Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #818 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-25
• Binding: Paperback
• 720 pages

Jessica Mann, Literary Review
'Unusual and intelligent...described with great subtlety. The
detection element is cleverly done and the story genuinely exciting'

The Scotsman
'A meticulously plotted novel that is deeply unsettling'

Synopsis
'He was only a pupil, learning from a master who was uncompromising about the rules of the game he had invented. Normally he obeyed them, but with her the temptation had been too strong. Otherwise he was an adept pupil, becoming more skilled every time. This one would be his best, he was certain. Perhaps tonight he might...even...kill her.' Having survived a terrifying attack as part of an investigation, Sergeant Louise Nightingale retreats to her remote family cottage to lick her wounds, comforted in the knowledge that her attacker is behind bars. But when a serial killer starts terrorising the country, her colleague, DCI Andrew Fenwick, questions whether or not they have the right man. For Nightingale, the true nightmare has only just begun...Spine-tingling suspense with a dark underbelly of psychological terror - this is a book you will not dare put down.

Customer Reviews

too long by half
I was not gripped by this story. It is too long, the writing style is clumsy ("he looked like a stick insect with a fungus invading its face")and the plot relies too much on handy coincidences: finding a box of evidence in a loft; finding a key piece of information from a character who "just happened" to overhear the detective's conversation etc. etc. Also there are more flushes: "he flushed deeply" "a flush spread over her face" than a rain interval at Wimbolden. As with many British crime stories, it lacks pace and conciseness and rambles unconvincingly into quaint village life, while the policemen miss obvious clues and make unrealistic assumptions. The psychology is poor and it just fails to convince on any level really. If it had been half the length and heavily trimmed there might have been something there, but I'm sorry to say - having read the other reviews - that i was very disappointed.

Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant!!
I do not know how I didn't find this author sooner. But browsing around I found someone comment on how this was not one to miss. Im so pleased I read Grave Doubts, it was full on from page one.

A crime thriller, that keeps the midnight oil burning and a good sleep deprivator!!

Excellent, a must read for any crime reader.

Outstanding!!
I don't know how I managed to miss the first book from this author. This book is her second, and it flows beautifully. Her characterisiations are interesting to read and apart from a few minor errors that perhaps should have been picked up, when proof read, this was an all round delight.

If you like your thrillers with serial killers and a hint of reality then this is one for you. The graphic nature of this novel holds your attention without allowing the mind to drift away as a result of inane descriptions.

I am reading her other books at the moment and will be waiting impatiently for the new one due to be launched in July. A must read in this genre.