Killer on the wall is a very dark psychological thriller.I felt it chugged along at the beginning but soon gained pace and I kept changing my mind on who the killer was .I loved the tension in the final chapters .I thoroughly enjoyed this book .

"It wasn't over. It had only just begun."

That quote is a little overly dramatic and cliched, and I'm afraid there is a lot of that in The Killer on the Wall. What starts off as an interestingly original thriller concept soon gets let down by the fairly unrealistic plot. If you suspend belief it's an enjoyable enough read and an interesting look at the science and debate around the makings of serial killers.

I chose to read The Killer on the Wall because of the author Emma Kavanagh and because the premise of a serial killer leaving bodies at Hadrian's wall hooked me. Unfortunately both things were a bit of a let down. I've never read any Emma Kavanagh before but I've heard good reviews of her other books so I thought I'd give this one a try. Unfortunately, the plot was just a bit too unbelievable and I didn't think it stood out much in the overflowing genre of serial killer thrillers. Similarly, The Killer on the Wall kicks off well; small village community terrorised by serial killer, that's right up my street. But it loses momentum and doesn't keep up it's good beginning.

I don't like posting bad reviews, because I understand the work that goes into a novel, but I also want to be honest. There were elements of The Killer on the Wall that I liked; I thought the focus on psychopaths and Isla's investigation into the science behind them was interesting. It looks at the question of nature versus nurture which I've always been fascinated with.

This book had such potential but got let down by an overly dramatic plot with some too good to be true deductions. Also, there are quite a few twists but I did guess most of them, and I'm generally not brilliant at guessing whodunnit.

Looking at Goodreads, this book seems to have mixed reviews, some are like me and feel it's a bit predictable, while others have given it 5 stars and rave about it. I'm afraid I can't give it that many stars, though.

My Rating: 2/5

However, having heard such good things about Emma Kavanagh I'd still like to read some of her other books.

I received a digital copy of The Killer on the Wall via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the author and the publisher.

Twenty years ago, a small village on the edge of Hadrian’s Wall was left shocked and scarred by a series of murders.  Eventually, the killer was caught, but people were never the same again.  Each did what they could to cope, some better than others, and to forget – though it seems that wasn’t really possible.
For Isla – who found three of the victims – coping has meant looking the evil she came across that day in the eye.  She is a forensic psychologist, studying the brains of serial killers to try and understand why they kill and if she can stop it.  It’s something her husband (and the only survivor of the Killer on the Wall), Ramsey, doesn’t understand…he is looking for a “normal” life, one free from stress, danger and – maybe – with a few kids running around. Isla, though, can’t help herself, meeting with the very person who nearly ended Ramsay’s life – Heath McGowan (aka The Killer on the Wall).
It might be a coincidence, it might not, but whilst Isla is meeting with Heath, a body is being found – propped against Hadrian’s Wall, just like the bodies twenty years previously – and the hunt is on for a new killer.   Leading the case, Isla’s father (the local policeman who caught Heath and is now police superintendent) and her best friend Mina.
It’s the way of small towns / villages, everyone is connected and as the case progresses, things get messy.  No one is sure if the killings are being directed by Heath somehow, if it’s a copycat killing, or (even worse) was the wrong man put away first time.  I have to say, I wasn’t sure myself – right through to the end when the killer was revealed (bit of a shock I didn’t see coming at all!).  I loved all the guessing and how I started to distrust pretty much everyone at some point.
I loved the way the story was told too, “travelling” from person to person and telling a bit of their story and what they were up to…dropping clues for me to pick up.  I know it’s something that a lot of authors do, alternating chapters, but this felt more like snapshots in time and I thought it was well done.  I got to hear the voices of each person involved and make my own decisions on whether I liked them…and, more importantly, trusted them.
There is lots of love going on here I realise and that’s how I felt about The Killer on the Wall – I loved it.  It was a great story, simple and effective, with great characters, great pace and a killer ending (pun intended).  Highly recommended!

The Killer on the Wall Emma Kavanagh


The population of a tight knit town on the Scottish borders is left terrified when three bodies are found propped against Hadrian’s Wall.

Over the next two weeks more bodies are found and then Heath McGowan is found and arrested by Sergeant Eric Bell.

Twenty years later the young girl, 15-year-old Isla Bell, who found the first bodies is now a Criminal Psychologist.

