This is the third in the Dr. Bloom series, and if you haven’t read the first two, I definitely don’t recommend starting here, because the history between psychiatrist Dr. Augusta Bloom, her partner in their investigative agency Marcus Jameson, and dangerous psychopath Seraphine seriously influences the entire course of this book, and if you aren’t fully up to date with the story so far I think you’ll be pretty lost.
I didn’t like Augusta very much in the last book as I felt she betrayed Marcus’ trust in her, and that was somewhat addressed here though I would have liked to see the pair of them sit down and talk it out. They do spend most of the book separated by circumstance however as Augusta goes undercover in a women’s liberation organisation which has tipped over the edge into cult territory, a place where Marcus obviously cannot follow.
I was fascinated by Paula and Scarlett, the two women at the head of Artemis, and genuinely startled by the final outcome between the two of them. I have to say I’m not entirely sure Seraphine’s presence was all that necessary to the outcome of the story - Marcus definitely shouldn’t have called her in - but she’s so central to the dynamic of this series that leaving her out wouldn’t have seemed fitting either. She’s fascinating and dangerous, and I’m very curious what her endgame will be, especially now there’s a capable and well-resourced new player on the board.
Five stars for an intriguing installment in this series where I liked Augusta a lot more than in the previous book, but don’t start here if you’re not already familiar with this series.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.