Daisy In Chains by Sharon Bolton

Famous killers have fan clubs.

Hamish Wolfe is no different. In prison serving a life sentence for the abduction and murder of three young women, he gets countless adoring letters every day. He's handsome, charismatic and very persuasive. His admirers are convinced he's innocent, and that he's the man of their dreams.

Who would join such a club?

Maggie Rose is different. Reclusive and enigmatic; a successful lawyer with a track record of getting prisoners released and bestselling true-crime writer. But she only takes on cases she thinks she can win.

Hamish wants her as his lawyer. He wants her to change his fate. She thinks she's immune to the charms of a man like this. But maybe not this time .... 

Daisy In Chains by Sharon Bolton is published by Bantam Press in hardback on 2 June 2016.




Sharon Bolton's imagination scares the hell out of me. There's a feeling of menace that is quite disturbing at times, running through this story, it's really quite unsettling, yet the writing is so well done, so compelling that you just have to carry on reading, just one more page ....

Hamish Wolfe; convicted murderer, serving a whole-life sentence in HMP Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight. He's infamous, he's well-known, his case made the headlines, mainly because he's a surgeon, well-educated and very handsome. He's still very popular. Despite being found guilty of the horrific murders of overweight young women, he receives hundreds of letters from adoring females.

The only female that Hamish is interested in, except for his much-missed dog Daisy, is Maggie Rose. She's famous too. A skilled lawyer, author of true-crime books and irritant to the police force. Maggie has represented convicted murderers before, she's managed to get them freed from prison, but she only takes on cases when she knows she can win. Maggie doesn't think that Hamish has a case. She's not interested in him.

Hamish is charming and intelligent though, and gradually, he gets to Maggie, until finally she agrees to take on his case. She's also involved, at arms length, with the Detective who put Hamish away, as well as coming into contact with Hamish's 'fan club' - that bunch of people who are convinced of his innocence, led by his mother.

The plot of Daisy In Chains dives and dips and twists around corners, into dark shadows that at times are quite terrifying. Sharon Bolton cleverly incorporates the darkness of the human mind alongside the legal and police procedural. Her characters are vibrant and expertly drawn; from the enigmatic, handsome Hamish to the almost ghost-like delicateness of Maggie.

Readers will probably, as I did, think they've got this sussed at around half-way through, I'll be really really surprised if anyone actually gets it right!

Daisy In Chains is clever and riveting. Sharon Bolton is a very skilful author. Highly recommended.

My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

Sharon Bolton (previously SJ Bolton) is the critically acclaimed and Sunday Times bestselling author of some of the most bone-chilling crime novels ever written, including the much loved Lacey Flint series. 
In 2014 she won the CWA Dagger in the Library for her whole body of work, and she has also been shortlisted for CWA  Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the Year and the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year.

Sharon lives near Oxford with her husband and son.

For more information about Sharon Bolton and her writing visit her website www.sharonbolton.com
Find her Author page on Facebook
Follow her on Twitter @AuthorSJBolton

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