For twenty year’s the sleepy town of Briganton has tried its best to get over its notoriety, bus-loads of tourists still visit the site where the bodies were found, and the occasional documentary team arrive to record a program.

Dr Isla is carrying out a study into Serial Killers using MRI technology to measure their brain functions. At last she has the chance to interview and examine McGowan, The Wall Killer.

And that’s is when the murders start again.

Sergeant Eric Bell, now celebrity cop Superintendent Eric Bell, takes charge of the new investigation but seems to be frustratingly stubborn in his opinions and ways.

Detective Constable Mina Arian, a recent transferee from the Met, doubts Bell and begins to investigate both series of killings. Is the right person in prison, did he have an accomplice, or is there really a copy-cat killer on the rampage.

This story is told via the eyes of three main protagonists.

Isla, the girl that finds the first bodies, and is now the insecure Criminal Psychologist, who is afraid of the dark, and her own shadow at times.

Ramsey, Isla’s husband who was a survivor of the first attack when the tree bodies were left against the wall.

Mina the Detective Constable that was born in Iraq bit moved to London with her family when she was 4. The woman that is badgered by her mother, the cop that thinks everybody else is looking in the wrong direction.

Each of these main protagonists have a great story. All of them are conflicted in themselves, but seem to be spiralling around a conclusion they don’t want to recognise.

This is a great story.

A psychological thriller that kept me reading from the first page right up to the end.

A story that managed to surprise me in the last couple of chapters.

A story that left me wanting another instalment.

Summer holidays are coming, and people are going to be looking for a poolside book. Don’t wait, get it now. You won’t be disappointed.

Isla was just fifteen when she came across three dead bodies sat up against Hadrian’s Wall. Alongside them was the brother of one of the victims, injured but still alive. Isla ran to get help from her father Sergeant Eric Bell and he made it his mission to find out who committed this atrocity in the small town community of Briganton. Life was never the same again, the scars of the events of 1995 never quite healing.
In the present day Isla is Professor of Criminal Psychology, her way of trying to ensure that future killers are stopped before they inflict any damage. She is currently involved in a project to scan the brains of serial killers to see what, if any difference, she can find to contrast their make-up to the vast majority of the population who don’t feel the urge to kill others.
It is no great surprise that one of the candidates for her study is Heath McGowan the man convicted of the terrible crimes that she discovered. Isla has had to overcome her fear, she does it daily, running the same path along the wall to banish those demons from twenty years ago but will she be able to face up to this particular psychopath? Imagine Isla’s horror shared with the rest of the small community, when another victim is found positioned in a similar pose to those of all those years ago.
The face of the Police investigation should be Eric Bell whose career flourished after he found the killer back in 1995 but I was far more entranced by Detective Constable Mina Arian who wasn’t afraid to follow her instincts in coming up with an explanation why the killings have started again.
As with all her previous books Emma Kavanagh draws heavily on her background in psychology, having gained a PhD in the subject at Cardiff University, and so you can rest assured this is not pop psychology but the real deal. It is this underlying truth that make her books so fascinating. The Killer on the Wall is fundamentally about psychopaths and in part how to first spot them (face it, you will know at least one) and to know that they will lie and cheat to get what they want no matter the cost to others. Fortunately for the rest of us, not all psychopaths need to kill us but nevertheless this is a book that hits that nerve where you realise that even in a community where everyone knows each other, you’re not as safe as you would like to believe.
The plot is not as fast moving as in the author’s previous books but as I’ve mentioned before, I’ve come to appreciate the slower pace which gives you time to reflect on the knowledge gained so far and I firmly believe that it is this pace that gives headroom for those deep-seated fears so the tension comes from as much within the reader as the words on the page – far more scary!!
I'd like to thank Arrow for providing me with an ARC of The Killer on the Wall, this review is my thanks to them and the immensely talented Emma Kavanagh - thank you for providing me with a real mystery set in a small town where everyone is under suspicion whilst the majority are terrified out of their wits.

"It began with the bodies." Yep, if ever there was an opener to get me hooked immediately this has to be darn near perfect. Just five words that's pretty much all it took for me to know that I was going to love The Killer on the Wall, and I certainly never deviated from that feeling. It also helped, and I know this has no actual bearing on the story at all but, I had to look up the meaning of a word, and I love it when that happens - I like learning new words, I'm odd like that!

