A Line to Kill

I'm torn for a different reasons on this entry in the series. The protagonists were, in themselves and in their interactions, less exasperating than the last two books, but by the same token there was even less development between them, less reveals about their character or backstory. I appreciate the ending suggesting the possibility of a significant revelation in the next book, but there just wasn't much here.The author may have ‘hung a lantern' on the fact that nobody wants to read about a sexual predator being involved in a murder mystery, but that doesn't change the experience. It's also ‘becoming a thing' that the reader is left to ponder the justice of the dispatch of a ‘bad guy' by people who have had their lives ruined. I remain happy that the former detective is not letting things slide, but the framing might be a bit too ambiguous for my preference for clear cut murder mysteries. Of course, this series already breaks my rules, because Hawthorne doesn't quite fit in my line of liking ‘good guy' detectives. And yet, here I am, planning to read the next book in the series. 🤷🏼‍♂️ 
⚠️racism, xenophobia, fatphobia, sexual harrassment, mention of paedophilia

P.S I do get a little tired of seemingly every single depiction of open marriage in fiction being either unsuccessful/ending in heartbreak or associated with people who have shoddy morals/dirty dealings. Murder mysteries do love a scandal and puritanical or antiquated views make that easier to achieve. 🙄