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A suspenseful psychological crime novel from one of Germany's No.1 bestselling authors.

About the Author

Charlotte Link is one of Europe's bestselling commercial writers. Her psychological detective novels are set in England. Her novel, Am Ende des Schweigens was nominated in 2004 for the Fiction category of the Deutsche Bucherpreis (German Book Prize), while her 2000 book, Die Rosenzuchterin remained for several weeks at the top of the Spiegel Bestseller list. Her work has also been adapted for German TV.

Reviews

Link, a bestseller in her native Germany, makes her U.S. debut with a sophisticated and thoughtful mystery set in England. After an ominous prologue, in which a woman stumbles across an unnamed secret on a remote farm in Yorkshire in 1970, the action shifts to 2008 in the same area. College student Amy Mills leaves a babysitting gig late at night to travel home, only to find her regular, relatively safe route blocked off, which proves to be a prelude to her brutal killing. Both incidents recede into the background as Link presents a large cast of characters drawn together by the engagement of Gwen Beckett, a wallflower whose fiance is viewed as only being after the farm she's due to inherit. More death follows, with the motive possibly linked to Gwen's father's disturbing past and the tragic fallout from the evacuation of children from London during the Blitz. Fans of Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters will be enthralled. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

After reading only a few pages of Link's U.S debut, a best seller in Germany, it is easy to see why she is the most successful female crime author in her home country. When two murders occur in the small English village of Scarborough, the second one a copycat killing that takes place months after the first, Det. Valerie Almond is at a loss. Then she learns that the murders may be connected to the evacuation of children from the area during World War II. Fiona Barnes was a young teen during that time and writes letters to a close friend detailing the tragic story of "the other child." Exactly who is the "other child" and what does this child from the past have to do with the present-day murders? VERDICT This phenomenal, multilayered mystery offers plenty of psychological intrigue and suspense. Skillfully juggling the two stories, Link sets a fast pace and weaves in characters who are both tragic and ones readers can relate to. Fans of psychological thrillers and dark mysteries will love this engrossing novel.-Amy M. Davis, Parmley Billings Lib., MT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Every well-built psychological suspense narrative involves a thorough, methodical dissection of characters we've been led to believe we already know. It's a delicate skill, and authors like Ruth Rendell have made it into something of an art form... Link demonstrates the same subtle touch, keeping the reader's eye trained on Fiona and the guilty secret she shares with Chad, while distracting us from the innocent--looking characters standing quietly in the shadows. * NEW YORK TIMES *