Anyway, digressing again sorry. The plot is engaging and whilst the murders are quite tame really, the impact on the inhabitants of Briganton was plain to see. I got a real sense of a place infamous for events that nowhere would want to be associated with, and the recent murders are an unwelcome reminder of the past as well as a devastating force on the present community.

We're led through the story by several key characters who are written with a style which makes them easily identifiable. I found myself gripped by each aspect - Mira Arian the detective in charge of the case who believes that the original murders may have been committed by someone working alongside the convicted and incarcerated Heath McGowan. Mina obviously isn't afraid to question and to work outside the box sometimes, and she will be a wasted character if she doesn't make another appearance in a future novel. Then there's Isla Bell, professor of criminal psychology, who not only is conducting studies on the psychopathic brain of murderers including Heath, but who is the daughter of the hero who arrested McGowan, and the girl who discovered the grisly remains of the three victims, saving the life of her now-husband Ramsey - the boy the killer on the wall didn't manage to murder. Indeed I reckon Isla Bell and Mina Arian pretty much make up the dream team of murder hunters, and it's nice to see some strong female characters wrapped up in an enthralling case.

The plot is twisty and turny enough to have kept me guessing, and like most good books I suspected at least three of the characters at various stages of the tale. Yes one of them was correct before you think me so flaky! I'm quite glad my detective skills are working at some base level at least!

I found the writing style really accessible, there was the right amount of tension to have me reaching for the snacks (yes, stress-eating crisps of Malteasers is a well-known phenomenon) and enough suspense that I always wanted to read more. I have great hopes that this one does well, I'll definitely be recommending it to anyone who will listen. It's terrific. It's out now - grab a copy!

I have looked forward to reading The Killer on The Wall for a while now and I wasn't disappointed. Emma Kavanagh has played to her strengths again and based her serial killer thriller in a close knit community where everyone seems to be linked to the crimes committed 20 years ago. Can everyone be trusted especially now it looks like the murders have started up again? And how and why are they happening if the Killer on the Wall is now locked away from society for his crimes.

This is the sort of book where everyone seems like they could be a suspect and we learn to trust no one. Due to the location (which I loved by the way) there was a fabulously claustrophobic atmosphere with all the characters preparing to come together even though their fears were that the murderer was one of their own.

I found this an easy read in a way. I was gripped by the plot details and fascinated by the murderers stylish method of displaying his victims so I read it in one suspense filled session which seemed to fly by as I hardly even raised my head. I had my suspicions about who was responsible but with red herrings galore, I was never able to quite convince myself I was right....Which is just as well as I wasn't!

I enjoyed The Killer on The Wall more than the authors last book The Missing Hours which took me longer to get into. This one is more on a par with Falling and Hidden so if you enjoyed the writing style of those then you will love this one too.

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel; a murder mystery/psychological thriller which opens with the discovery of bodies propped up against Hadrian's Wall. Why have they been stage set, who's killed them and what's the connection? Fast forward some years and there are more deaths. But the killer from the first series of deaths is behind bars. People affected by the original crime are involved, in a number of ways, in the current killings.

Emma Kavanagh does well at scene setting and creating an intense and introspective atmosphere. The small, rural community feels cold, bleak and isolated. But somehow it doesn't quite come together. The reader is asked to stretch credulity just a little too far. I had little empathy for the main character; the best character is a female police officer who works with her gut instinct and sticks to her beliefs about connections. But even her presence in the village seems contrived.

I don't like to think too much about the possible outcome as I'm reading, but the story had a real sense of going round the same circle, but from a different narrative point. Whilst that added some detail, it occasionally felt rather leaden as a plot device. Despite a kind of staccato delivery of some scenes, short sentences didn't really keep the pace moving. I'd certainly try another book by Emma Kavanagh, but this one doesn't quite hit the spot for me.

My thanks to the publisher for an advance review copy via Netgalley.

The Killer on the Wall by Emma Kavanagh

Twenty years ago Isla Bell’s life changed forever when she found the remains of three murdered people propped against Hadrian’s Wall, as if they had chosen to spend forever sitting beside its stones. More murders were to follow but the small community of Briganton was finally able to let out its breath when the murderer was caught and put away by none other than Isla’s detective father, Sergeant Eric Bell.

