Our Lady of Pain [Hardcover]

Forbes is good on plot, tension and lurking evil - The Times

A well-written, cleverly plotted first novel - Literary Review

A page-turning and assured debut in the vein of Ruth Rendell and P.D.James from a bright new voice on the scene - Irish Independent

… Absorbing mystery… Did I enjoy this book, yes - am I eager for the next in the series. Very definitely YES. Mystery Woman Magazine

Forbes is good on plot, tension and lurking evil - The Times A well-written, cleverly plotted first novel - Literary Review A page-turning and assured debut in the vein of Ruth Rendell and P.D.James from a bright new voice on the scene - Irish Independent Absorbing mystery Did I enjoy this book, yes - am I eager for the next in the series. Very definitely YES. Mystery Woman Magazine

A page-turning and assured debut in the vein of Ruth Rendell and P.D.James from a bright new voice on the scene.

When a young woman's naked body is discovered deep in the snowy undergrowth of Holland Park, ritualistically bound and gagged, the only clue is a verse from a bizarre poem found stuffed in her mouth. The woman is Rachel Tenison, a wealthy West End art dealer, who outwardly seemed to lead a normal, fulfilled life. However, as DI Mark Tartaglia and DS Sam Donovan scratch away at the surface, a darker, secret side begins to emerge. Then a tip-off spins everything in an entirely new direction, suggesting that the case is linked to the murder a year before in North London of Catherine Watson, a university lecturer. Still haunted by the aftermath of 'The Bridegroom' case three months before, which nearly brought about their own deaths, Tartaglia and Donovan are forced to confront their personal demons as they struggle to find what these two very different women had in common before the killer has a chance to strike again.

What shall rest of thee then, what remain, O mystic and sombre Dolores, Our Lady of Pain? A young woman's naked body is found in the undergrowth of Holland Park. Gagged, with her wrists and ankles bound, she has been posed, almost like a statue, kneeling as if in prayer - or begging for mercy. Stuffed into the woman's mouth is a wad of paper on which is written a verse by a Victorian poet, renowned in his time for his sadomasochistic tendencies. Progress on the investigation is frustratingly slow, until a link is made to another murder that occurred exactly a year earlier… “Forbes is good on plot, tension and lurking evil” The Times. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Elena Forbes has lived most of her life in London. After reading Modern Languages at Bristol University she worked as a portfolio manager for international investment banks. She now writes full time and lives in Notting Hill with her husband and two children. The first chapter and synopsis of her first novel, Die With Me, was shortlisted for a debut dagger in 2005. Our Lady of Pain is her second novel.