Review by New York Times Review
IN FICTION, as in life, a violent crime can tear a family apart. In Karin Slaughter's PRETTY GIRLS (Morrow/HarperCollins, $27.99), a hell-raising thriller that departs from her previous soft-boiled investigative procedurals, a murder brings two estranged sisters back together - making them a much better target for a killer who's been stalking the whole family. Claire Scott's pampered existence as the prized wife of a wealthy Atlanta architect comes to a cruel end when her husband, Paul, is fatally stabbed during a mugging. Except for an icky tendency toward extravagant declarations of devotion, Paul seems like an O.K. guy. But when Claire searches his computer for his work files, she's horrified to discover graphic snuff films. And after finding her sister, Lydia, standing over Paul's grave and cursing him, she reconsiders the matter that has kept them apart for 18 years - her refusal to believe Lydia's claim that Paul tried to rape her. The plot perks up once Lydia (whose nickname was "Pepper" back in high school, when she was in a girl band) shows up, with her regret-filled history of too much drugs and liquor and one-night stands, as well as her prickly sense of humor. Hearing her teenage daughter's announcement that she has some bad news, Lydia's first guesses are: "pregnant, failing biology, gambling debts, meth habit, genital warts." And it's Lydia the hellion, not Princess Claire, who's still haunted by the loss of their sister, Julia, abducted during her freshman year of college. But once the sisters bond over those torture-porn videos, Claire takes the lead in exposing her husband's secret life and possibly criminal past. Slaughter executes a number of tricky plot twists, some clever and others preposterous. (Would the F.B.I. really offer witness protection to someone who's a "borderline psychopath"?) But all these sweaty maneuvers are in the service of a genuinely exciting narrative driven by strong-willed female characters who can't wait around until the boys shake the lead out of their shoes. IT'S BEEN AGES since there's been a serial killer in the English city of Brighton, where Peter James sets his fanatically well-researched police procedurals starring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. They don't know what they're missing - until an authentic specimen comes to this seaside resort in YOU ARE DEAD (Minotaur, $27.99) and begins doing unspeakable things to young women with long dark hair. There's plenty of explicit violence here, as there is in other novels in this series; but that's beside the point. Despite the horrific nature of the crimes, this is no guts-and-gore potboiler, but a meticulous study of police work as it's conducted at the station houses, crime scenes, mortuaries and forensic labs outside the big cities. (Among other fun facts, these cops have to be granted permission for the "use of firearms in a spontaneous incident.") Following the protocol for a good procedural, the narrative dotes on Roy Grace, but it also tracks the work done by other members of the homicide team, like his salt-of-the-earth partner, Detective Inspector Glenn Branson. In that soap opera D.S. Grace calls his life, he's still gaga over his second wife and their new baby, but there's a fascinating development involving the fate of his first wife, long missing and presumed dead. IN THE CHILD GARDEN (Midnight Ink, $24.99), Catriona McPherson draws a warmhearted character study of a woman who stoically copes with the truly awful hand fate has dealt her. Gloria Harkness works in (and lives alone near) the grounds of a nursing home that shelters both her severely handicapped son and the old woman whose generosity makes it possible for Gloria to board him there. But once upon a time the big country house was a private school called Eden - until a pupil died under mysterious circumstances. When an old schoolmate shows up on her doorstep, pursued by a stalker, Gloria takes him in and soon finds herself caught up in that sad, long-ago mystery. McPherson writes with the firm but delicate touch of a spider testing the strength of its web. Her account of what happens when good little children tell big, bad lies is a tale that shivers with suspense and more than a touch of horror. A LOST, FRIGHTENED boy confesses that he has just murdered his foster father, who was abusing his brother. Now what do you do with him? In Stuart Neville's bruising new novel, THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND (Soho Crime, $27.95), 12-year-old Ciaran Devine is sent to a Belfast prison, only to emerge seven years later as the same lost, frightened boy. During those years his older brother, Thomas, has grown into a vicious bully; once they're reunited, he firmly instructs Ciaran to distrust every figure of authority who tries to help him. These people are their enemies, even Paula Cunningham, Ciaran's kind and caring probation officer, and Detective Chief Inspector Serena Flanagan, who knows a child murderer when she sees one and doesn't think Ciaran fits the profile. Neville's books are dark but elegantly written case studies of the roots of violence, and here he writes thoughtfully, even tenderly, about children who come from the streets, go through the foster programs and the prison system, and are either reborn or dragged back into the sorrows that are their inheritance.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 4, 2015]
Review by Booklist Review
