Tangled Web UK Review September 2007
Missing by
Cath Staincliffe
hbk out June 07
Published by Allison Busby
at £18.99
The seventh in Cath Stainclffe's 'Sal Kilkenny' series. There seem to be
a lot of youngish female 'private eyes' appearing from our lady authors
these days, but Cath's heroine was ahead of the pack.
Manchester-based Sal has lived with her only child in a house-sharing
platonic relationship with Ray, also a single dad, but in this book love
and sex rears its welcome head, though this is outside the main story -
line. In fact, there are three quite separate plots which have no point of
contact except that Sal is involved in all of the searches for missing
persons.
The main story concerns a mother of two who suddenly vanishes, leaving
a distraught but unlikeable husband behind. Her best friend hires Sal to
find her and Sal unearths a probable 'affair, but before she can track her
down, the woman is found murdered in a remote quarry. Suspicion falls
heavily on the husband who is arrested
The second line is the tracing of a mother who gave her child for adoption
many years ago and now the son desperately wants to get in touch with
her.
Yet another separate strand is a 'freebie' job at the behest of a social
worker, who wants the brother of an Iranian asylum seeker found. This
seems an opportunity for the author to express her sympathy for the plight
of immigrants.
Good writing, excellent characterisation and believable locations, but not
an outstanding page-turner.
(
Bernard Knight
ex Home Office Pathologist and author of the highly acclaimed Crowner John series)
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