Starred review from May 29, 2017
Edgar-finalist Cleave (Trust No One) makes an implausible, but very creepy, premise work in this powerful, thought-provoking novel set in Christchurch, New Zealand, which could pass for any of the corrupt cities more familiar to fans of American noir. Det. Insp. Ben Kirk and Det. Insp. Mitchell Logan are on the trail of the sadist who butchered a young woman with a power saw left near her abandoned car on a motorway. They trace the blood-stained tool to a construction site, where foreman Simon Bower identifies it as belonging to one of his workers, Boris McKenzie. Kirk and Logan’s efforts to apprehend McKenzie end badly, claiming the lives of two men, one of whom is an organ donor whose death provides the chance for a new life for a blind 16-year-old boy. When the eye operation doesn’t go as planned, the plot spins off in a new direction and more violence follows. Few characters are wholly innocent, and the road to hell acquires a few more paving stones by the end of this impressive crime thriller. Agent: Jane Gregory, Gregory and Company.