Share this:
Rating: 
No one likes it when terrible things happen to children. As a reader it just makes you squirm. You’ll squirm even more when you find out that Sienna Walker is accused of killing her own young child in a most gruesome way.
In this courtroom and cop thriller, Australian writer Sydney Bauer once again brings together her strong and vivid cast of regulars in Boston criminal attorneys David Cavanaugh and his wife Sarah and their good friend, detective Joe Mannix.
Bauer always makes the road tough for Cavanaugh both physically and morally. As a hugely moral character things often don’t sit will with him and he’s made a pledge to only defend people he believes are innocent. This time he gets railroaded and you wonder just exactly how he’s going to come to terms with a baby-murdering mum.
The plot thickens as evidence appears, motives are revealed, too many people lie and of course the action gets way to close to home for comfort.
Bauer has spent her life working in the Australian media, covering crime as well as working in film and television. This seems to have provided her a front seat in knowing how to pull a story together as well as creating strong cinematic images throughout.
Choosing to set her book in the US and basically create an American story puts her right on the stage with the country’s best cop, forensic and thriller writers. And make no mistake, she’s going toe-to-toe quite comfortably with a number of their marquee names.
While Cavanaugh’s past escapades have been exciting, intriguing and good reads, this is Bauer’s best. No matter how good a sleuth you might think you are, the final twists are like a smack up side the head.
When are they going to give these characters their own television series? While we wait, grab this for a long and engaging night on the couch. It’s kinda hard to put down.