Bolton, S.J. Sacrifice.Recommended by Danielle (along with Blood Harvest which I now have on my Kindle), Sacrifice is Bolton's debut novel.
Set in the Shetland Islands amidst the atmosphere of the land and its mythic legends, Sacrifice opens with Tora Hamilton, a recent transplant to the island, attempting to manage the hydraulics of a digging machine to excavate a hole deep enough to bury her horse. In the course of her efforts to bury her beloved horse, she uncovers the body of a young woman buried (and preserved) in the peat.
Worse than this discovery is the realization that the woman had recently born a child and that her body was mutilated. An obstetrician who desperately wants to have a baby herself, Tora is horrified. She notifies the police, who initially want to classify the body as ancient remains, but Tora knows that it isn't the case.
Her husband was born and raised on the island, but until their move 6 months previously, has been away for 20 years. When the investigation into the identity of the dead woman doesn't fully satisfy Tora, she disregards her husband's advice to let it go and teams up with the policewoman Dana Tulloch to find out more.
Tora and Dana's relationship is a bit touchy, but with every authority (Tora's husband, the head of Tora's hospital, and Dana's boss) wanting to move on, the two women rely on each other as they search for answers. As events get even stranger and more threatening, Dana and Tora find themselves counting on each other more and more.
The first 2/3's of the book kept me enthralled and curious, and I was impressed by Bolton's ability to develop the suspense as Tora and Dana try to get around the conspiracy of silence.
The last third of the book was less satisfying and got a bit far-fetched with a few of the threads, but Bolton still manages to keep the reader off balance.
Even though the concluding section felt less well-plotted, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from S. J. Bolton!
Fiction. Mystery. 2008. 375 pages.
I really like her work and she does suspense and creepiness well, but her endings do require some suspension of belief. If you're willing to keep an open mind and not analyze too much I think these are entertaining reads. Glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to reading some of this author's books. I think I have all of them, just need the time to read them. My constant lament! LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! I still haven't started the one I checked out from the library but am really looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteDanielle - I can't wait to begin the next one!
ReplyDeleteKay - I still don't have the second one, but the third one will be my weekend reading!
Iliana - Yep, it was an exciting read. Hope you enjoy yours!