After finally warming up to detective investigator Jessica Daniel in the 2018 Eye for an Eye series entry, I must say that after reading this one I've cooled off again. I'm not sure why, except that Jessica seems to be more of an "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission" kind of person than I'd like her to be. No, that doesn't mean this book isn't good - I enjoyed it thoroughly, as I have the others I've read. And for sure I love a feisty female character, and Jessica certainly is that; but sometimes she seems to go astray with little regard for the consequences (though maybe, if the ending here is any indication, she may need to start reining herself in).
The main story has an interesting twist - one that prompted me to learn more; 14-year-old Samuel is blind, but that doesn't prevent him from "seeing" his way around amazingly well. He does that by "echolocation" - using sound (generated by clicking his tongue that bounces off objects much like sonar). He lives with his mother in a simple flat in Manchester, England, and it is there that Jessica gets involved. A couple of nasty men (or so Samuel says) broke in and as a result, his mother was killed. Samuel can describe both men by his sound clues, but he has no names nor did he actually see the two. So with few clues - including a motive - Jessica and her partner Archie set out to head up the investigation.
The neighbors aren't much help; they've all moved out months earlier. The only clue Jessica's search of the flat turns up is that somehow, some way, Samuel's mother seems to have been getting under-the-table revenue. As all this progresses, Jessica gets hints that all may not be well in her department - but clues as to what might be going on are even more scarce than in the case of Samuel's mother's death.
Everything pretty much gets resolved by the end of this book except that last bit, which I'm sure will carry over to the next one - and I'm looking forward to it. I must also commend the author for coming up with some new-to-me British words and phrases - hard to do in part because I read so many books set in the U.K. and have the great pleasure of having a daughter-in-law (and her brother) who were born in London. Beans on toast? Check. Crisps? Check. Poppadum? What the heck?
No, I won't tell you - go look it up for yourself, just as you'll have to read this book to flesh out the rest of the story. My opinion? Thumbs up! Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an advance copy to read and review.
A Cry in the Night by Kerry Wilkinson (Bookouture, January 2020); 356 pp.
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