A Line of Provenance

by Juliet Cromwell

What hate can make us do when forced to face true evil.

Crushed by the betrayal of her husband and best friend, DCI Logan is forced to put her private life on hold while she investigates the remains of an unknown murder victim buried 25 years earlier. With her new DC, Tristan Fry, who has joined the police force for all the wrong reasons, her enquiries soon lead to Maggi Drew’s door. Maggi readily admits to burying the body along with her same-sex partner, Norah, and their best friend, Jonny, although she will not reveal the body’s identity until Logan has heard her account of the murder.

As the story unravels, so do the lives of Logan and Fry as they lose the battle to remain professional, causing their personal emotions to colour their judgements.

405 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2017

Reviews

[Helene Black]

DNF @page 12

No hook and confusing dialogue.

[Agyness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling, stunning and perceptive...this cleverly crafted novel will stay with you. Cromwell's second novel doesn't disappoint...a true masterpiece

[Kerry Reis · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a decayed long-buried body is uncovered in an allotment garden by a construction crew turning it over for commercial development, D.C.I. Logan, an experienced police investigator going through a messy divorce with her husband, and D.C. Tristan Fry, her rookie partner, are tasked with discovering the identity and cause of death of the victim. Forensic testing by the police lab and research of past records seems to narrow the list of potential victims in the 25 year old case down, but when Logan and Fry visit Maggi Drew, the owner of the allotment lot that the body is determined to have been buried in, they are told by Maggi that she knows who the body is and will provide them with the story. Maggi’s story is a complex journey of a missing teenager mystery and ultimate tale of vengeance and uncovering of truth, a tale that brings conflict to Logan and Fry regarding justice, morals, and legality. In essence, the novel can be broken down to three parts, as the opening section of the initial investigation will attract ardent readers of police procedural investigative mystery, but the second section with Maggi’s revealing story turns readers to a more dramatic personal mystery with psychological undertones, which turns the final section into the twisting angst and dramatic actions of trying to determine true and proper justice from our investigators, as well as the right moral ethics behind these actions. At times, the author’s use of flipping from Maggi’s straightforward view of relating what happened 25 years ago to Maggi’s actual perspective and emotional view in the past may confuse and distract readers, as I feel it would have been clearer to just frame Maggi’s revelation with the starts and stops of the investigative interviews, focusing on a more continuous view from Maggi’s past. On a technical note, the ebook version I read was poorly formatted with un-indented paragraphs and short mid-sentence line breaks, making it difficult to read at times. In the end, the examination and upending of moral concepts does provide a depth of thought for those willing to delve into the tale.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the main narrative of this story extremely gripping and well told. Like in her previous novel, the writer explores with great heart, detail and emotion the overwhelming strength of parental love and the lengths human beings will go to for their children.

I found the device used for Maggi to narrate the events with her personal flash backs interspersed very compelling and moving. Once more, the writer shows the meticulous planning required for a tragic and fitting revenge and the inevitable impact it has on all involved. I enjoyed meeting a group of new characters and although I had anticipated the reveal before it came, their shared actions and secret were no less intense for this and I finished the main part of the book to the end in just over a day!

[P.J. Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book a little disappointing. When I first started it I thought I was going to love it but the vast majority of the book is taken up with an incident that is not very interesting and, for me anyway, dragged on and on. I loved the bits about the detective and her cohorts but there was almost no information about the case which was solved almost immediately without any twists. Maybe I missed the point but I struggled to enjoy it and cant explain better without spoilers. I am planning to read the next one because the writing is good even if the story did not appeal.

[Ellie Deslow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow just wow

two days of took me to finish this book. A debate of legality and morals are they one of the same or are they different. A gripping spell binding book i simply could not put down. Now, when is your next book going to be released?

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a brilliant read.

I was hooked from the beginning, this book triggers all your emotions and it stays with you long after the final full stop.