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The Devil’s Claw by Lara Dearman
Sep. 29th, 2017 11:27 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
I’m not afraid of the darkness … Only what it hides
Jennifer Dorey thinks she is safe.
Following a traumatic incident in London, Jennifer has returned to her childhood home in Guernsey, taking a job as a reporter at the local newspaper.
After the discovery of a drowned woman on a beach, she uncovers a pattern of similar deaths that have taken place over the past fifty years.
Together with DCI Michael Gilbert, an officer on the verge of retirement, they follow a dark trail of island myths and folklore to ‘Fritz’, the illegitimate son of a Nazi soldier. His work, painstakingly executed, has so far gone undetected.
But with his identity about to be uncovered, the killer now has Jennifer in his sights.
And home is the last place she should be.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Lara Dearman’s debut thriller (the first in a series) is a so-so affair that tries too hard to set up the main character’s back story to provide an overall series arc at the expense of the plot, which degenerates into an unsatisfying denouement that tells you very little about the antagonist’s motive and which also made me uncomfortable with its depiction of children born to women who slept with Nazi occupiers during World War II.
THE DEVIL’S CLAW will be released in the United Kingdom on 14th December 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
Jennifer Dorey thinks she is safe.
Following a traumatic incident in London, Jennifer has returned to her childhood home in Guernsey, taking a job as a reporter at the local newspaper.
After the discovery of a drowned woman on a beach, she uncovers a pattern of similar deaths that have taken place over the past fifty years.
Together with DCI Michael Gilbert, an officer on the verge of retirement, they follow a dark trail of island myths and folklore to ‘Fritz’, the illegitimate son of a Nazi soldier. His work, painstakingly executed, has so far gone undetected.
But with his identity about to be uncovered, the killer now has Jennifer in his sights.
And home is the last place she should be.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Lara Dearman’s debut thriller (the first in a series) is a so-so affair that tries too hard to set up the main character’s back story to provide an overall series arc at the expense of the plot, which degenerates into an unsatisfying denouement that tells you very little about the antagonist’s motive and which also made me uncomfortable with its depiction of children born to women who slept with Nazi occupiers during World War II.
THE DEVIL’S CLAW will be released in the United Kingdom on 14th December 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
