The prologue occurs five years in the past with the discovery of her murdered parents. Then the novel moves to the present and the current case to which Marnie and her partner DS Noah Jake are assigned. In following up on that case, the two arrive at a women's shelter where they find a man severely wounded lying on the floor.
Was it attempted murder or self-defense by a woman who has been terribly abused? Given what they learn about the woman's past, would it even matter? How, with all of the precautions taken to keep women in the shelter hidden and safe, did the man find her, and how did he manage to get in?
This is a story about domestic abuse in a number of different ways and about homes in which subservience and violence are accepted, even encouraged. It also deals with the effect past abuse can have on the victims, and the various ways the abused address their experiences and their abusers. Many different threads are pulled together....
Well-written with complex characters, the novel pulls you in and shakes you up. The secrets kept by individuals and by families can be deadly. There are some explorations of abuse that may challenge your original thoughts.
NetGalley/Penguin Books
Crime/Psychological. June 24, 2014. Print length: 418 pages.
I love excellent character driven mysteries. This sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the terrific review.
ReplyDeleteA new crime thriller series!! You know I'll be checking this out!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like another good one. I deal a lot with domestic violence issues in my line of work, unfortunately. I will be looking for this one.
ReplyDeleteYes, many thanks for the review. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteIrene, Melody, Wendy - It was an unusual approach to domestic abuse!
ReplyDeleteSarah - Thanks for visiting. I liked your characters and the variation on abuse.
I enjoyed this very much but I am finding the current trope of the detective with a terrible event in their past too much of a good thing. When I read this it was the second in a fortnight where the leading detective had almost exactly the same background. Fortunately this was much better written than the other or I wouldn't have continued with it. Hilary is actually too good a writer to need that type of hook.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Once a an idea becomes a trend, it becomes almost annoying. Too much of a good thing, perhaps. It happens in all genres.
ReplyDelete