A late night. An icy road. A car wrapped around a tree.
When Detective Liz Moorland stares at the lifeless faces of her ex-colleague’s daughter and son-in-law, she knows it is enough to push Vince Carter over the edge.
Vince, a bitter and reclusive retired cop, was once a hero to many. But in his eyes, he has failed those he most loved. Estranged from his daughter before her death, the enormity of his loss is immeasurable.
While Liz’s hands are full chasing an escaped criminal, Vince—alongside his fight for custody of Melanie, his eight-year-old granddaughter and sole survivor of the wreck—pieces together a compelling theory that the crash was no accident.
Vince’s theory provides Liz with an unexpected connection to her case and simultaneously raises concerns over Melanie’s safety and what she saw that fateful night.
Those concerns are justified. One person knows what the little girl saw.
The killer.
Having read and enjoyed a previous novel by Phillipa Nefri Clark, I eagerly grabbed for this ARC. Clark spins a great crime thriller with this novel, combining a police manhunt with a family struggling to put the pieces back together. Set in Australia, there is an added flavouring to the story, though the setting is enough of a backdrop that the novel would work in any locale. Impactful until the final pages, Clark proves that she is one to watch in what appears to be the debut of a new series.
After a horrible car accident claims the lives of her parents, eight-year-old Melanie is left in limbo. Having been in the vehicle at the time, she suffers a number of physical and psychological injuries, but will also need a guardian to take care of her. Melanie’s grandfather, Vince, is a former detective and has disappeared into the bottle since his wife’s death, alienating his own daughter in the process. With Melanie needing someone, Vince steps up to help, thinking that family is Melanie’s best option.
While Vince begins to wonder about the crash and whether it might have been a targeted hit, he has an inkling that his son-in-law’s business partner could be up to no good. When Vince reaches out to Homicide Detective Liz Moorland, she is anything but pleased. With the recent escape of a murderer from the local jail, Moorland has her hands full and does not need any half-baked ideas clouding her focus. Vince refuses to stand down and does his own exploration into things, including the night of the fatal crash.
Read on...
ABC regional radio in Victoria, Australia, interviewed Phillipa about the audiobook of Lest We Forgive.
