This is the first Margaret Murphy book that I've read but it certainly won't be the last.
Defence barrister, Clara Pascal, is kidnapped and held captive in a dark, cold cellar for 6 days, expecting that every next minute would be her last. Can't go into detail as it would give away the plot but suffice to say that there is suspense, tension and the expectation of iminent violence. M/s Murphy describes her scenes in the police Special Operation room in as much detail as if she were writing a script for a tv cop show which is a very effective way of writing in this genre. I gave it 5 stars (unusual for me) for good plotting, tight writing and her ability to hold the readers attention to the end without missing a beat.

Reliable and well researched

This is an entertaining crime/thriller. It only took me a couple of hours to get through but it was a disappointing novel as I guessed the killer halfway through the book plus the heroine is a little to heroic in the things that she does. If you want a light, Sunday afternoon book, then this is the one to get.

Melanie Pearson, 12 year old daughter of Kate, was murdered 6 months previously at the time of this story. Suspicion ranged from her violent father to some friends and former boyfriends of Kate.Suddenly sinister messages begin to appear on Kates computer monitor,suggesting that Melanie isn't dead and is pleading with her mother for help.Chief Inspector Harmon is leading the hunt for Melanies killer and suspects that the killer isn't content with murder but is punishing Kate by trying to drive her insane.He does not take into consideration however, that the death of a womans child is enough to take her into the realms of not caring about her own safety and turning the tables on him to stalk him and hunt him down. This is a very taut, tense thriller with twists at every turn.

Dr.Christine Radcliffe, a consultant psychologist is peculiarly fitted to asssess and assist her patients as a once abused child herself.When the bodies of two of her colleagues are discovered, she and the police begin to unravel a tortuous web involving child abuse at a former childrens shelter. I felt that this thread wasn't followed through sufficiently to explain the systematic abuse and who was involved with it.Regardless of this omission, the story is pacy enough to keep going and involves many interesting character studies along the way.