Synopses & Reviews
Former cop Frank Elder is once more drawn out of retirement by a phone call from his ex-wife, this time asking him to look into the disappearance of her friend Jennie's older, widowed sister Claire in Nottingham. Elder reluctantly agrees to return to the city where his family disintegrated.
Elder soon uncovers sexual secrets of Claire's that take Jennie by surprise. But when Claire is found dead at home unmarked and carefully dressed it is Elder who is surprised by the similarities to an old case. To solve this riddle, Elder will have to repartner with another person from his past, Detective Inspector Maureen Prior, and delve into several suspects' own traumatic histories.
In a case in which neither memories, confessions, nor instincts can be trusted, Elder struggles with the weight of the past and Harvey delivers another psychologically trenchant page-turner.
Review
"Harvey writes superbly about the startings and stoppings that define human relationships....Harvey belongs on the short list of every reader interested in the demilitarized zone where crime fiction and literature meet." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Yes, Charlie Resnick makes a cameo appearance, but Frank...is surely developing his own fan base and giving both Charlie and John Rebus a run for their money." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"What had begun as a deceptively simple disappearance turns into a complex story of psychological motivation and hatred. Devotees of British police procedurals will demand this." Library Journal
About the Author
John Harvey is the author of the richly praised Charlie Resnick novels, the first of which, Lonely Hearts, was named by The Times (London) as one of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the Century. His novels featuring Frank Elder include Flesh and Blood, which won the British Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger Award and a 2005 Barry Award, and Ash and Bone. Harvey lives in Great Britain.