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Alice Quentin grew up with violence. Now she's a psychologist, helping others with their issues, persuading people to talk whenever she can. One night, while out running along the banks of the Thames, Alice discovers a body of a woman in the wasteland of Crossbones Yard, an old unconsecrated graveyard where prostitutes were once buried. The woman's injuries are eerily similar to those inflicted on victims by serial killers Marie and Roy Benson, imprisoned six years previously. Only Marie still survives. As the investigation into the woman's murder progresses, Alice finds herself drawn in more and more deeply.She's talked into interviewing Marie Benson by one of the investigation's leads, DS Alvarez, a man she's strangely attracted to despite his being married. Her own brother, mentally ill and living out of his van, becomes a suspect. She starts receiving threatening letters, and a second body is found dumped outside her flat. With her life seemingly in danger and those closest to her caught up in the case, she has no choice but to face the violence of her past and help to find a killer before he strikes again. Any narrative written in the first person draws the reader in close, puts them in the shoes of the protagonist and makes the story more intimate. But it also highlights coincidences and chains of events that would make any sane person stop and question what's happening to them. There are so many coincidences at the start of this book that the story struggles to ring true, but Alice Quentin carries on as if such bizarre incidents are an everyday occurrence and it's testament to the strength of her characters that Rhodes manages to make the reader ignore this sometimes blind blundering into obvious danger. Once beyond this, CROSSBONES YARD is a satisfying read. The good guys come across as likeable human beings and the bad guys are suitably creepy. Alice is a strong, intelligent, independent female lead, if at times too independent since some of the things that happen to her would send even the strongest and most rational person running for an airport and somewhere hot and remote. The novel's final twist manages to be both blindingly obvious yet still a surprise. The final showdown approaches like a herd of elephants, but does not disappoint. This is an enjoyable thriller, just as long as you can suspend your disbelief through to the end. § Madeleine Marsh is an aspiring author who lives in the South West. She helps run sci-fi conventions and loves modern cinema.
Reviewed by Madeleine Marsh, September 2012
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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