Twenty years on, Sergeant Bell is now a Superintendent, while Isla is a forensic psychologist, attempting to identify from medical scans what it is that makes a serial killer keep on killing. One of her subjects is the infamous killer on the wall but even outside work she cannot escape the memories of the past. Briganton is such a small village, everyone knows everybody else – the innocent and the guilty. And then it happens again. All these years later, with the murderer locked away, another body is found against the Wall. And then there’s another…

Emma Kavanagh is one of those authors whose books I long to read. She writes unusual, distinct and clever crime mysteries, each standing alone, asking questions about identity and relationships, to one another, to communities and to the places in which one lives. With The Killer on the Wall, the author has done it again. She has created yet another completely immersive and addictive crime thriller that is driven by its people and its location.

The narrative moves between stories, showing us the devastating impact of these crimes on Briganton by shifting perspectives. Most of the time is spent moving between Isla and Mina, a detective who leads the investigation into this new set of murders. While I enjoyed Isla, Mina is by far my favourite character in the book. She constantly fascinates and intrigues, not least because of her complicated relationship with her boss, Superintendent Eric Bell.

Briganton is an extraordinarily close village, edging up against the defining barrier of Hadrian’s Wall. There’s a sense that this is a place that has been around for millennia and, just as the Wall has been here for so long, so too has the evil of man. Briganton is more than notorious; it is believed to be cursed. And yet people like Isla and Mina cannot live away from it. People might leave it for a while but they always return. Such is the force of the location in this intense novel.

My one issue with the novel is in some ways a side-effect of one of its strengths – this small and remote community is all we have. While that gives Killer on the Wall its mood and intricate relationships, it also gives the story its coincidences and limited pool of suspects. It’s as if everyone we meet is either a victim, suspect or murderer. I did guess the outcome as a result. Nevertheless, this beautifully written novel is bleakly atmospheric and compelling throughout, tied to its stunning yet bleak location, and driven on by its rich line-up of characters. It’s irresistible.

Other reviews
Falling
Hidden
The Missing Hours

I usually really enjoy this author's books but for some reason I just couldn't gel with The Killer on Wall. I found the initial part of the book quite slow going and unfortunate I guessed the ending quite early on. I was looking for some twists and turns in this book but sadly felt that it didn't deliver. Thank you for the chance to review.

I loved The Missing Hours so much that I really jumped at the chance to read Emma Kavanagh’s new novel The Killer On The Wall. Maybe my expectations were too high after the previous one because in this novel I did find a few things that kept me from falling in love like the first time.

There are 2 investigating characters in The Killer On The Wall: Mina who’s a detetective and Isla, the woman who found the first victims of Heath McGowan at the Wall 20 years ago. Isla has dedicated her life and work into the research of psychopaths brain scans. She has tested and MRI’d plenty of convicted killers and she now even sees the Killer On The Wall eye to eye because he agreed to her request.

Then new victims are made with the same MO as before. Coincidence, I think not! But is it a copycat or did Heath instruct someone in prison to mess with the community of Briganton after all these years?

The author makes a lot of suggestions and steered me into one direction for a suspect on the outside only to change direction again in another chapter. I felt myself on a carousel after a while. Although I read this novel with lots of questions on my mind too, most of what was offered didn’t really convince me as a motive and I wasn’t really buying any it. I didn’t know who, why or how but I trusted my own instinct and definitely knew there was something wrong with the picture that was being proferred. When all was finally said and done, the ending was not entirely surprising for me, simply because so many were already suspected and dismissed. What I found a bit strange was there wasn’t much of a motive for the actual killer either and I had high hopes actually for an explanation why these people, and these people in particular, were targeted.

I’m afraid I have to admit that on top of this, I also had a bit of difficulty to fully connect with Isla and Mina, although from both of them I liked detective Mina most. She’s unrelentless in her perusal through boxes and in her investigation she doesn’t want to give up even if it means taking risks and doing unfavourable things. She’s looking for the truth and she will find it, even if it means she’s got to put her own feelings aside.

My overall conclusion is that this was a okay read and there’s no question that she’s a good writer but this one just didn’t tick all the boxes for me. I’m not giving up though and I still look forward to reading her next novel.

Excellent book with great characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book.

This was an engrossing read which kept me gripped to the end despite the annoyance of repeated missing spaces between words!

