Sympathy for the Devil by Cathy Vasas-Brown

AMAZON UK
AMAZON US

This was another outstanding novel by Cathy Vasas-Brown and the third I’ve read by this extremely talented author. I finish her books with the same thought each time: now THAT is what good writing is all about.

A young mother is half beaten to death. Her young daughter, Abby, disappears. Whilst Susan’s waste-of-space, part-time…and now nowhere-to-be-found…husband is high on the list of suspects on both counts, Lieutenant Carolyn Latham is increasingly worried when the days stretch into weeks and the missing child still hasn’t been found. Little does she realise the answer could lie in the connection between the murder of a young woman further afield and the death of a young student a number of years previously.

It’s a riveting story, perfectly written; it’s gripping, penned with efficiency and clarity, peppered with just enough emotion. Carolyn Latham is a committed and dedicated police officer with heart. She has people she loves around her, but always remains focussed on her job.

Vasas-Brown keeps you on your toes: I changed my mind a number of times about the identity of the evil-doer. 

Carolyn Latham appears in Vasas-Brown's Safe as Churches and The Monitor (equally excellent books), and whilst Sympathy for the Devil is completely stand-alone, there’s a very tantalising prospect of one more enthralling case.

Thank heavens for that.