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Sympathy for the Devil
Welcome to the Learning Chair ...
It wasn't much of a classroom. Subterranean, for one thing. And devoid of the raucous clamor and gleeful giggles that permeated most schools.
This classroom held only one student.
She was tied to a chair.
And the chair was bolted to the floor.
***
Waitress Susan Merrick awakens in the hospital, the victim of a savage beating, to discover that her seven-year-old daughter, Abby, has vanished.
Held captive in a basement, Abby is being taught "life lessons" on a "learning chair" and she quickly learns the penalty for not being an apt pupil.
Lieutenant Carolyn Latham must piece together the connection between a murder in Banff, Alberta, the apparent accidental death of an Oregon college student many years earlier, and the disappearance of Abby Merrick, before a most devious villain strikes again.
It wasn't much of a classroom. Subterranean, for one thing. And devoid of the raucous clamor and gleeful giggles that permeated most schools.
This classroom held only one student.
She was tied to a chair.
And the chair was bolted to the floor.
***
Waitress Susan Merrick awakens in the hospital, the victim of a savage beating, to discover that her seven-year-old daughter, Abby, has vanished.
Held captive in a basement, Abby is being taught "life lessons" on a "learning chair" and she quickly learns the penalty for not being an apt pupil.
Lieutenant Carolyn Latham must piece together the connection between a murder in Banff, Alberta, the apparent accidental death of an Oregon college student many years earlier, and the disappearance of Abby Merrick, before a most devious villain strikes again.
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First published February 11, 2015
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September 13, 2015
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.
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.
Displaying 1 of 1 review