Her Husband’s Grave by P. L. Kane
Criminal psychologist Robyn Adams is at breaking point after her last case resulted in an attempt on her own life. But as she sits in the car about to head home, her phone rings. It’s Robyn’s cousin, Vicky Carter, who she hasn’t seen or heard from in years.
Vicky’s voice cracks down the phone. Her husband, Simon, has been found buried on Golden Sands beach. Desperate to help and determined not to let her last case get the better of her, Robyn returns to the coastal village where she spent summers with Vicky as a child.
Robyn knows that she has let Vicky down in the past and is set on making up for lost time. Throwing herself into the case, she combs through evidence, intent on discovering a lead that will help the local police.
But there is clearly someone who wants Robyn gone. She is convinced someone is watching her and when she begins to receive threatening notes, Robyn knows that she could be risking her life…
But Robyn won’t leave again – she owes it to Vicky to stay.
Author Bio
P.L. KANE is the pseudonym of a #1 bestselling and award-winning author and editor, who has had over a hundred books published in the fields of SF, YA and Horror/Dark Fantasy.
In terms of crime fiction, previous books include the novel Her Last Secret, the collection Nailbiters and the anthology Exit Wounds, which contains stories by the likes of Lee Child, Dean Koontz, Val McDermid and Dennis Lehane. Kane has been a guest at many events and conventions, and has had work optioned and adapted for film and television (including by Lions Gate/NBC, for primetime US network TV).
Several of Kane’s stories have been turned into short movies and Loose Canon Films/Hydra Films have just adapted ‘Men of the Cloth’ into a feature, The Colour of Madness.
Kane’s audio drama work for places such as Bafflegab and Spiteful Puppet/ITV features the acting talents of people like Tom Meeten (The Ghoul), Neve McIntosh (Doctor Who/Shetland), Alice Lowe (Prevenge) and Ian Ogilvy (Return of the Saint).
Visit www.plkane.com for more details.
Review
‘Her Husband’s Grave’ was a tightly plotted thriller based around a psychologist Robyn who has returned to her ‘summer home’ of Golden Sands at the bequest of her cousin Vicky. Vicky’s husband has been found murdered and buried on the beach. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and once the author had set the scene, they just kept on coming right to the very end. I really enjoyed the final twist at the story’s conclusion.
A lot of crime fiction nowadays has a protagonist who is damaged in some way. However, Robyn still came across as approachable and empathetic whilst still being completely messed up. I think that because a lot of her mental health problems revolves around a previous case you can understand why she would act they way she does. I think there is a lot more hiding under her surface though and could easily see this becoming a series. Is this going to happen Paul??
I really enjoyed the plot and there are a few stand out scenes for me! I loved the library scene and the one where Robyn is a peeping tom! They both made me laugh. They were good counter-balances to some of the darker scenes in the book. I can’t say too much as I don’t want to spoil the plot for you guys.
I don’t know why but the setting of Golden Sands made me think of Scarborough. It’s the right location and some things like the castle, the funfair, and pubs being taken over by chains just made me think of my home town.
If you are looking for a great thriller to spend a sunny day reading then this is the book for you! It’s compelling from the opening scene, the pace ramps up in the second half of the book and it’s just a great thriller. I could spin platitudes aplenty but why make it complicated. Basically, it’s a 4⭐️ read.
