Tom Killgannon, ex-undercover police officer and now in witness protection, is recalled to active service by a local police task force, headed by DS Sheridan. His mission is to befriend notorious child killer Noel Cunningham and find out where he buried the bodies of his final two victims.
The catch? Tom has to obtain that information from within Blackmoor prison itself.
Undercover and with no back-up, Tom soon runs into danger.
In the prison is convicted gangster Dean Foley. He used to run Manchester's biggest gang, until Tom's testimony put him away for life. He recognises Tom, and so begins a cat-and-mouse game as Tom fights for survival before Foley can get his revenge.
But why can't Tom reach DS Sheridan and what is the real reason he has been sent to Blackmoor prison?
The Sinner by Martyn Waites was published in paperback by Zaffre on 6 February 2020. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review and to Tracy from Compulsive Readers who invited me to take part on this Blog Tour
Wow! I've been totally and utterly captivated by this novel, from beginning right through to the excellent finale. The Sinner is the second of Waites' books about Tom Kilgannon. I haven't read the first (The Old Religion), but I can assure you that I've now ordered it!
Whilst this is the second in the series, I didn't struggle at all with Kilgannon's character; the author gives enough about his back story to enable the reader to follow the plot with ease.
The Sinner is a story that spins the reader around in ever decreasing circles. It's a fabulous example of 'don't trust anyone'. The good guys; the bad guys; those you assume are good, and those that you know are bad. Each and every one of them will make you question what's happened, and wonder what on earth will happen next.
Told in five parts, the reader is introduced to Kilgannon as he remembers events that happened in Manchester back in 2014, and this sets the scene for what is to follow.
Kilgannon is an undercover cop. He infiltrates the most dangerous of communities; befriends the dirtiest players and risks everything by doing so. The Manchester incident was one of his biggest and professionally, most successful. However, on a personal level, it's the job that caused him the most pain.
Moving on a few years and Kilgannon is living quietly in Cornwall, with only a very few people allowed to get close to him. However, his quiet life is about to change as he's being sent to prison. Not because he's committed a crime. No, he's going undercover again to try to get information from notorious serial killer Noel Cunningham. Undercover means really undercover; nobody will know that he's a cop, not even the Governor of the prison.
Blackmoor prison is a place of nightmares, and Kilgannon struggles with the cramped living space and his strange cell mate. When he spots another prisoner; Dean Foley, he knows that this could be his final job. For Foley is the guy that he double-crossed all those years ago in Manchester, and Foley is a very dangerous bloke; he also has all of the staff on his pay-roll.
Martyn Waites's writing style is amazing. My copy of The Sinner is littered with folded down corners marking some of the most wonderful descriptive sentences.
When he described someone as looking like 'a bouncer from Love Island', I knew this author was for me!
The Sinner is a thrill a minute, but can be headache inducing. There's so much double-crossing going on that at times I felt as though I was tied up in knots. Not in a bad way; the action is relentless and the characters are beautifully crafted. I do like a character that I can hate, and Waites certainly knows how to write them.
Absolutely superb. I am a Martyn Waites convert; a definite fan and will certainly be reading more from this author soon.
Martyn Waites was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. He trained at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama and worked as an actor for many years before becoming a writer.
His novels include the critically acclaimed Joe Donovan series, set in the north-east of England, and The White Room, which was a Guardian book of the year.
In 2013 he was chosen to write Angel of Death, the official sequel to Susan Hill's Woman in Black, and in 2014 won the Grand Prix du Roman Noir for Born Under Punches.
He has been nominated for every major British crime fiction award and has also enjoyed international commercial success with eight novels written under the name Tania Carver.
Twitter @MartynWaites
No comments:
Post a Comment