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Published by Mantle, 2014.
ISBN: 978-0-230-75204-7
ISBN: 978-0-230-75204-7
In the tiny Shropshire village
of Blackstone Ley, in
bitter winter weather, three people die in a house fire: Ed Morgan, part-time
abattoir worker, and his two stepdaughters, Layla (13) and Mandy (11). The post
mortem establishes that all three actually died of gunshot wounds. The mother,
Tracy, was away from home at the time and her and Morgan’s three-year-old son,
Robbie, is missing. Morgan himself is the most likely suspect, the damaging
evidence against him is that he had sent a vituperative message to Tracy on his mobile,
saying that Robbie would never be found. It will be Coroner Jenny Cooper’s duty
to inquire into the deaths and to establish if she can, the truth. People who
knew Morgan say that it would have been completely out of character but the
police are eager to close the file. But Jenny is not altogether convinced:
Tracy’s previous boyfriend, Darren Brooks, is a possibility; or there could be
a link between Robbie’s disappearance and that of little Susie Ashton ten years
before; or between the fact that Layla was pregnant at the time of her death
and had got in with a wild crowd of youngsters.
At the same time, Jenny is investigating the death of civil servant
Daniel Burden, apparently a suicide, that is, until Jenny is approached by Liverpool solicitor Louis Falco one of whose clients,
Jakob Rozek, has disappeared, possibly
murdered, but who before his disappearance had called Burden on his mobile. Is
there a connection between Rozek’s disappearance and the abattoir/rendering
plant where Morgan worked and if so could Robbie’s body been disposed of there?
In her investigation Jenny is assisted by Detective Inspector Gabriel Ryan and
her former police assistant, Alison Trent, but the latter is still recovering
from a brain injury and that has affected her judgment. Meanwhile, there is
also the presence of Jenny’s lover, the charming but erratic Michael Sherman to
contend with.
This is the seventh in the Jenny Cooper mysteries and is a really good
read. The author was previously a barrister at the criminal Bar and his
advocacy skills are admirably demonstrated in the two hearings in the coroner’s
court which are compelling and authentic. Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Radmila May
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