‘What is the exact time?’ The doctor demanded. He was about to stop resuscitation and record time of death. Anya did not want to give up. The girl was young. She deserved every chance. So did her family. Especially on a cruise sip. Death was the last thing anyone expected on a family holiday.
Anya Crichton is excited at the opportunity to take a much-needed break with her six year old son.A trip on a luxury cruise ship will give them plenty of time together, with nothing to disturb them. Or so she thinks. But on their first morning, Anya’s ex-husband Martin discovers the body of a teenage girl shoved in a cupboard. There are no police out at sea, and limited expertise, so Anya finds herself offering to help n the investigation. What she finds, though, is much more than just a single death. A pattern soon emerges of sexual assaults, drug use and disappearances. While she seeks to uncover the truth, she must also face facts that she and her family could now be squarely in the sights of the killer, or killers.
Cold Grave continues the adventures of forensic physician Anya Crichton. As with previous offerings the book is a pleasing blend of pace, intrigue and character development. The novelty of the shipboard location adds interest, though providing an uncomfortable glimpse into the darker side of the cruise experience – drunkenness, crime and lack of accountability among them, along with the poor conditions for some staff and the problems of ecological accountability and the quest for profits.
These issues are dealt with in a way which informs whilst still providing a thrilling read.
Gripping.
Cold Grave, by Kathryn Fox
Macmillan, 2012
ISBN 9781742610344
Available in good bookstores or online from Fishpond.