Rickman is a policeman who's living with Grace, a GP with a special interest in the refugee community. On her way to work one day, Grace comes across the body of a murdered young woman who turns out to have been a refugee herself. Rickman is called in to investigate, but has problems of his own: his estranged brother is in hospital and wanting to talk to him, and his blood is found at the scene of the girl's murder. More murders look like they might be the work of racists targetting the refugee community, but maybe there's something else going on?

Another one from an author recommended in the Guardian, but it didn't hit the spot for me: the story just wasn't very gripping. The jacket said it was a psychological thriller, but I wouldn't have called it that myself. I think that Murphy did a fair amount of research among the refugee community, and so maybe she was trying to say something about our attitudes to asylum seekers, but if so, the message wasn't overt enough for me to pick up on. The book was OK but nothing special. Maybe I'll try another of hers but no rush.

Completed : 15-Mar-2006