Reviewed by Chris
Longmuir
I came to this book with mixed feelings. On the one hand I like crime
stories, but on the other I’m not particularly drawn to army settings or army
life. Maybe it’s because we see so much in the national news about the army in
However, as soon as I started to read I was so drawn into the story that
I didn’t even register until I was quite some way through the book, that the
author was the narrator and she was telling the story, rather than the
characters showing the reader what was happening. I’m not a lover of the
omniscient point of view because I feel it puts a space between the story and
the reader, so it is a tribute to the author that she was writing in this style
but it wasn’t immediately obvious.
Her descriptive powers are impressive, whether that be descriptions of
the character, setting, or army life. I felt as if I was there, walking the
army camps with her, or maybe I should say, with her characters.
The story is set mainly at Aldershot Garrison and centres round the
return of a soldier from Afghanistan
who murders his wife, and child and then commits suicide. The investigation
throws up similar crimes at other garrisons and the growing belief that these
are not simply murder, suicides, but something a lot darker, involving the
church and possible cults. I will say no more as I don’t want to include
spoilers.
Her main character, Tom Crane, an army investigator, is particularly
well drawn. His mix of exasperation with army protocols while being very much
steeped in those protocols himself, came over very well. I did feel the pent up
anger that he exhibited most of the way through the book was at times overdone.
For example, when he vented that anger on his wife, treating her in a very
macho way and demeaning her role, I lost sympathy with him and positively
disliked him. However, bringing these feelings to the fore with the reader is
the mark of a good writer. But I would have preferred a less brutal way of
treating his wife, although he did redeem himself by the end of the book.
The story was well plotted with believable characters and it kept the
element of mystery to the forefront. I must say I did have my suspicions about
one character, although I wasn’t absolutely certain until the end. However, as
a crime reader and writer I think I am pretty good at detecting the red
herrings and misdirection that is all part and parcel of a good crime novel,
and I doubt whether most readers would actually guess correctly.
The ending was action packed and exciting, although I couldn’t help
thinking that with a different point of view – perhaps Tom Crane’s – the
element of suspense could have been ratcheted to a higher level.
In the main, however, this was a well written, absorbing book with
enough mystery and action to satisfy most readers of crime fiction.
Chris Longmuir
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