Sarah Ward (1)

Sarah Ward has written a compelling page turner of a crime novel that keeps you guessing right to the end. The story follows the police investigation into the deaths of a father, mother and their young son and subsequent fire in their house. As well as this, the lives of the police involved are also highlighted, with the demands of their job leading to difficulties in forming lasting personal relationships. As the investigation progresses, there appear to be links to an unresolved missing person case from 30 years before, although these are not clear cut. These elements make for a complex and shifting puzzle, with a few false leads before the resolution, one that still appears to leave an element of jeopardy for those involved.… (more)

Fifteen years ago, a man was murdered - by his wife. She's served her time and is back home again. But lo! The same man has been murdered again. So who was the first man? And who's murdered the second man? And why did the wife successfully claim that the first victim was her husband, murdered in the marital bed? There's a lot here for DC Connie Childs and the team she works with to unpick, and it doesn't always reflect well on police procedures in place at the time of the first crime.

In many ways a satisfying story, well told. But the chapters are short: the action rushes hither and yon from present to past and back again, and I couldn't always keep up. I'm glad I did though. I'd cheerfully read more about Connie Childs' career.… (more)

In Bitter Chill by Sarah Ward is a debut novel that although was a little slow moving, was well crafted, thoughtful and quite chilling. In 1978 two young girls, Rachel and Sophie, were kidnapped as they walked to school, Rachel got away but Sophie was never seen again. This cold case was brought back to life 30 years later by first, the suicide of Sophie’s mother and then, the murder of a woman who had been a teacher at the girls’ school.

DI Francis Sadler is put in charge of the case and he is ably assisted by DC Connie Childs. They return to the original case and try to look at it from new angles to see if they can find answers. They are convinced that all three cases are connected but finding the connection is difficult. The child victim Rachel, is now a full grown woman but doesn’t remember much about her abduction. It’s only when the police start to dig into family connections that some long buried secrets come to the surface.

This investigation of a cold case set in the chill of a peak district winter made for an atmospheric read. I found plot very intriguing but felt that the author got bogged down in details which caused the story to get off-track every so often but overall this was a solid debut that was absorbing and intelligent. I will certainly be looking for more by this author.… (more)

In Bitter Chill begins when the body of an elderly woman, Yvonne Jenkins, is found in a Derbyshire hotel room. DC Connie Childs informs her boss, DI Francis Sadler that it appears to be a suicide. As they investigate further they begin to wonder if the death is somehow connected to a decades old cold case. Thirty years ago, on the same date, two eight-year-old girls, Rachel Jones and Sophie Jenkins, were abducted on the way to school. Rachel was found unharmed at the edge of the forest, but unable to remember anything except that her abductor was a woman. Sophie, Yvonne’s daughter, was never again.

Rachel Jones is now a genealogist, determined to live her life away from the shadow of the 1978 tragedy. Her grandmother Nancy, is the only remaining family link for Rachel to her troubled childhood. The story gets more complicated when the body of teacher, Penny Lander, with clear signs of having been strangled, appears on the same spot where Rachel Jones turned up after her abduction.

I enjoyed this book and thought the story line was quite interesting. The author managed to conceal as much as possible until the very end. Nothing is clear and no one is quite what he or she seems to be. DI Francis Sadler and young, eager DS Connie Childs were interesting characters and well drawn. The way in which the novel switches between the viewpoints of the investigators and of Rachel kept the story moving quickly. I really enjoyed it and look forward to another book by this debut author.… (more)