What You Left Behind

Starred review from February 2, 2015
British author Hayes’s superb second thriller featuring Det. Insp. Lorraine Fisher (after 2014’s Until You’re Mine) finds Lorraine looking forward to spending a week visiting her sister, Jo Curzon, and Jo’s 18-year-old son, Freddie, in the affluent English village of Radcote. But Jo has recently separated from her husband, and Freddie is sullen and distant, spending most of the time in his room on his computer. Two years before, Radcote was shaken by six teenage suicides in two weeks. Jo worries that Freddie’s attitude may be a precursor to him taking his own life, perhaps influenced by the recent suicides of two young men, both of whom lived at the New Hope Homeless Shelter. Suspicious about the “cluster suicides,” Lorraine begins an investigation that leads to Sonia Hawkeswell, a wealthy shelter volunteer whose own son committed suicide. Intense character studies, aided by a perceptive look at teenagers united by feelings of alienation, complement the unpredictable plot. Agent: Oli Munson, A.M. Heath (U.K.).

June 15, 2015

DCI Lorraine Fisher visits her sister for a busman's holiday in this series' second title (after Until You're Mine), the first scene of which features a stolen motorcycle, two reckless lovers, and a fatal accident. Or was it an accident? The tension in narrator Anna Bentinck's voice keeps the story gripping, even though the characters are annoying and unsympathetic stereotypes. Whether it's know-it-all Lorraine, her hysterical sister, or her pathetic nephew, this is not a family to envy. The most endearing character is autistic neighbor Gil, who knows all the secrets but is careful not to express them aloud. Bentinck brings him to life by slowly pushing out the important things he knows during his fast-paced, panicked reactions to the people around him. Though his family and the local police discount Gil's intelligence, Lorraine takes him seriously when she sees his detailed artistic renderings of violent death. Bentinck's pacing, pitch changes, and accents all contribute to the scary setting--a village where bullying and suicide seem the order of the day. VERDICT Recommended to listeners who enjoyed the first in the series. ["Hayes pulls readers in and keeps them captivated with plenty of red herrings, truly creepy characters, and a wickedly surprising ending that will stump even the most experienced thriller fan": LJ 11/15/14 starred review of the Crown hc.]--Juleigh Muirhead Clark, Colonial Williamsburg Fdn. Lib., VA

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