“The dead cannot speak”.
When a man is found hanging from a tree not far from the police HQ in Cambridgeshire, a note attached to his trouser leg implies this could be more than the run of the mill suicide.
DI Manon Bradshaw is pulled from cold cases to head the investigation, but juggling the unpredictable hours of a murder case with family life soon sees Manon’s home life struggling.
With pressure from the top to close the case, the poverty endured by migrant workers and the anti-immigrant sentiment in the area growing heated, can Manon untangle the case and solve more than one crime?
I have said before that although this is a police procedural series, the emphasis on the character development is monumental. Therefore, I never find the criminal storyline ever quite packs the punch that others in this genre do. But that is ok, because, how can you not love Manon?
Manon is a female protagonist quite unlike any other, she tears down the barriers imposed by womanhood. This say it how it is, rough around the edges copper, facing and fearing middle-age pangs of normalcy. She is highly relatable, making decisions and following her gut sometimes without thinking, which often finds her in hot water amongst her peers and superiors.
If there is one thing I love in a book, it is high quality banter, which this series has in droves. Particularly between Manon and Davy, and their quirky relationship really shines through in this instalment. Both are experiencing personal issues this time around; the commitment to the job taking a toll on their families. The author often conveys this to the reader ‘soundlessly’ through inner monologues and rambling thoughts, another method that lends a feeling of reality and personal engagement.
As far as the murder plot goes, it’s a fairly fundamental ‘whodunnit’. The clues are unravelled and followed to a just, if somewhat tidy, conclusion. I found this case was much grittier and essentially darker than those of it’s predecessors, but it was the neatness with which it was tied up that left me feeling a tad disappointed. Especially as, after a little online research I believe this to be the last of the series, I was hoping for a more resolute rather than rushed ending. Perhaps the author is leaving the door open for possibility. I hope so, as I would like to continue Manon’s journey.
I have seen many reviews claim this is perfectly readable as a stand alone novel, I would highly recommend starting at the beginning, as this is a series that very much favours following character growth over suspenseful crime.
** Thanks to The Borough Press, via NetGalley, for this ARC **
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