‘He’s no danger to anybody. He’s served his time. He should never have been locked up in the first place.’
A new novel from David Mark? The beginning of a new series? I immediately put up my hand to read this. The novel is set in Cumbria in the north of England. Meet Salome (Sal) Delaney. After an abusive childhood, which ended with her mother Trina’s murder, Sal has tried to put the past behind her. In the prologue at the beginning of the novel we learn that Wulfric (Wulf) Hagman, Trina’s former lover, was arrested for Trina’s murder. He was found guilty and gaoled. Time has passed. Sal and her siblings are now adults, Wulf has been released from gaol, and Sal is a Collision Investigation Officer.
A car accident after a snowstorm sees Sal called to the scene. She recognises the body found in the car: it is Barry Ford, the man for whom her mother left Wulf. It soon becomes clear that Ford was murdered and Wulf, who lives close by, is an obvious suspect.
Sal, who never believed that Wulf killed her mother, finds herself drawn back into the past. The memories she tried so hard to bury threaten to overwhelm her. Who murdered Barry Ford? And if Wulf did not murder Trina, who did? Can Sal, and others involved at the time, trust their memories?
Gritty. A disturbing story, told from several viewpoints which includes mental health issues, as well as partner and child abuse. And the ending? Well, I did not anticipate that.
I am keenly awaiting the second book in this series.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Tasmanian Bibliophile @Large 