A Kind of Wild Justice (Paperback)

The comparison with Goddard is particularly apposite. I have just thoroughly enjoyed HIS latest, "Dying to Tell" and would say that Bonner DOES have his rare ability to pile twist upon twist...

Bonner is totally up front: A murder happened twenty years ago. The body was found, the villain apprehended and brought to trial. He was found not guilty. Now, caught in a traffic accident, his DNA is tested and this confirms that there was indeed a miscarriage of justice. So where can you go from here?

Bonner takes us back over the events twenty years ago and although you know that her villain will walk free, she is still able to create suspense. You are also drawn in to the relationship developing between Mike Fielding, the unfortunate detective, whose career is effectively ruined by these events and Joanna Bartlett, the journalist who is sent to cover the case. The highs and lows of the case mirror the highs and lows of their relationship. It is the stormiest and most passionate of affairs, totally unique - the "single great passion" in each of their lives - and yet just like all affairs; Mike can't or won't leave his wife. What, you wonder, can an author make of it all?

Bonner makes a story that is fast moving and very exciting. A solution appears to present itself, but then very slowly the seeds of doubt are sown. The card house collapses and needs to be rebuilt. Who else is a villain? How many separate acts of villainy have been committed? And of course, just when you think you understand it all, a new surprise awaits. And the characters are well drawn; very well drawn.

Finally, the ending! Very clever, too! Your questions are answered and you can predict how the characters you have come to care about so deeply will live out their lives, but the i's certainly aren't dotted and neither are the t's crossed. And the very last page creates a question all of its own.

I am a woman who usually prefers to read male authors. I found Nicci French a pleasant exception - and then discovered that "she" is actually a husband-and-wife team. Bonner compares well with French (and a reader familiar with French might see a small link with the dénouement of "Memory Game!")

P.S My daughter is not at all keen for me to read my next Hilary Bonner; she had a LONG wait for her tea, last night; there was NO way I was putting my book down once the last 50 pages were in sight!