Almost a Whisper
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
A young woman with a pushchair spotted teetering on the edge of a steep rock face on the Staffordshire moors draws Joanna Piercy into a disturbing new case.
A young woman is moving dangerously close to the edge of the rock face, pushing a stroller with a child strapped in it towards the steep drop. She has blood on her clothes. Is she a victim or a would-be killer?
Detective Inspector Joanna Piercy takes on the case when a walker discovers the pair, but the young woman is mute. Is she traumatized or unwilling to speak? Was she about to commit a terrible crime?
As the questions mount, forensic psychiatrist Dr Claire Roget is called in to help. Can she persuade the woman to talk? Joanna desperately needs a breakthrough. But when it comes, her investigation takes a shocking turn . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the outset of British author Masters's meticulously constructed 15th mystery featuring Det. Insp. Joanna Piercy (after 2019's Blood on the Rocks), a hiker, who's out for his habitual walk on the Staffordshire moors, is stunned to see a young woman apparently edging a toddler in a pushchair dangerously near the precipice of a steep cliff. Fearing for the child's life, he intervenes. He takes the woman and child, both of whom have blood on their clothing, to Leek police station. The woman seems dazed and doesn't utter a word. Is she traumatized or obstructing the investigation? If the former, what caused the trauma? Piercy and her team take half the book to painstakingly piece together the woman's identity, and their research eventually leads them to a horrendous crime scene. Subtle clues keep readers engaged amid various false starts, while details of Piercy's domestic life—including moments with her infant son and her helpful if intrusive in-laws—provide counterpoint to the crime solving. Fans of traditional police procedurals will find a lot to like.
