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Reviews
A Book of Scars combines nostalgic period detail with an emotional intensity found only in the very best crime fiction
William Shaw delivers a perfect motive in the third of his excellent Breen and Tozer mysteries . . . Shaw reminds us that 'brutality creates brutality', and this is true for every side of a conflict. The killer's explanatory speech, a bit perfunctory in most crime books, here unfolds a fascinatingly dark tale . . . This is a proper conspiracy thriller, with shameful secrets hidden behind government regulation. It involves real history, real people, real crimes with real consequences
A Book of Scars is both a first-rate mystery and a compelling and accurate portrait of a changing society that is confused about the present and ill-at-ease with the past
In this conclusion to a thoroughly gripping trilogy, Shaw draws incisive attention to little-known historical events and crafts a wholly satisfying thriller
CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR. William Shaw completes his marvellous trilogy of crime novels with A Book of Scars. Shaw captures the mood of London in the 1960s, using his working class detectives to convey the bewildering pace of social change. His intricate plots are full of surprises, reflecting the brutal legacy of colonialism
Superb . . . Shaw picks up multiple plot threads, expertly weaving them into a complex story that explores the darkest parts of the human psyche and the erosion of one man's humanity, while balancing the delicate and awkwardly sweet relationship between the traditional Breen and decidedly untraditional Helen . . . Shaw perfectly captures the end of an uneasy era, and the utterly terrifying final scene will leave readers breathless
Echoes Robert Gailbraith's (aka JK Rowling) crime novels, and neither author suffers by the comparison....A totally engaging series, thick in period detail like a cloud of patchouli but with an always timely reminder that at any time the past can up and bite you on the butt.
Shaw raises the bar with each entry in this series....Against a backdrop of taut suspense and occasionally raw violence, Paddy and Helen continue trying to work out their feelings for each other, which deepen in fits and starts with each novel. A genre-bending psychological thriller.
Thoroughly gripping...Shaw draws incisive attention to little-known historical events and crafts a wholly satisfying thriller.
Big treat in store for fans. And if you're not a fan yet, why not?
