So Say The Fallen
""I am definitely a fan." "
Synopsis:
The fallout from DCI Serena Flanagan's last major case, which saw her home invaded and her husband attacked, has left the previously close family fractured.
When Serena is asked to sign off the suicide of a severely disabled local businessman, she finds herself envying the grieving widow's comfortable life and devoted marriage, until the widow's close relationship with the local reverend starts to sound an alarm. But with a clean crime scene and no evidence to back her up, have Serena's instincts led her down the wrong path?
With her husband struggling to deal with the aftermath of the attack that nearly cost him his life, and her young children anxious and unhappy, Serena's determination to unlock the mystery of what happened in that house may cost her job - and her family.
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Review:
This second outing for DCI Flanagan deals with the fallout from the first novel and Serena is suffering with a fractured home life that only she can repair. Yet her work is vitally important to her. Neville has tapped into the difficulty of a high-pressured job and a happy home life, giving Serena a compassion and vulnerability where, in trying to please everyone, she's pleasing no-one. Serena is a wonderfully drawn creation and has the ability to be ranked with some of the strong female protagonists in crime fiction. 'So Say The Fallen' starts out with a simple case of a suicide but Serena sees it as more than that. As the investigation intensifies, so does the story and it builds slowly into a gripping Columbo-esque thriller as Serena refuses to back down from catching her target when everyone around her is against her. As a writer of crime fiction with a female protagonist I am often asked how a male writer can get into the mind of a female lead; I'd love to know Stuart Neville's answer to that question as he has created one of the most likeable and genuine detectives of recent times. I hope the DCI Flanagan series will be a long running one. I am definitely a fan. Serena Flanagan and Stuart Neville are going to be a dangerous pairing. Brilliant.