The Devil's Claw: A Jennifer Dorey Mystery
Jan 2018 · Crooked Lane Books
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About this ebook
Fans of Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths will enjoy this atmospheric British mystery debut—“a perfect novel for a cold night in a dark winter” (Foreword Reviews).
The hunt for a serial killer on the Channel Island of Guernsey leads investigators down a trail of local myths and long-kept secrets rooted in the insular community’s dark past . . .
Finding a drowned woman’s body on the beach is the last thing journalist Jennifer Dorey’s fragile psyche needs. She left London for her island home of Guernsey, England, in the aftermath of a traumatic incident that shook her to her core. Now, as a local newspaper reporter, it’s Jennifer’s job to prove the woman’s death...but she uncovers something far bigger and more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
Jennifer enlists the help of DCI Michael Gilbert to investigate a pattern of similar deaths over the last fifty years. Though he’s looking forward to a comfortable—and imminent—retirement, Gilbert joins the journalist on a dark trail of island myths and folklore that leads to the door of a Nazi soldier’s illegitimate son. But as Jennifer gets closer to learning the killer’s identity—and his painstaking plans for mayhem—she falls ever deeper into his grasp.
Sinister deeds unravel in the darkness in The Devil’s Claw, Lara Dearman’s exhilarating debut novel.
The hunt for a serial killer on the Channel Island of Guernsey leads investigators down a trail of local myths and long-kept secrets rooted in the insular community’s dark past . . .
Finding a drowned woman’s body on the beach is the last thing journalist Jennifer Dorey’s fragile psyche needs. She left London for her island home of Guernsey, England, in the aftermath of a traumatic incident that shook her to her core. Now, as a local newspaper reporter, it’s Jennifer’s job to prove the woman’s death...but she uncovers something far bigger and more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
Jennifer enlists the help of DCI Michael Gilbert to investigate a pattern of similar deaths over the last fifty years. Though he’s looking forward to a comfortable—and imminent—retirement, Gilbert joins the journalist on a dark trail of island myths and folklore that leads to the door of a Nazi soldier’s illegitimate son. But as Jennifer gets closer to learning the killer’s identity—and his painstaking plans for mayhem—she falls ever deeper into his grasp.
Sinister deeds unravel in the darkness in The Devil’s Claw, Lara Dearman’s exhilarating debut novel.
Ratings and reviews
4.0
1 review
Linda Strong
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January 11, 2018
In this author's debut novel, journalist Jennifer Dorey has moved to her home town. Her last article, written when she was in London, didn't end well. Jennifer decided to get away from dead bodies. Unfortunately, for her, she discovers the body of a drowned woman. Writing it up for her paper, she discovers a long list of similar deaths over a period of 50 years. Teaming up with DCI Michael Gilbert who is about to retire, they have to wade through myths and folklore to get at the secrets and lies that have been hidden for many years. It turns into a cat and mouse chase ... but who's the cat and who's the mouse? This is a bit of a historical fiction, drawing in elements of Nazi Germany during World War II. The book follows the killer from his birth to the present day, giving a glimpse of why he does the things he does. The book is populated with memorable characters and hopefully the will be returning in a continuing series. I did not consider this a fast-paced thriller, but it is well written and like a glass of fine wine, goes down easily. Many thanks to the author / Crooked Lane Books / Netgalley for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
About the author
Lara Dearman was born and raised on the beautiful Channel Island of Guernsey. She moved to the UK to study International Relations and French at the University of Sussex, after which she endured a brief career in finance before giving it up to be a stay at home mum to her three children. Having moved from Guernsey to Brighton to London to Paris to Singapore and back to London over the last fifteen years, she has now settled in Westchester, New York with her family. The Devil’s Claw is her first novel and combines her love of Guernsey, myths and folklore with her obsession with crime fiction and serial killers.
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