A sharply-written, tension-filled mystery full of twists readers won’t see coming…
Wilson combines a fast-paced plot with top-notch character development to create a brilliant police procedural in his latest installment in DCI Jane Birchfield. With her personal life in turmoil and Charles Aston, her boss and mentor, critically ill, Jane has her hands full. When Jamie Castleton, a young self-employed tech consultant and computer expert, is found murdered in a grubby internet cafe, Jane’s investigation leads her to Manchester’s biggest companies, Greaves, and its super-wealthy boss, Graeme Hargreaves. But a surprise twist in the investigation forces her to face up to an event in her own past that she has kept buried for more than two decades. Wilson adeptly incorporates the guilt and turmoil that Jane feels as she struggles to balance her personal life with her own high-set professional challenges. And in doing so, he gives Jane’s life a huge resonance. Credibility never flags as Wilson reveals the specifics of the event in Jane’s past, creating suspense as Jane struggles to stay objective. The relationship between Jane and Allan is etched in reality, the plotting is tight, and the careful pace never slows. Wilson matches assured prose with deep characterizations as he skillfully shines a light on his characters’ dilemmas, fears, and inner struggles. The plot twists keep coming, the ending is satisfyingly shocking, and the side characters are as convincing as the lead cast. Though Wilson delivers an emotional blitz in Jane’s story, the novel, with its meticulous investigation detail remains a police procedural at heart. This hard-to-put-down, intelligently delivered mystery is pure pleasure.
Whatever it takes
By Heaton Wilson
Matador
Pub date December 16, 2020
ASIN B08QW9FQWV
Price $5.47 (USD) Kindle edition, $18.32 Paperback
