This is a darned good mix of psychological thriller and police procedural from Cara Hunter. I liked it much more than the first, which in my view was too far fetched, in the DI Adam Fawley series set in Oxford. A young woman and toddler are discovered locked in a cellar whilst the house next door is being renovated in a wealthy part of North Oxford. The woman, Vicky, and child are in a desperate state, starved, thirsty, cannot bear being with each other, and are too traumatised to speak for some time. The owner of the house they were imprisoned is owned by the querulous elderly dementia suffering Dr William Harper, the sole occupant, visited once a week for 15 minutes by his social worker, Derek Ross. What with his confusion and Vicky's silence, the police face a heartbreaking, complex and long running investigation to figure out what exactly happened. In a narrative interspersed with news reports, police interviews, social media comments and emails, we discover a truly twisted and complicated story, where it is best to take very little at face value.
To add to the enormity of the case, Harper's home is opposite the home of Hannah Gardiner, wife to Robert, mother to a small boy, local news reporter, who went missing two years ago. Fawley wonders if there is any connection to Harper, instigating an even deeper forensic examination of the house and grounds. A live in nanny to Robert Gardiner's son, Pippa Walker, implicates Robert in Hannah's disappearance, but can she be relied upon? Why did Hannah go out to the Cowley Road? In the meantime, Adam is still suffering from the grief of losing his beloved son, Jake, through suicide. His wife, Alex wants to move on, perhaps adopt, but Adam is not in a place where he can take this on, his emotions are just too raw. However, Alex insists on temporarily looking after Vicky's son, born whilst she was incarcerated, as Vicky shows no sign of wanting him. Adam agrees reluctantly, but wonders if Alex could cope when the boy is taken away from them. The police team working under Adam are hard working, although DS Gareth Quinn proves to be problematic, both to the case and other team members.
Cara Hunter writes a fast paced and compelling tale, that reveals shocking twist after twist. What seems so black and white at the beginning with the discovery of Vicky in the cellar becomes considerably more murkier, the city of dreaming spires harbours some very dark deeds. I find it difficult to get a real handle on Adam, he is such an able officer, weighed down by the burden of his family trauma, and whilst I like him, I feel he needs more development that needs to take place for him to feel more real to me. Hopefully the author is planning to do that in future additions to the series. Nevertheless, I found this an excellent novel, so entertaining and enthralling, highly recommended! Many thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC.