After reading the fourth book in the McCabe and Savage Thrillers I had to go to the beginning of the series, The Cutting. James Hayman has created characters so compelling it’s impossible not to become invested in the stories surrounding them. Mike McCabe and Margaret Savage are detectives in Portland, Maine. McCabe moved to the small city from his job as a homicide detective with the New York City Police Department. Divorced and with a thirteen-year-old daughter he hopes for a safer environment to raise her. But he finds horrible crimes can happen anywhere.
The murder of a young high school girl, her heart expertly cut from her body, sets off a series of events that horrify even the experienced detectives. When a young businesswoman disappears, McCabe and Savage fear she may be the next victim. As the pair investigate the crimes, they discover a dark trend.
The writing is violent and graphic, and well suited to the subject matter. Hayman doesn’t hold back, and his writing delivers the tension necessary to carry the story forward. Once begun it is impossible to set the book aside. Even when I thought I knew where it was going, I couldn’t stop reading.
The subtle electricity between McCabe and Savage makes their relationship fascinating. As an understory, it provides an excellent basis for a series. Would a romantic relationship negatively impact their ability to work together?
The criminals in the story are reprehensible. It’s an example of not always believing what you see. Even the noblest person might have a dark side just waiting to be exposed.
As the book builds to a tense conclusion Hayman picks up the pace, racing to a climax that is both terrifying and satisfying. The twisted skeins of forbidden pasts come unraveled and a bright light shines on a history of depraved crimes.
I am hooked on this series. If the rest of the books live up to the expectations set by this first one, I’m in for a wild ride. I highly recommend this first book as an introduction to McCabe and Savage.
Blurb
The first novel in the nationally bestselling McCabe and Savage series—perfect for fans of John Sandford and CJ Box.
Someone is stealing the hearts of beautiful women…
Detective Mike McCabe moved from a top homicide job with the NYPD to Portland, Maine to leave his failed marriage and suspicions of wrongdoing behind, and to find a more peaceful life for himself and his 13 year old daughter.
But the small New England city is not nearly as safe as he thought.
On a warm September night, a missing high-school athlete is found dead in a scrap metal yard, her heart removed from her body with surgical precision. As outrage over the killing spreads, a young business woman disappears while out on a morning jog.
McCabe is certain both crimes are the work of one man—a murderer skilled in cardiac surgery who is using his scalpel to target young women. With the clock ticking, McCabe and his partner Maggie Savage find themselves in a desperate race against time to find and rescue the missing woman before she becomes the next victim of the sadistic killer’s blade.
Between the Beats 
I love a good thriller!