Published by The O’Brien Press, 12 August 2013.
ISBN:978-1847173669
DI Ellen Kelly has just returned to work after an incident in which she
shot the killer of her husband. Her
first case is high-profile: the abduction of a young girl. Her Family Liason Officer seems to be working
behind her back, her boss is determined to prove that the step-father was
responsible. Only Ellen sees a link
between this case and that of little Molly, whose tortured body was found three
years ago...
This story was told in the
third person, using a variety of viewpoints: Ellen herself, the abducted child,
the abductor, the child’s stepfather,
and the father of dead Molly. This was
clearly done, so that you were never confused by the switch of voice, and
moving from one person to another kept the tension up. It was even, glory be, in the past
tense. The plot is fast moving, with
plenty of incidents, and you get a real feel of a busy police-station handling
a difficult case. Ellen’s a lively
heroine, with a well-imagined Irish-London background, and readers will
sympathise with her work-family tensions.
The lightly-handled tentative romance, her dark past and her drink
problem, suggest the author’s looking at a series. I did feel a slight overload of back-story,
but that’s always a problem when an author’s establishing a new character,
especially one as complex as Ellen.
Overall, this was a
well-written example of the ‘girl in danger’ thriller, with the added twist of
the girl being a child. If you like
Nicci French, then here’s a new author for you to enjoy.
------
Reviewer: Marsali
Taylor
Sheila Bugler grew
up in a small town in the west of Ireland. After studying Psychology
at University College Galway, she left Ireland
and worked in Italy, Spain, Germany,
Holland and Argentina before finally settling
in Easbourne, where she now lives with her husband, Sean, and their two
children. When not writing fiction, Shiela provides a range of writing services to aspiring authors.
http://sheilabugler.co.uk/
Marsali Taylor grew
up near Edinburgh,
and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time
teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two
Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by
history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as
a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys
exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group. Marsali also does a regular monthly column
for the Mystery People e-zine.
No comments:
Post a Comment