384 Pages
Women Writers and Fiction/Thrillers

This is the latest in the Annie Raymond series, and, as usual, worth waiting for. As someone who doesn’t read much crime fiction, I’ve always enjoyed this series of crime novels, which is probably explained by the excellent writing and the way Penny Grubb delivers her characters.
In this story, Annie’s always enquiring mind and need to know what really happened, takes her on a strange journey into an unfamiliar world. The descriptions of the container park, with its vast array of massive metal boxes full of who knows what, engage the reader’s attention. We are there with her as the massive machinery follows its automated processes completely unconcerned for the humanity that designed and supposedly controls it. In the first visit, the air of threat and menace is tangible. In the final one, the threat becomes all too real, as Annie faces almost unsurmountable odds and dangers in her quest to discover the truth.

As always, the characters are wonderfully real people; varied, interesting, unreliable and oh so human. We feel the frustrations, irritations, uncertainties, and, as the denouement builds, the tensions, fears, and dreads.

This story grabbed me from the very start and held me tight in an unrelenting grip until the last word.

A real page turner, but one where the action is driven by the varied and fascinating characters. A great read!

[Any review is a personal opinion. No reviewer can represent the view of anyone else. The best we can manage is an honest reaction to any given book.]