My Review (5 stars out of 5)
Following a night out, a mother arrives home to find her son strangled, his body laid in the bath and decorated with flowers. The murder sets Inspector Vera Stanhope on an investigation but she soon has another body to deal with – one that replicates the stylized setting of the first killing.
This is the third book in the Vera Stanhope series, and it gets off to a chilling start. The story takes in several individuals who may or may not have something to hide, including a university lecturer with a passion for botany. Set against the Northumbrian coastline, we see Vera digging into family secrets, uncovering lies and deceptions as she moves closer to catching the killer. As always, the author’s description of the landscape is a delight, adding its own character to the story.
A completely absorbing and clever thriller.
Colin Garrow 