jmatkinson1's review
4.0
In a run-down bed and breakfast in the city of Durham, a charismatic preacher is brutally bludgeoned to death. His daughter is initially thought to be the perpetrator as the murder weapon was found wrapped in a piece of her clothing. however as DI Erica Martin investigates the crime she discovers many secrets hidden by the church and the family - secrets around madness, death and abuse.
The theme of paedophilia related to religious groups is very topical at the moment and this book takes a number of ideas and wraps them around this idea. Unfortunately I think there are just too many ideas on the go here and it makes the book really difficult to get into. However once the story progresses to show the insanity of Sera it takes light and the final third of the book is conducted at an exciting pace and with a renewed interest in the plot which was sagging up till then. The characters of the Durham police team are developing nicely and without the overt emphasis that happened in the previous novel (Bitter Fruits). A fairly standard police procedural with a little edge.
The theme of paedophilia related to religious groups is very topical at the moment and this book takes a number of ideas and wraps them around this idea. Unfortunately I think there are just too many ideas on the go here and it makes the book really difficult to get into. However once the story progresses to show the insanity of Sera it takes light and the final third of the book is conducted at an exciting pace and with a renewed interest in the plot which was sagging up till then. The characters of the Durham police team are developing nicely and without the overt emphasis that happened in the previous novel (Bitter Fruits). A fairly standard police procedural with a little edge.
alexclare's review
5.0
Atmospheric and creepy, this book keeps you reading because you never know what is going to happen next, layers upon layers. There is a great parallel between DI Martin's personal situation and the case she has to investigate, with old issues needing to be dealt with before they explode.
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