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Friday, March 25, 2016

The Three Deaths of Magdalena Lynton

I read another really good thriller by Katherine Hayton called The Three Deaths of Magdalene Lynton that I happily got to read as an ARC last month.

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"Forty years ago Magdalene Lynton drowned in a slurry. She choked to death as her hands scrabbled for purchase on the smooth concrete walls. A farmhand discovered her bloated body three days later.

Or she didn't.

Paul Worthington just confessed to her murder.
Forty years ago Magdalene Lynton died in a dirty shed. He smothered her life along with her cries for help and tossed her defiled corpse into a river when he was done.

Or he didn't.

As Detective Ngaire Blakes investigates the death, she discovers clues that won't piece together with either version. Gaps, inconsistencies, lies. And forty years have eroded more than memories.

Is it possible to uncover the third death of Magdalene Lynton when time has eaten away at the evidence? And will the person responsible let Ngaire live long enough to try?"

Ngaire Blakes is a detective with the Christchurch (new Zealand) Police Department. She is on light duty after having suffered an assault. They haven't arrested the person responsible. No one knows who assaulted her. Or does someone?

Ngaire isn't very happy pushing papers, when Paul Worthington comes in to the station to confess to suffocating Magdalene Lynton when he was a teenager. Paul is dying of cancer and wants to confess before he dies. Ngaire mentions the case to her good friend Finlay, a journalist. He had been doing a piece on a church and in his research notes, he has information that says Magdalene was found drowned in a slurry on the property what was at that time, the Christ Cult. Ngaire and fellow detective Deb, interview Paul. His information doesn't seem to match what the records say. Ngaire feels drawn to getting to the truth and gets an o.k. to visit Magdalene's parents who now live in a retirement home. Gradually going toward working on this case.

Flash sideways: William Glover is a lawyer with political aspirations. He grew up on a dairy farm near the Christ Cult. He is married and has a little girl. He reads the article in the paper about Paul's confession to the murder of Magdalene. He leaves his office in a fury to go see Paul. He hasn't seen him since they were teenagers, but he will represent Paul...or make sure he doesn't say too much.

This is a really good, fast paced, fast read with lots of twists. Most of the characters have lots of baggage. Some you will sympathize with, some you will despise.

I received a free copy in exchange for a review.

1 comment:

  1. Well that's a creepy little cover for sure. Something about dolls or heads of dolls or broken dolls on covers gives me the shivers. LOL

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