Kerry Hood was in publishing for many years, working in publicity for several publishers over the time, working on fiction and non-fiction titles. Crime and thrillers have always been those she turns to first, however, and the ones she reads late at night or when she has a quiet moment.
Gytha Lodge’s first crime books were set in the openness of the New Forest, but this new standalone thriller takes place in the historic alleys, streets and colleges of Cambridge – and it should further cement her reputation as a novelist.
The story follows Anna, a young investigative journalist on the trail of why two college students have been found dead. She is convinced that they have been murdered, and so she goes undercover to infiltrate the circle of friends that one of them, Holly, was part of. What muddies the water is that the other dead girl was the sister of Anna’s policeman boyfriend. Or ex – as her obsession with the deaths has overwhelmed both him and their relationship.
As she works her way into the inner circle of college friends, she discovers emotions and tensions that are edgy and raw, and not all caused by exams and the anniversary of Holly’s death – the May Ball.
Reid, her ex, is contacted by Anna’s father when she seems to have disappeared. Reid is part of the Met, so must tread carefully not to overstep his lack of authority with the Cambridge police – who are not interested in a missing student - as well as to avoid any emotional upheaval of his own. He comes on board finally when he realises she might, indeed, be in very real danger. It seems he is her only hope of rescue and survival.
The story is told in three voices, Anna’s, Reid’s and Seaton’s. Her father is working hard on their relationship which was soured after his divorce from her mother, and whilst not wanting to push her away, he worries enough to have brought in Reid to help.
It is clever writing. The reader is kept up to date by Anna’s notes to Reid which he has found, and her evolving suspicions give the detective impetus and direction. Reid, in turn gives us the action as he closes in on his own suspicions, whilst older Seaton adds weight and knowledge to the equation. He is a man with friends in high places and can pull strings, although when it comes down to it, all their suspicions are turned over and again, and changing emotional currents shift the blame from one person to another, until the final violent reveal comes in with a beautifully crafted unexpected twist.
This is an excellent and ultimately satisfying novel.
