Our Kind of Cruelty

Mike’s love for Verity, who has decided to marry someone else, is seen completely through Mike’s own thoughts as events develop towards an explosive climax. Mike’s love for Verity is a dark one, and one that struggles to separate delusion from reality, as it is obsessive.

Mike loves Verity with an all-consuming passion, but he is also a troubled man.

The narrative opens with a description of a sex game that he and Verity played, relayed from Mike’s point of view.  He then reveals that their relationship has broken up (following his period working in America).   He works in high level finance and is successful at making money, therefore earning enormous bonuses.   He has bought a large and very expensive house in London which he sees in terms of Verity’s taste; not his own.   His attitude to his work is interesting, as he enjoys manipulating figures on a balance sheet - but his ability to deal with other people is something he has had to learn, unlike his skills with numbers, which comes naturally.  

Everything is filtered through Mike’s perceptions.  His background as a child, (before he realised his ability with numbers) was totally bleak, and dark, so he clings to the memories of his relationship with Verity to comfort himself, even if at times it maybe delusion as opposed to reality.

What can the reader believe about this toxic love between Mike and Verity?  Are his memories real?

A climax is reached when a death occurs; and the following court proceedings form part of this disturbing narrative.

This is a psychological thriller of the highest quality. It is also very disturbing to read, as the turn of events that make for the dénouement not only surprise, but make one think long and hard.

This is a disturbing crime thriller, one that will leave traces in the reader’s memory for a long, long time.

Highly recommended.