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A Handful Of Ashes by Rob McCarthy
Apr. 4th, 2017 11:38 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
Susan Bayliss became notorious when she blew the whistle on her boss, a heart surgeon at a renowned children’s hospital. She accuse him of negligence, operations were stopped and an inquiry launched. In the end she was the one suspended as a troublemaker.
Now Dr Harry Kent, a medical examiner with the Met Police, has been called out to certify her suicide.
But something about the scene is wrong. Someone held Susan down.
The grieving parents of the children who died demand answers. The hospital is stonewalling. Everyone has secrets – it’s up to Harry and DCI Frankie Noble to find out which were worth killing for.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
The second in Rob McCarthy’s DR HARRY KENT SERIES is an interesting medical crime thriller where I believed in the main character’s addiction and his desire to help the investigation enough to offset some of the pacing issues and an abrupt ending where the mystery gets dropped for Harry’s personal problems. Harry is a well developed character, riddled with guilt following his time in the army and events in THE HOLLOW MEN, he’s dedicated to his job (and good at it) and his obsession with trying to discover the identity of a young girl left in a coma during the 2011 riots explains a lot of why he does what he does. I was also interested in his fraught relationship with Frankie (whose recovery from alcoholism is well drawn), which lends a more interesting dynamic than the normal ‘will they won’t they’ plotlines. The pacing does slip in certain sections and I didn’t buy into Harry’s new relationship with Beth (who’s underdrawn and whose interest in Harry seems convenient rather than real) while the ending switches abruptly from an arrest to Harry’s emotional issues. However that said, there’s plenty here that held my interest and I would definitely check out the previous book.
A HANDFUL OF ASHES was released in the United Kingdom on 9th March 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Susan Bayliss became notorious when she blew the whistle on her boss, a heart surgeon at a renowned children’s hospital. She accuse him of negligence, operations were stopped and an inquiry launched. In the end she was the one suspended as a troublemaker.
Now Dr Harry Kent, a medical examiner with the Met Police, has been called out to certify her suicide.
But something about the scene is wrong. Someone held Susan down.
The grieving parents of the children who died demand answers. The hospital is stonewalling. Everyone has secrets – it’s up to Harry and DCI Frankie Noble to find out which were worth killing for.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
The second in Rob McCarthy’s DR HARRY KENT SERIES is an interesting medical crime thriller where I believed in the main character’s addiction and his desire to help the investigation enough to offset some of the pacing issues and an abrupt ending where the mystery gets dropped for Harry’s personal problems. Harry is a well developed character, riddled with guilt following his time in the army and events in THE HOLLOW MEN, he’s dedicated to his job (and good at it) and his obsession with trying to discover the identity of a young girl left in a coma during the 2011 riots explains a lot of why he does what he does. I was also interested in his fraught relationship with Frankie (whose recovery from alcoholism is well drawn), which lends a more interesting dynamic than the normal ‘will they won’t they’ plotlines. The pacing does slip in certain sections and I didn’t buy into Harry’s new relationship with Beth (who’s underdrawn and whose interest in Harry seems convenient rather than real) while the ending switches abruptly from an arrest to Harry’s emotional issues. However that said, there’s plenty here that held my interest and I would definitely check out the previous book.
A HANDFUL OF ASHES was released in the United Kingdom on 9th March 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
