If like me, you don’t know Stig Abell’s work, this is a good time to dive in. And I mean dive in, since in this latest installment, bodies are turning up in the river. The first dead woman, Claire Davidson, is a nurse reported missing by her husband. When some of her clothing and her phone are found on the riverbank, it’s thought she went for a swim, was carried away by the currents, and drowned. Her body bears no obvious injuries that would indicate an assault.
But when the second body turns up, Jake Jackson, becomes suspicious. An ex-cop who has moved from London to the country, Jackson has helped the local police in the past. So when he’s asked to once again step in, he does.
Jade Fortescue, a trainee solicitor, was visiting for the weekend with her boyfriend when she went missing. Similar to Claire, she’s found in the river, this time nearly naked, but also with no visible signs of having been the victim of a violent assault. Again, the police and Jake stymied. Another accident? Or two murders?
When he’s not helping the police, Jake is enjoying life with his girlfriend, Livia, who is expecting their child. Livia, a vet, also has a daughter, Diana, who has taken to Jake. But what’s happening in their small village threatens to take away what Jake and Livia had hoped would be an idyllic life together with their growing family. Livia, in particular, feels shaken by the women’s deaths, as do most of the women in the area. Police warn them to stay away from the river, especially at night. And not knowing who might be responsible leads to neighbors being wary of each other.
The press release compares Abell’s mysteries to those of Kate Atkinson, Robert Galbraith, and Louise Penny. I would add Tana French to that list, especially because like Abell’s novels, French’s feature and ex-cop, this time from Chicago, who seeks peace in an Irish village, but instead find himself helping the local police investigate crimes.
A Twist in the River has an appealing cast of characters (ones, I assume, who appear in the earlier mysteries), and spending time with them while they help Jake is a pleasant experience. I now have to backtrack and read Abell’s earlier Jackson adventures.
A Twist in the River
Stig Abell
Top Bigstock photo by Image Studios Group LLC
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