Clemence is contacted by her French great aunt in the States to care for an elderly man, Alastair, suffering amnesia after an accident in Scotland. Can she hold the fort until her aunt gets there? Clemence, a university student in Edinburgh, agrees and tries to help jog his memory with photographs and questions until she finds a manuscript and reads him the handwritten story. Mixed emotions of fear, loathing, compassion and concern occur as she reads and Alastair’s memories are awakened. Then the novel changes gear when the two are attacked and forced to flee into the frozen hills. Why? It changes gear again as the denouement approaches and the unexpected twist is presented. This is very much a mystery within a mystery with lots of action, complex relationships and plenty of twists. A wonderful stand-alone thriller from a respected and accomplished author of financial thrillers and the Icelandic detective series starring Magnus Jonson. Highly recommended. ~ Sarah Broadhurst
Alastair Cunningham wakes up in hospital with almost total amnesia. But he knows that something terrible happened in his past, something that haunts him still. A young family friend, Clémence, is called in to help rekindle his memory. Retreating with Alastair to his remote cottage by a Scottish loch, Clémence finds a peculiar manuscript hidden away from prying eyes. Reading the prologue, she discovers a murder by someone very much like a young Alastair. The victim? Clémence's grandmother, Sophie. Could this kindly old man truly be a killer? Clémence becomes determined to find out what happened all those years ago, even if she must risk everything to do so...
