The discovery of the mutilated body of a young
white boy brings to light the possibility of a serial killer at large in
Apart from the complexity of the case and the
pressure of possibly more killing, Lynley is
constantly trying to keep AC Sir David Hillier off his back. But Hillier wants fast action and brings in
profiler Dr Hamish Robson.
Investigations into the backgrounds of the dead
boys throws up a link - an organisation called Colossus that aims to help young
offenders find some direction in life. The director is Ulrike Ellis who is
passionately protective of Colossus and although initially hostile decides to
conduct her own investigation, which doesn’t sit well with her colleagues.
The tangle of personal
relationships are very central to the power of the book. Lynley and his wife Helen are expecting their first child,
and as both come from very old traditional families, the decision of
which family’s christening gown should be worn is a major
stumbling block to family peace. Barbara Havers has
struck up a relationship of sorts with her neighbour
Taymullah Aznar but
falls unwittingly foul of his beliefs when she takes his daughter Haddiyah on a shopping trip to
The only drawback for me is the
pages and pages of monologue of the serial killer - I know this is an accepted method of
writing, and judging from the sales of the books that employ this feature it is
obviously successful, but I can’t
get my head around why anyone would be interested in the ravings of a deranged
mind. Having said that the writing is excellent - some of the passages I found
very moving. For fans of this series
there is a shocking tragedy, but I will say no more..
Diane Bishop did a credible job with
the characters but was most successful with Barbara Havers.
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Lizzie Hayes