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In the small, idyllic town of Whetlow, England, everyone knows each other’s names and business, creating a tightly knit community. Some of the residents begin to feel ill with migraine-like symptoms, their only commonality being recent proximity to a quiet but intense old man. Meanwhile, across the country, grizzly but precise and surgical murders of some seemingly random characters begin to unfold, with the killer leaving clues at each of the scenes. As the police try to discover the killer’s identity, they also learn more about the victims and their own illicit and deviant behaviors. The evidence points to a trained professional of some kind, but the lingering riddles and clues suggest something else entirely. As the mystery unfolds, the trail leads to a tragic history and vengeance that nobody would expect.
The combination of small-town dynamics, violent crime, and a touch of the mystic might remind some readers of some of the most beloved and tension-filled television series of the past few decades. Still, this story comes off as completely original and with its own twists and bends. Readers will find themselves trying to solve the puzzle on their own alongside the detectives and inspectors. Pacing out a strong mystery such as this can be a difficult task because the audience must often be shown details before they can be woven together. Yet even if there is an understanding of the who and why, the how is kept dangling tantalizingly out of reach in this story. Better yet, once all of the elements are revealed and in play, the race against time between the police and the culprit still keeps the action kinetic and gripping until the final page. Readers who love a crime drama but value the tension and mystery of realism will be sucked into this story from start to finish.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review