Alice has a good job as a psychologist, but to escape her past traumas and ease her anxieties she runs throughout London. During one of these late night runs she comes across the dead body of a woman in Crossbones Yard, a former graveyard for prostitutes. The wounds on the body are reminiscent of a pair of serial killers, Ray and Marie Benson, who killed thirteen women before they were jailed. Due to her expertise, the police ask for her help as a psychological profiler to help catch the killer. The deeper she delves into the case, the more dangerous it becomes for her and her family and friends. Now she must catch the killer, if only to save herself.

With a Silence of the Lamb" and Jack the Ripper feel to it, CROSSBONES YARD is a horrific crime story that I was still thinking about a week after I finished it. It leaves an impact on the reader with the paralleled content and, at times, graphic violence. The main character, Alice Quentin, is running on high anxiety, living with her tortured past and dealing with a troubled present. The only way she can temporarily escape her anxiety is to run through the streets of London late at night or before the sun rises. This lends her to experience the seedy crime in the dark, which she does quickly by stumbling upon a dead body. When this story starts, there's no stopping it as Alice becomes quickly and deeply entwined in a series of murders, killers and her sometimes position as a profiler for the police department.

There is a delicious twist on who is revealed to be the true killer in the end, which was wholly satisfying. With CROSSBONES YARD being Kate Rhodes' debut novel, I was surprised due to the seasoned feel of the writing, fantastic pacing and characters. I will definitely be picking up her next work.