HIT & RUN
Cath
Staincliffe
Publisher: Allison & Busby
ISBN: 0-74908-252-6
2005
 |
Hit
& Run
by
Cath Staincliffe
Cath Staincliffe's second adventure for DCI Janine Lewis, Hit & Run, bears all the quality hallmarks that one might expect from a Murder Squad member; complexity, grit and intelligence that shines through in the writing.
Originally written as a script for an episode of the successful ITV Blue Murder series starring Caroline Quentin, the story revolves around the discovery of the body of a woman in a river who's face has been deliberately made unrecognisable. On the same day, Janine sees a young classmate of her son mown down by a driver who fails to stop, right outside of the school gates. Two very different deaths, a difficult home-life and a job that she begins to doubt she is suited for make this one of DCI Lewis' more compelling stories.
Cath Staincliffe possesses the very great skill of being able to
breath life into familiar surroundings. Manchester's newly polished
urban sprawl is stripped methodically away to reveal a dark underbelly
that exists in most major cities the world over; seedy nightclubs, itinerant
citizens out to make a fast buck and darkened alleyways all combine
to add to the overall atmospheric malevolence that such a story demands.
But there is also warmth in the portrayal of Janine's domestic life.
An errant husband, feelings that won't go away and four children to
care for add and subtract from her dilemmas in very different ways that
are explored here in detail, without ever slowing down the plot. All
in all, this is an entertaining and engaging thriller that will make
readers seek out Cath Staincliffe's other work.
“Great
to see a new site that's passionate about crime fiction and delighted
to see the review of Hit & Run. Chris is a great PR merchant too.
Recommended.”
Cath
Staincliffe 2005
Order this book online - Linghams Booksellers
break the rules as I see fit.” - Chris High 2003.