THE MOST DIFFICULT CASE OF DETECTIVE JACKMAN’S LIFE. WHO ARE THE GUILTY ONES AND IS ANYONE REALLY INNOCENT? THIS TIME IT’S VERY PERSONAL FOR JACKMAN.

Jackman’s sister-in-law Sarah disappears to London and throws herself into the river. What drove her to this? She was a woman with a seemingly happy home life and two beloved sons.

DI Jackman and DI Evans dig into Sarah’s life. And Jackman realises he knew almost nothing about his sister-in-law’s past.

Then, they discover a woman in a neighbouring village died in similar circumstances.

What is the connection to a convicted murderer whose family are convinced he is innocent? Who is really pulling the strings?

DI JACKMAN AND DS EVANS OF THE FENLAND POLICE FACE A BATTLE AGAINST THEIR MOST DANGEROUS AND DEADLY ADVERSARY.

And in a case so close to home can Jackman keep his feelings under control?

Full of twists and turns, this is a crime mystery that will keep you turning the pages until the thrilling ending. Set in the atmospheric Lincolnshire Fens whose isolated villages hide many dark secrets.

Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Sarah A. Denzil, Robert Bryndza, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons, Colin Dexter, or Ruth Rendell.

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When you know where love lies, true, selfless love, you can also destroy. That was the source of his power. Love as a lethal weapon.”

This was so weird. I love books like this. A bit of suspense. A bit of investigation. A bit of murder. But I just couldn’t get into it. It’s a DNF for me.

The story starts when DI Jackman’s sister-in-laws commits suicide. This is out of character to her and as the family are starting to grieve suspicions are raised when there is a second out of character suicide. As the investigation continues it becomes apparent that the two dead women were witnesses to an event that occurred decades before.

The plot was overdone (and overused) – the detectives and the bad guy are all too keen to point out that he is the first person to think of murdering people by forcing them to commit suicide. It almost feels like a smug comment in spite of the fact this is something that has been seen on both TV and in literature. The dialogue felt strangely forced and formal and I struggled to imagine any one speaking to one another in the way the characters in the book did. The plot felt strangely contrived in places (who recognises a character from a drawing by a seven year old?). By the time the cliffhanger at the end came around I no longer particularly cared. To be honest I rushed through the end of this book as I wanted it to be over.

The villain does not get caught, so we can know that there will be a sequel to this dreadful book, plodding plot, callow characters and all.