silver Tongue is killing, they even know when he will make his next kill, but have no idea who it will be or where. Their total despair at not being able to prevent more deaths comes through so well as each chapter unfolds. It is difficult to believe that this is Boris Starling's first novel - it is a really superb story and far away from the crop of slasher killer novels that seem the dominate the best seller lists. This is intelligent, clever and gripping.