Finding a dead body is certainly a shock so finding three must be truly horrendous! That is what happened to fifteen-year-old Isla Bell when she discovered the remains of three people propped up against Hadrian’s Wall. Fast forward twenty years and Isla is working in forensic psychology, studying the minds of serial killers and , in the course of her work, has come fact to face with the man convicted of those killings. Then the killings start again. Everyone in the town is a suspect but who exactly is the Killer on the Wall?

I was drawn to this book immediately after reading the blurb and couldn’t wait to read it. There is definitely a touch of the macabre about bodies being posed after death and so it sounded like it was going to be a thrilling read. Initially, I found The Killer on the Wall quite difficult to get into and I found myself skipping through the parts where Isla was carrying out the tests on the convicted murderer. Although this part of the story plays a big part in the plot, this was definitely my least favourite part.

Once the first body of the second wave of killings is discovered, the pace really picked up and I began to enjoy the book a lot more. Although the blurb leads you to believe that this book is going to be about Isla, I found the character of Mina, the police officer, much more appealing. I really admired her tenacity although was worried that she was going to end up as the next victim!

In a town where everyone could be a suspect, there are a lot of red herrings thrown in to add to the confusion as to who the killer could be. Throughout my reading of the book, I did have two potential suspects in mind and one of those did turn out to be the culprit.

In all, I did enjoy most of this book, but I had hoped for a lot more.

Twenty years ago, fifteen year old Isla Bell discovered three bodies propped against Hadrian’s Wall. The case was solved by her father, Detective Sergeant Eric Bell, who became a hero to the local town of Briganton. Now Isla is married to the brother of one of the victims and is a forensic scientist, studying serial killers to try to find a neurological reason for their behaviour.

When the novel begins, Isla is about to carry out tests of Heath McGowan, the man who was the ‘Killer on the Wall,’ and has been incarcerated for the murders carried out all those years ago. Isla’s husband, Ramsey, is uncomfortable about Isla meeting with McGowan and there are obvious mind games going on. However, shortly after Isla does meet with McGowan, the unthinkable happens and there is another murder…

This is an interesting crime novel, with a good setting and characters. Briganton is almost a character itself – nestled under the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall, surrounded by bleak moorland and uncomfortably known as the site for the infamous series of murders. This definition has marked not only the town, but the people. In such a small town, everyone knew someone affected by the crimes and this pall of fear and despair seems to lay over many of the residents.

There are, however, new residents and these include a transplanted Londoner, of Iraqi origin; Detective Constable Mina Arian. Along with Isla, Mina was the character that made the novel work for me and it was a great idea for the author to have an outsider involved in the investigation, who did not bring all of that local history along with her. However, when it seems that there is another murderer on the loose, the now Detective Superintendant Eric Bell, is reluctant to consider any links with the previous case, that he solved. Was another person involved in the original murders? Is there a copycat killer on the loose, or is there another explanation?

Isla is convinced that her research can help find answers, while Mina has to fight against her superior officer to investigate. The author really does use the small, fairly isolated, community to her advantage and also shows the long term damage that such crimes can have on those affected. One of the problems with a small town though, is that there are a limited number of suspects. Still, an enjoyable and atmospheric read and an enjoyable setting. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

I thought this was a great book. Set in the small rural village of Briganton, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and 20 years after you have moved into the village, you are still an incomer. The backdrop is Hadrian’s Wall - a lasting reminder of Northumberland’s tempestuous and rich history.
Set against this unspoilt wilderness and the moor where you can walk for miles without seeing a soul, the tranquility of this beautiful countryside is abruptly ruptured.
‘It began with the bodies….’ – such a great opening line. Isla Bell’s life was shaped the day that, aged 15, she discovered three bodies artfully posed against the wall. Running home for her dear life, she chants to herself that her father can fix this; he can handle the death and devastation that this event will wreak on the small village community.
20 years and 6 dead bodies later, Isla is working as a forensic psychologist, spending her days studying brains and mapping in particular the brains of psychopaths. Driven by the need to understand what makes a psychopath and why they kill. One in particular has a special significance for Isla and she is drawn to interrogate his brain more closely than any of the others
Her father, Eric Bell, is basking in the glory of having captured the serial killer, Heath McGowan and has been cock of the walk in the village and surrounding area since then.
Then out of the blue, the killings start again. Posed in the same way; carrying every sign of the first series, police are baffled as to whether this is a copycat or was there an accomplice who was never found?
As the body count rises, and police struggle to work out whether there is a connection between any of the victims, Briganton again is under the shadow of a merciless serial killer.
This is Emma Kavanagh at her best. The writing is richly atmospheric, the tension is palpable and the characterisation excellent. With such a small cast of characters, there are sufficient red herrings to keep you guessing, but even if you do spot the perpetrator, the quality of the tension that Kavanagh creates, alongside the taut prose and excellent plotting, create a book that is highly enjoyable and not a little scary.
Thoroughly recommended.

