Winner of the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award 2010
English rural gothic at its best, creepy, truly frightening and definitely not for those with an aversion to snakes. At the centre is a reclusive vet, an intriguing new heroine in her second mystery. The climax is hair-raising, best not read late at night. A totally gripping tale, as is her first, Sacrifice.
When a man dies from what appears to be a random snake bite in a quiet country village, the hospital seeks the expertise of wildlife vet Clara Benning. But the postmortem reveals this was no freak accident. Clara finds herself drawn into the hunt for a brutally inventive killer, putting herself in grave danger as she unravels links to a barbaric ancient ritual, an abandoned house and a 50-year-old, unspeakable tragedy. For someone the truth must remain buried in the past, even if they have to kill to keep it there.
Born in Lancashire, Sharon Bolton trained as an actress and a dancer, has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has a degree in drama and an MBA. She pursued a successful career in PR and marketing, but her career break to start a family enabled her to write her first novel, Sacrifice, which has been inspired by her fascination with British traditional folklore. In 2011 S. J. Bolton was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library, awarded to an author for a body of work.
