The eight-year-old girl appeared in New York’s Central Park one day: red-haired, blue-eyed, dirty-faced, smiling widely. She looked perfect, like a porcelain fairy—except for the blood on her shoulders. It fell from the sky, she told the police. It happened while she was looking for her Uncle Red, who had turned into a tree. Right, they thought, poor child. And then they found the body in the tree.
For Mallory, newly returned to the Special Crimes Unit after three months’ lost time, spent she will not say where, there is something about the girl that she understands. Mallory is damaged, they say, dangerously unstable, but she can tell a kindred spirit when she sees one. And this one will ultimately lead her to a story of extraordinary crimes, to murders stretching back fifteen years, to blackmail and complicity and a particular cruelty that perhaps only someone with Mallory’s history could fully recognize. In the next few weeks, she will deal with them all…in her own way.
**
Review
'If any writer could make me break my New Year's resolution to avoid serial killer novels, it's the brilliant Carol O'Connell.' Daily Telegraph 'This is crime writing at its best, and Mallory is its fascinating central character.' New Books Magazine 'The crimes are gruesome, the writing as smooth as silk as each chapter of this thriller reveals a piece of an increasingly horrendous jigsaw.' Bella Magazine
About the Author
Carol O’Connell is the author of eleven previous books, nine featuring Mallory, and the stand-alone novels Judas Child and Bone by Bone. She lives in New York City.
Description:
The eight-year-old girl appeared in New York’s Central Park one day: red-haired, blue-eyed, dirty-faced, smiling widely. She looked perfect, like a porcelain fairy—except for the blood on her shoulders. It fell from the sky, she told the police. It happened while she was looking for her Uncle Red, who had turned into a tree. Right, they thought, poor child. And then they found the body in the tree.
For Mallory, newly returned to the Special Crimes Unit after three months’ lost time, spent she will not say where, there is something about the girl that she understands. Mallory is damaged, they say, dangerously unstable, but she can tell a kindred spirit when she sees one. And this one will ultimately lead her to a story of extraordinary crimes, to murders stretching back fifteen years, to blackmail and complicity and a particular cruelty that perhaps only someone with Mallory’s history could fully recognize. In the next few weeks, she will deal with them all…in her own way.
**
Review
'If any writer could make me break my New Year's resolution to avoid serial killer novels, it's the brilliant Carol O'Connell.' Daily Telegraph 'This is crime writing at its best, and Mallory is its fascinating central character.' New Books Magazine 'The crimes are gruesome, the writing as smooth as silk as each chapter of this thriller reveals a piece of an increasingly horrendous jigsaw.' Bella Magazine
About the Author
Carol O’Connell is the author of eleven previous books, nine featuring Mallory, and the stand-alone novels Judas Child and Bone by Bone. She lives in New York City.