Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge, from Harper Collins, via Edelweiss, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it
Synopsis:
Ten years ago, 13-year-old Scarlett Rainsford vanished while on a family holiday to Greece. Was she abducted, or did she run away from the family that, at best, would be described as dysfunctional? Lou Smith worked on the case as a police constable, and failing to find any trace of Scarlett was always one of the biggest regrets of her career. So no one is more surprised than Lou to learn that, during a Special Branch warrant on a brothel in Briarstone, Scarlett has been found.
But Lou and her Major Crime team are already working at full stretch: 19 year old Ian Palmer has been found badly beaten after a night out in Briarstone town centre; a few days later, one of the town’s entrepreneurs, bar owner Carl McVey, has been found half-buried in woodland, robbed of his Rolex and his cash. While Lou tries to establish the links between the two cases, DS Sam Hollands works with Special Branch to try and gain as much intelligence from Scarlett as possible. Where has she been all this time? How did she end up back in her home town? And why do her family seem less than enthusiastic about seeing her again?
Only Scarlett’s younger sister, Juliette—who has spent ten years blaming herself for Scarlett’s abduction—seems pleased to have her back, despite the Rainsfords’ desperate attempts to shield the emotionally fragile Juliette from any external stress. Meanwhile Lou is experiencing another side of sibling rivalry, as her relationship with Senior Analyst Jason is threatened by the temptations presented by his charismatic older brother, Mike.
When a brutal assault and homicide are linked to the McVey murder, Lou’s cases collide and she begins to suspect that the violence may be linked to the trafficking organisations operating in the area. As the pressure for a result mounts, it seems that only Scarlett holds the key to the criminal group orchestrating the violence—and, like everyone else, Scarlett has secrets to keep.
But Lou and her Major Crime team are already working at full stretch: 19 year old Ian Palmer has been found badly beaten after a night out in Briarstone town centre; a few days later, one of the town’s entrepreneurs, bar owner Carl McVey, has been found half-buried in woodland, robbed of his Rolex and his cash. While Lou tries to establish the links between the two cases, DS Sam Hollands works with Special Branch to try and gain as much intelligence from Scarlett as possible. Where has she been all this time? How did she end up back in her home town? And why do her family seem less than enthusiastic about seeing her again?
Only Scarlett’s younger sister, Juliette—who has spent ten years blaming herself for Scarlett’s abduction—seems pleased to have her back, despite the Rainsfords’ desperate attempts to shield the emotionally fragile Juliette from any external stress. Meanwhile Lou is experiencing another side of sibling rivalry, as her relationship with Senior Analyst Jason is threatened by the temptations presented by his charismatic older brother, Mike.
When a brutal assault and homicide are linked to the McVey murder, Lou’s cases collide and she begins to suspect that the violence may be linked to the trafficking organisations operating in the area. As the pressure for a result mounts, it seems that only Scarlett holds the key to the criminal group orchestrating the violence—and, like everyone else, Scarlett has secrets to keep.
Review:
Do NOT take that sleep aid I recommended earlier today, if you are going to start reading this book in bed! It is a page turner in every aspect, and you will NOT want to put it down! Haynes gives us another excellent mystery bringing back detective Lou Smith and her excellent team. The book picks up after the events in Under a Silent Moon, but you do not have had to read that book to enjoy this one! if you have, then you have more background info on the characters though. This is a book that will have you guessing and reguessing all the way through! It is perfect for reading by the fire, as you try to solve the case alongside Lou and Sam! I highly recommend it!
About the Author:
Elizabeth Haynes is a former police intelligence analyst, a civilian role that involves determining patterns in offending and criminal behavior. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Into the Darkest Corner, Dark Tide, Human Remains, and, most recently Under a Silent Moon, the first installment of the Briarstone crime series.
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