THE DANGER WITHIN

Methodical police work unravels the mysteries linked to two battered wives a generation apart.

Veteran North Devon DCI David Vogel is the first to arrive at a bizarre murder scene. Thomas Quinn lies dead in a pool of blood on his kitchen floor. Across the room, his wife, Gillian, who’s called the police, lies huddled on the floor, apparently in a state of shock. While the evidence points to her as her husband’s killer, she may also be his longtime victim. Bonner counterpoints Vogel’s investigation of the Quinn murder with the story of Lilian St. John, who, back in 1997, suffers regular abuse at the hands of her husband, Kurt. In addition to physically assaulting Lilian, Kurt has also cancelled her credit cards and sent two “goons” to watch her. While Vogel gathers tons of evidence, including testimonials of innocence from Gillian’s devoted son, Greg, and her close friend Sadie Pearson, nothing brings him closer to clearing her of involvement in the murder. Confirming the injuries she suffered at the hands of her late husband only strengthens the case against her. Lilian goes on the run only to be pursued by Kurt, and when she takes decisive action, it backfires on her. Bonner’s procedural, Vogel’s fourth appearance, focuses as much on the investigative team and Vogel’s dogged, meticulous pursuit of the truth as on the suspense surrounding the identities of the miscreants. The closing chapters offer the solution to the mystery surrounding Thomas Quinn’s murder and explain the link between Gillian and Lilian.

A crisp crime yarn: no muss, no fuss, no stone unturned.