Can two wrongs ever make a right?
A man is found by the side of a canal, comatose and brutally attacked.
It quickly becomes clear that someone is abducting men and subjecting them to horrific acts of torture. After three days they’re released, fighting for their lives and refusing to speak.
A councillor is accused of fraud.
Montague Mason is an upstanding member of the community. That is until he’s publicly accused of stealing the youth centre’s funds – an accusation that threatens to rip through the very heart of the community and expose his best-kept secret. But how far would he go to protect himself?
Two cases. One deadly answer.
As the two cases collide, D.I. Paolo Sterling finds he has more questions than answers. And, when torture escalates to murder, he suddenly finds himself in a race against time to find the killer and put an end to the depravity – once and for all.
My review
I usually like my mysteries cosy and tongue-in-cheek so a challenging, gritty, brutal novel like this certainly too me out of my comfort zone. It made for a refreshing change in the way that a walk by the sea does – when there’s a gale blowing and you’re being soaked in spray. It certainly wakes you up.
The story grips you from the first page with its graphic opening scene. From here on the pace rarely lets up. The only times it does is to allow for necessary character development. This book isn’t a one-dimensional police procedural, which can be the downside of this particular genre: here we have an exciting, chilling plot peopled by rounded and interesting characters and taking place in atmospheric, detailed settings.
There’s plenty of edge-of-your seat, tense suspense to keep you turning the pages quickly, interspersed with moments of reflection and revelation. The rage and retribution elements are given equal treatment and justification in the book.
A powerful read.
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1786156857
US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1786156857
Author bio
When not working on her D.I. Sterling Series, Lorraine Mace is engaged in many writing-related activities. She is a columnist for both Writing Magazine and Writers’ Forum and is head judge for Writers’ Forum monthly fiction competitions. A tutor for Writers Bureau, she also runs her own private critique and author mentoring service. She is co-author, with Maureen Vincent-Northam, of THE WRITER’S ABC CHECKLIST (Accent Press). Other books include children’s novel VLAD THE INHALER – HERO IN THE MAKING, and NOTES FROM THE MARGIN, a compilation of her Writing Magazine humour column.
Social media links
Website: www.lorrainemace.com
Blog: thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.com
Twitter: @lomace
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lorraine.mace.52
