Synopses & Reviews
In this masterful debut that starts off as a mystery and becomes much more, Tora Hamilton is an outsider at her new home on the rocky, wind-swept Shetland Islands, a hundred miles from the northeastern tip of Scotland. Though her husband grew up here, its the first time hes been back in twenty years. Digging in the peat on their new property, Tora unearths a human body, at first glance a centuries-old bog body, interesting but not uncommon. But realizing that the body is in fact much newer, that the womans heart has been cut out and that she was killed within a few days of bearing a child, Tora, herself an obstetrician, becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her—even when the police, her colleagues and eventually her husband warn her against getting involved.
Reading town records and researching local lore, Tora discovers a disturbing link to ancient Shetland legend and uncovers a collection of deep, dark secrets---the kind of secrets worth killing for.
Sacrifice is a bone-chilling, spell-binding debut that will grip readers from its beginning to its startling end.
Review
Advance Praise for Sacrifice
“Inspired by an eerie ancient legend, Sacrifice is a chilling, mesmerizing debut thriller. S. J. Bolton is one to watch.”
---Tess Gerritsen, author of The Bone Garden
“This slick, fast-moving thriller has a cracking opening scene and goes on to develop into a gripping story of intrigue and adventure . . . . An interesting and skillful debut.”
---Margaret Yorke, author of Cause for Concern
“Part forensic thriller, part medical thriller, Sacri?ce combines both elements to great effect in this atmospheric and original debut.”
---Simon Beckett, author of Written in Bone
“A really creepy plot based on one of the Shetland Islands nastier legends . . . The combination of folklore and forensics works well, and the story grabs from the very beginning and holds on tight.”
---Literary Review
Review
Praise for Sacrifice
“The page-turner of the summer . . . Extraordinary.”
—The Denver Post
“A chilling story . . . The plot never loses interest, the setting is beautiful . . . and the characters are well drawn. This is S. J. Boltons first book. I hope its the first of many.”
—The Charlotte Observer
“Brilliant plot with mythic overtones. . . . This promising new talent delivers some profound insights into the eternal nature of evil.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Synopsis
Part forensic-thriller, part medical-thriller, "Sacrifice" combines both elements to great effect in this atmospheric and original debut--Simon Beckett.
Synopsis
In this masterful debut that starts off as a mystery and becomes much more, Tora Hamilton is an outsider at her new home on the rocky, wind-swept Shetland Islands, a hundred miles from the northeastern tip of Scotland. Though her husband grew up here, its the first time hes been back in twenty years. Digging in the peat on their new property, Tora unearths a human body, at first glance a centuries-old bog body, interesting but not uncommon. But realizing that the body is in fact much newer, that the womans heart has been cut out and that she was killed within a few days of bearing a child, Tora, herself an obstetrician, becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her—even when the police, her colleagues and eventually her husband warn her against getting involved.
Reading town records and researching local lore, Tora discovers a disturbing link to ancient Shetland legend and uncovers a collection of deep, dark secrets---the kind of secrets worth killing for.
Sacrifce is a bone-chilling, spell-binding debut that will grip readers from its beginning to its startling end.
About the Author
S. J. Bolton grew up in Lancashire, England, and now lives near Oxford with her family. Sacrifice, her first novel, was inspired by her fascination with British traditional folklore. Visit her online at www.sjbolton.com.