At age 12, Ciaran Devine confessed to bludgeoning to death his foster father, but Belfast Detective Sergeant Serena Flanagan didn't believe him. She thought that Thomas, Ciaran's older brother, committed the murder and convinced Ciaran to take the blame. Now, seven years later, Ciaran is released, and probation officer Paula Cunningham must oversee his reentry into society. But the dead man's biological son, who also believes the timorous Ciaran to be innocent, has become obsessed and erratic. Serena, who has just returned to work following surgery for breast cancer, still remains convinced Ciaran is innocent, prompting a clash with her superior, who accepted Ciaran's confession. Further tragedy is imminent. Neville (The Final Silence, 2014) always develops richly complex characters, and Serena, Paula, and the Devines certainly qualify. But Belfast itself, full of violence and tragedy, is also a primary character in his novels. This time, however, Neville devotes most of his attention to a surprisingly compassionate juvenile justice system. Those We Left Behind is psychologically astute, but many of Neville's fans may find themselves looking forward to the next deep dive into gritty, dangerous Belfast.--Gaughan, Thomas Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of this searing, deeply affecting psychological thriller set in Belfast from Edgar-finalist Neville (Ratlines), 19-year-old Ciaran Devine (aka the schoolboy killer) is released from prison after serving seven years for the murder of his foster father, David Rolston. Det. Chief Insp. Serena Flanagan always believed that Ciaran, then 12, confessed in order to protect his two-year-older brother, Thomas, who was convicted as an accessory and alleged that their foster father sexually abused Ciaran. Try as she might, Serena couldn't break Thomas's powerful hold on Ciaran. Now Thomas is also free, and Serena hopes she can put the case behind her once and for all. Meanwhile, Paula Cunningham, Ciaran's probation officer, is concerned with the media's rabid obsession with her new charge, as well as Ciaran's utter devotion to Thomas. Lurking on the sidelines is Daniel Rolston, David's biological son, who is set on revenge, certain that the wrong Devine brother confessed. Paula and Serena are soon comparing notes as violence escalates around the brothers and secrets from the past come to light. Neville demonstrates once again that he's a literary force to be reckoned with. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Associates. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
DCI Serena Flanagan is back at work on the Belfast police force after battling breast cancer. Earlier in her career, Flanagan worked the case of the schoolboy Devine brothers, who were arrested for viciously beating their foster father to death. The younger, Ciaran, confessed, but Flanagan was convinced it was actually the older brother, Thomas, who was guilty. Eight years later, the brothers are released and together again, making Ciaran's parole officer Paula Cunningham uneasy. Both women recognize the danger present and attempt to prevent what seem to be the inevitable consequences of the brothers' reunion. Verdict Through a sympathetic portrayal of his characters' motivations and feelings, award-winning Northern Irish crime writer Neville (The Ghosts of Belfast; Ratlines) has the gift of making us care about the fate of each of his creations, whether they are convicted killers, cops, or innocent bystanders. Another winner, this is fast-paced and intriguing to the very end. [Previewed in Kristi Chadwick's mystery spotlight feature "Not Your Usual Suspects," LJ 4/15/15.]-Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Irish writer Neville brings Detective Chief Inspector Serena Flanagan back on the job after she has recovered from breast cancer. Her first case involves 20-year-old Ciaran Devine, who, seven years prior, at age 12, confessed to the murder of his stepfather. He is released to a group home and will be under the care of probation officer Paula Cunningham. Flanagan-the officer in Ciaran's original case-is sure that it was Thomas, Ciaran's older brother, who committed the murder, and when a skirmish in the group home brings Flanagan back into Ciaran's life, she reflects on what might have gone wrong in the initial investigation and how to bring Thomas to light as the true murderer. But Ciaran, deeply tied to his sibling, refuses to answer any questions and sticks by his confession. The young men have a stepbrother, Daniel, who has been following their movements from afar and now waits for the right moment to confront them for killing his father. He has been slowly unraveling since his father's death and unknowingly sets into motion the series of events that force Flanagan to work even harder to release Ciaran from the bounds that Thomas has tied. She is thwarted at every corner by stifling rules, as well as the determination of three young men to be left alone with their secrets and their dreams of revenge. VERDICT Teen fans of mystery and psychological thrillers will root for Ciaran, hoping that he can overcome his circumstances.-Connie Williams, Petaluma High School, CA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two brothers bound by love and need repeat the deadly pattern of a past crime. Ciaran Devine was only 12 when he was convicted of killing his foster father. Seven years later, he's being released from the Young Offenders Centre into a world he's ill equipped to handle. Paula Cunningham, the probation officer assigned to his case, consults with DCI Serena Flanagan, who established a rapport with the boy after the murder. At the time, Flanagan had her doubts about his confession and about the allegations his older brother, Thomas, had made about David Rolston, a prosperous married man with a good home on the outskirts of Belfast, one child of his own, and the willingness to take care of children without familiesor perhaps exploit them. Flanagan was never sure who was actually being exploited. She had an inkling of the hold Thomas had over Ciaran and suspected that the younger boy took the fall for the older one. Although Thomas was convicted as an accessory, he drew a shorter sentence, has been out of prison for two years, and is waiting for his brother's release. Flanagan knows Ciaran needs someone to look after him; he's still a child in a man's body, unable to cope with even the simplest tasks on his own. She's not convinced, however, that Thomas is the best choice. Cunningham is trying to help him, though personal issues are keeping her from helping herself. And Flanagan, a cancer survivor, is supposed to be easing back into her job again, not being pulled back into an old crime. But it's not in her nature to take the easy way, especially when Rolston's son decides to make the Devine brothers sufferand sets off a nightmare that threatens to trap both Cunningham and Flanagan. Flanagan, who had a secondary role in The Final Silence (2014), takes center stage in a grim tale of dependence and obsession. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
