Books › In pursuit of the proper sinner
In pursuit of the proper sinner
904 pages
A brooding, atmospheric procedural where the bleakness of the English moors mirrors the dark, tangled secrets of the victims.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like stepping onto a freezing, wind-battered moor. It is expansive, chilling, and steeped in hidden dangers. The narrative unfolds at a steady, deliberate pace, inviting the reader to sink deeply into a dense web of psychological suspense and fractured relationships. It is as much a study of its deeply flawed detectives as it is a murder mystery, wrapping the reader in the tense, uneasy dynamic of a partnership desperate for redemption. The prose is rich and meticulous, painting both the bleak beauty of the British landscape and the ugly realities of human betrayal with equal care. It will thoroughly delight readers who crave meaty, character-driven procedurals where the emotional stakes are just as perilous as the crimes.
- Mood
- brooding
- bleak
- chilly
- suspenseful
- Tone
- somber
- analytical
- psychological
- earnest
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- hidden lives · professional redemption · family betrayal · the weight of loyalty · darkness in relationships
- The writing
- Dense, evocative, and meticulously detailed, anchoring deep psychological interiority within stark, atmospheric landscapes.
- The arc
- Begins with a chilling sense of isolation and builds through layers of psychological tension toward a grim, hard-won clarity.
- Who it's for
- Fans of meaty, character-driven British mysteries who savor complex interpersonal dynamics and bleak, atmospheric settings.
Content notes
- murder
- graphic violence
- BDSM themes
- family trauma
About the book
Calder Moor is a wild and deadly place: many have been trapped in the myriad limestone caves, lost in collapsed copper mines, injured on perilous gritstone ridges. But this time, when two bodies are discovered in the shadow of the ancient circle of stones known as Nine Sisters Henge, it is clearly not a case for Mountain Rescue. The corpses are those of a young man and woman. Each met death in a different fashion. Each died violently. To Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, brought in to investigate by special request, this grisly crime promises to be one of the toughest assignments of his career. For the unfortunate Nicola Maiden was the daughter of a former officer in an elite undercover unit, a man Lynley once regarded as a mentor. Now, as Lynley struggles to find out if Nicola's killer was an enemy of her father's or one she earned herself, a disgraced Barbara Havers, determined to redeem herself in the eyes of her longtime partner, crisscrosses London seeking information on the second murder victim. Yet the more dark secrets Lynley and Havers uncover, the more they learn that neither the victims nor the suspects are who they appear to be. And once again they come up against the icy realization that human relationships are often murderous...and that the blood that binds can also kill.From the Hardcover edition.
Description from Open Library.
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