When Anya, a major witness at a trial, falls to her death in a Polish city, her father in England accepts the suicide verdict but her lover does not. At the heart of the case is the abduction and murder years back of her sister, and the imminence of her killer's forthcoming release and the fact she was about to be exposed as a perjurer and a liar. As both the police and those close to Anya investigate the murky circumstances, the mystery is cleverly examined from various different perspectives and the journey into the past comes in many colours. A dark, psychological thriller about deeply hidden secrets and the aftermaths of death by a much neglected British author with a strong connection to Poland.
When Ania Milosz falls to her death in a Polish city, her father, Will Gillen, accepts the verdict of suicide. Ania, an expert witness, was about to be exposed as a perjurer and a liar. Will knows his daughter was neither, but he also knows the terrible burden she carried from her past when her sister was abducted and murdered. He realises there is one thing that may have made her fabricate evidence in a harrowing murder case: after all these years, has she found her sister’s killer, and has the prospect of his release driven her to the point of suicide?
Ania’s lover, Dariusz, won’t accept this. He knows Ania did not kill herself. Does Will really know his daughter, or is there an even darker story behind Ania’s death? He is haunted by images of his dead daughter. Is she trying to tell him something, is she trying to warn him, or is his grief driving him mad? THE LAST ROOM is a dark and haunting book that explores the aftermath of a death and the different ways a crime may present itself: suicide or murder? Police ineptitude or corruption? And will there be more deaths?
Danuta Reah, who also writes as Carla Banks, made her crime debut in 1999 with ‘Only Darkness’ the rights to which were purchased by Escazal Films. She is married and lives in South Yorkshire with her husband who is an artist. For many years, he has painted the scenes that form a potent backdrop to her South Yorkshire novels. She currently works as a lecturer in English Language and Linguistics. She also teaches writing for undergraduate courses and runs writers’ workshops at a range of venues. She has published text books in linguistics as well as crime fiction. She is a regular speaker at conferences and literary festivals, and has appeared on radio and television.
