The Worm in the Bud by
Chris Collett
pbk out April 05
(Piatkus)
at £6.99
Bottling out of an ill-advised lonely hearts date, Detective Inspector Tom Mariner
tries to distract himself by calling in at the scene of a suspicious death. The body of a
local investigative journalist, Edward Barnham, has been found; it appears that the
man has committed suicide, by lethal injection, a note beside him says 'no more'. But
Mariner had seen Barnham earlier that night - arguing with a dark-haired prostitute.
He believes the 'suicide' is murder. The police discover that Barnham's younger
brother Jamie may have witnessed the killing. However Jamie has autism and cannot
communicate what he has seen. The Barnhams' sister Anna reluctantly takes over
care of Jamie and gets involved in Mariner's investigation.
This first novel comes from a writer with twenty years experience of working with
adults with learning disabilities and her depiction of Jamie and his effect on those who
care for him rings true. Anna is initially an unsympathetic character but she grows
more mature and more likeable as she faces up to her responsibilities. While lonely
Mariner is immediately engaging and his sexual vulnerability and lack of confidence
adds both humour and poignancy. The reason for the killing lurks in unexpected
territory strong on contemporary resonance. There are a couple of flaws in the
editing, where vital pieces of information, based on the odd word or phrase, are
blindingly obvious to the reader and we are frustrated that the protagonists take so
long to catch on. That aside, Collett sustains the intrigue - we want to know who
done what and why - and is a writer with promise.
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries and the series creator of TV Blue Murder)
The Worm in the Bud by
Chris Collett
