Winner of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2010.
April 2009 Book of the Month.
R J Ellory was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library 2009 - the prize awarded for an author's body of work.
This one is big, 500 pages, but all go too fast. It is a police procedural one, the story of murdered women who appear not to exist. Taking place in Washington in the mid-term elections, it’s the last thing the police want but we get election politics mixed into a complicated investigation, which is fascinating. Moving, disturbing and thought-provoking, it grips from the start.
Comparison: Dennis Lehane, Stieg Larsson, Tom Rob Smith.
Washington, embroiled in the mid-term elections, did not want to hear about serial killings. But when the newspapers reported a fourth murder, when they gave the killer a name and details of his horrendous crimes, there were few people that could ignore it. Detective Robert Miller is assigned to the case.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
Win a Pair of Tickets to Agatha Christie’s The Hollow at a Venue of Your Choice.
Closing date: 15/10/2026
the best psychological thrillers · the best thriller audiobooks
Washington, embroiled in the mid-term elections, did not want to hear about serial killings. But when the newspapers reported a fourth murder, when they gave the killer a name and details of his horrendous crimes, there were few people that could ignore it.
A Simple Act of Violence features in the following genres: Thriller and Suspense, Crime and Mystery, Books of the Month, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
Paperback, Hardback. £13.49, down from the £14.99 cover price. Temporarily Out Of Stock.
A Simple Act of Violence was written by R. J. Ellory and published by Orion Publishing Co
A Simple Act of Violence has 562 pages
£13.49, reduced from £14.99. Temporarily Out Of Stock.
