Death Count, S.L. Beaumont

The first in a series flagged as the Kat Munroe thrillers, DEATH COUNT introduces Forensic Accountant Kat. She's renowned in that role, one of the best at chasing down fraud, identity theft, scams, money laundering and illegal money making schemes. She also lives with the shock and life changing consequences of serious injury, after losing a hand in a car accident, her boyfriend at the time drunk, driving the car which injured Kat so badly, and killed her friend. There are aspects of that crash and this case which intertwine unexpectedly for Kat and for DS Adam Jackson - a man with his own personal tragedies - and a protective streak when it comes to Kat. Not that she needs a lot of protecting, she might be disabled, but she's tough and not somebody easily threatened.

Sitting somewhere in the middle of police procedural and thriller, with a touch of personal attraction / romance built in, there was much to like about DEATH COUNT. Sure there are aspects of the personal that are a bit on the predictable side, but there was also plenty there less expected. The depiction of Kat and her disability was particularly well done with the emotional and physical fallout more than balanced by the strength she was developing as a result. There's a believable sense of foreboding and threat out of the investigation, and the way that it wove Kat and Adam's back stories together was believable and very compelling. The pace is good, and the financial crime component well developed, informative and realistic, compelling and very intriguing.

All in all, this is a series that could be just the thing for fans of police procedurals with a personal / romantic component, and definitely for anybody looking for a central protagonist working to overcome some serious physical challenges.