Dark Memories

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Dark Memories is the third in Liz Mistry’s DS Nikki Parekh series, and the title is perfect.
This is a book about memory; about a past that has haunted Nikki Parekh and her family for decades. In her afterword, Mistry says that she had wanted to write this book since starting the series, but waiting until the third book was a genius decision. I haven’t read the previous entries, but when I picked this up, I felt right at home. There is a rich cast of supporting characters, all with their own history – hinted at but not spoiled for those of us who haven’t read those stories – and Parekh is a complex, layered character. By penning two books before this, Mistry has been able to craft a world that she knows intimately, with players that she  – and the reader – really care about; including readers that are new to the series and have no prior emotional investment. That’s a remarkable achievement.

The story starts with the discovery of a homeless person in Bradford, the Yorkshire town that Mistry sets all of her books in. The case is seemingly routine and progress frustratingly slow, until a newspaper clipping sent to Nikki Parekh makes her wonder if she has a personal connection to the case. A second murder appears unrelated – except for the arrival of another note. By the time the third body is discovered, her link to the murders becomes undeniable – this one is in the house across the street from where she spent her traumatic childhood.
Mistry’s treatment of Parekh is brutal and uncompromising in this book, and she deals sensitively with some very upsetting issues. But there are also glimmers of light. Parekh’s love for her family is at the centre of the novel, and at work, the unflinching loyalty of her partner DC Sajid Malik and their easy banter counterbalance the darkness.

I really enjoyed this, and it is definitely a #RecommendedRead.