This is a dark, bleak, atmospheric, and intense psychological thriller that makes for a disturbing read. In 1995, 15 year old Isla Bell is going for her early morning run when she comes across murder victims posed against Hadrian's Wall and her life and Briganton is never to be the same again. Her father, Sergeant Eric Bell, is lauded a hero and is famous as the man who arrested the killer, Heath McGowan. Twenty years later, Isla is Professor of Criminal Psychology and engaged in research which has her meeting and scanning the brains of serial killers. She is both apprehensive and curious as she meets Heath McGowan in prison, her 13th subject, and unlucky for her and the cursed village of Briganton. The killings begin again with the murder of Victoria Prew, a recent incomer, and the old fears, darkness and suspicions return. Is it a copycat? Is Heath innocent? Where will it all end?

Superintendent Eric Bell is in charge of the case and he is convinced they have a new killer. Iraqi born DC Mina Arian decides to look into the historical killings and the police investigation despite the hostility and opposition of her boss, Bell. She is looking for connections to the present day murders. Isla married the only survivor from the original killings, Ramsey, who is now a journalist and the go to person on the killings. Isla and Ramsey are thinking of having children as danger seeps back into their lives and family as Isla becomes a target. Isla is implacable in her search for the killer, she has brain scans of a number of locals and her family, and she is convinced she can find the perpetrator from her brain research. In a story full of twists, Mina and Isla begin to close in on the killer.

Emma Kavanagh's background as a psychologist serves her well in this dark and compelling story. She is particularly skilled in capturing the fear, the claustrophobia, and the repercussions on Briganton and its residents of the killings. The characters are well developed and drive and move the narrative forward. I particularly liked DC Mina Arian, a courageous character willing to pursue leads, irrespective of the obstacles placed in her path. Definitely a novel that keeps the reader engrossed and desperate to know who the multiple murderer is. Thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.

Great characters and setting. Chilling with loads of twists and turns you down false trails until the finale.

The Killer On The Wall is a chilling story about Isla Bell, a young girl that finds three bodies propped against Hadrian's wall. This will have a great impact on her life. She will, later on, dedicate her life studying the brains of serial killers, in hope that one day she will find what makes a person a killer. Then, 20 years later a body is found propped up against the wall, and then another.

I found The Killer On The Wall the be interesting to read. There are several POV's in this book, among them are Isla, her husband who survived the first attack 20 years ago, and her father who caught the killer. But, the one person I think I liked the best was Mina, a young cop that has been transferred from London to Briganton to get away from her overbearing family. Now she faces a nightmare with a serial killer loose.

I read The Missing Hours by the same author last year and I think this book is better. This story was much more interesting and all these different characters make this story engrossing to read. The ending was perhaps not that surprising since there is just not many suspects to chose from anymore. However, I found it fitting because even though one can know a person well, can even the best of us be blind when it comes to seeing things...

Definitely a book that needs a large suspension of disbelief: there's a kind of muddy feel to the writing, a lack of clarity and direction. At the same time, there are so few suspects that anyone familiar with the genre is likely to see where this is going from pretty early on - the denouement doesn't really make psychological sense despite a last minute half-hearted revelation of childhood abuse as a kind of explanation for psychopathy.

The close atmosphere is both a plus and a minus: on one hand it's unlikely in the extreme that such a close-knit group of people would be allowed to work together like this (and any university ethics committee would have a problem with a researcher experimenting on a criminal who tried to kill the researcher's husband and who was caught and jailed by her father: biased? just a bit!) - on the other, it does create atmosphere and a sense of claustrophobia.

This works as a switch-off read but is awkward and unbelievable in comparison to Kavanagh's The Missing Hours which was far slicker and tighter.