Review: Tightly written, intelligent thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 23, 2013
With the grisly discovery of a child's corpse in London's Hackney Marshes, DCI Morton and his team are under pressure to find the killer before he can strike again. Except first, Morton has to ascertain the dead child's identity, and, even more perplexing, why no-one has reported him missing.As Morton and his team are about to discover the horrifying truth behind the mystery of Hackney Marshes, disaster strikes. Morton's personal life is destroyed, and he faces financial ruin and professional disgrace. In his bid to ensure that a child denied life will have dignity in death, Morton becomes more determined than ever to ensure justice is done. However, he has underestimated the ruthlessness of the gang he and his team are up against: a mistake which will cost one of his colleagues the ultimate price.Fans of tightly written, intelligent thrillers are in for a treat. This satisfyingly complex fast paced police procedure chases down lead after lead, producing twists and turns guaranteed to keep readers engaged and turning pages long after their bedtimes. Every scene, from courtrooms to London's famous Camden Market, springs to life from the page. Experts on insect behaviour, barristers, physiologists, social workers, market traders, and fraud investigators are among the many characters deftly portrayed. The authors' faithful reporting of the UK's criminal justice system and police procedure garnishes the novel with a gritty realism throughout. I became one of Morton's team, cheering them on from the sidelines; holding my breath as each new clue was investigated and deciphered, especially when new evidence served only to deepen the mystery. I've no doubt DCI Morton will gain many more new fans; this London based copper has earned his place among the great literary detectives.