Author:Hilary Bonner
John Kelly, once a reporter, always a maverick, has become embroiled in the mystery surrounding a series of disturbing deaths at a tough army training base in the heart of Dartmoor. Several young men and women have died suddenly and tragically, mostly from gunshot wounds that the army claims to have been self-inflicted. There is a plausible explanation for each death individually, but when put together these explanations look very suspicious indeed.
Kelly takes his concerns to his old friend Detective Superintendent Karen Meadows and together they attempt to break through the wall of secrecy the army has erected. Their involvement in what they come to believe is a major conspiracy, coupled with upheaval and tragedy in their own personal lives, brings them closer than ever before. But when powerful men in high places try to silence the ex-journalist in a shocking and unexpected manner, this threatens to be the investigation which could finally finish John Kelly for good...
The master of the clever twist
—— Sunday TelegraphGoddard rarely disappoints... Meticulous planning, well-drawn characters and an immaculate sense of place... A satisfying number of twists and shocks along the way
—— The TimesWhen it comes to duplicity and intrigue, Goddard is second to none... A master of manipulation
—— Daily MailOne of Britain's finest thriller writers
—— Time OutCombines the expert suspense manipulation skills of a Daphne du Maurier romance with those of a John Le Carre thriller
—— The New York TimesWe could recognise her characters as easily as our colleagues if we saw them on the bus . . . an absorbing, portentfull depiction of Italian society, where superstition and old taboos still exert a powerful grip. Brunetti is in typically quizzical form. Shrewd yet appealingly emotional, he acts as a seductive guide to a country, and a city, depicted as slowly sinking under the weight of legal sleight-of-hand and pernicious networks of influence among the great and the good
—— Rosemary Goring , The HeraldA welcome addition to a hugely popular series with an unparalleled feel for the glorious city of Venice
—— Waterstones Books QuarterlyWonderful
—— Mirror