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What You Pay For

by Claire Askew

Series: DI Birch (Askew) (2)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1921,135,847 (4)4
FROM THE AUTHOR OF ALL THE HIDDEN TRUTHS, WHICH WON THE MCILVANNEY DEBUT PRIZE '(a) meticulous and compelling novel about the aftermath of a major crime and its effect on the affected families and investigating officers both. Set in Edinburgh, too' - Ian Rankin 'Askew asks intricate moral questions, while never ignoring the rigours of crime' - Daily Mail DI Helen Birch faces a terrible choice - family or justice? - in the gripping second novel from the author of All the Hidden Truths DI Birch joined the police to find her little brother, who walked out of his life one day and was never seen again. She stayed to help others, determined to seek justice where she could. On the fourteenth anniversary of Charlie's disappearance, Birch takes part in a raid on one of Scotland's most feared criminal organisations. It's a good day's work - a chance to get a dangerous man off the streets. Two days later, Charlie comes back. It's not a coincidence. When Birch finds out exactly what he's been doing all those years, she faces a terrible choice: save the case, or save her brother. But how can you do the right thing when all the consequences are bad? As she interrogates Charlie, he tells his story: of how one wrong turn leads to a world in which the normal rules no longer apply, and you do what you must to survive. From one of the most acclaimed new voices in crime fiction, What You Pay For is a brilliantly tense and moving novel about the terrible disruption caused by violence and the lines people will cross to protect those they love.… (more)
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Fourteen years ago, Charlie Birch disappeared. He was the reason his older sister, Helen, joined the police. After about 10 years, she gave him up for dead. But then, in the immediate aftermath of a large-scale raid on an organized crime ring, he comes back. What has he been doing all these years, and what does Helen do with this information?

This is a nail-biting story. The viewpoints alternate between limited third person for Helen and first person for Charlie. At first we don’t know who Charlie is; he’s the anonymous narrator. Eventually we figure it out and the story inches closer to the present day. It’s a tense read, with some occasionally stomach-churning violence (and one scene with off-screen sexual violence). The story is probably one that could have been solved fairly quickly if Helen had actually admitted right away that her brother had returned, so if that is a strike against it for you, fair warning.

I liked this book for its setting (glorious Edinburgh) and for the team dynamics established in the previous book, All the Hidden Truths. You don’t need to have read that book in order to follow this one, but I do recommend reading it anyway.

This book is almost as good as the first one; still a good read, but not quite at 4 stars for me personally. I’d certainly recommend it if you’re looking for a new series set in Edinburgh or a new series featuring a female police detective. ( )
  rabbitprincess | Feb 5, 2020 |
A gripping tale told alternately by two narrators - one is Helen Birch, the other is her brother Charlie.
Birch's tale is what is happening in current time, Charlie's brings us up to date with what he has been doing for the past 14 years and why he has come to her.

Birch should turn Charlie in - he has committed more serious crimes than you can count on both hands. But she desperately wants to make sure he will be safe, but it really comes down to a choice between her career and his freedom. She can't have both. ( )
  smik | Dec 2, 2019 |
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FROM THE AUTHOR OF ALL THE HIDDEN TRUTHS, WHICH WON THE MCILVANNEY DEBUT PRIZE '(a) meticulous and compelling novel about the aftermath of a major crime and its effect on the affected families and investigating officers both. Set in Edinburgh, too' - Ian Rankin 'Askew asks intricate moral questions, while never ignoring the rigours of crime' - Daily Mail DI Helen Birch faces a terrible choice - family or justice? - in the gripping second novel from the author of All the Hidden Truths DI Birch joined the police to find her little brother, who walked out of his life one day and was never seen again. She stayed to help others, determined to seek justice where she could. On the fourteenth anniversary of Charlie's disappearance, Birch takes part in a raid on one of Scotland's most feared criminal organisations. It's a good day's work - a chance to get a dangerous man off the streets. Two days later, Charlie comes back. It's not a coincidence. When Birch finds out exactly what he's been doing all those years, she faces a terrible choice: save the case, or save her brother. But how can you do the right thing when all the consequences are bad? As she interrogates Charlie, he tells his story: of how one wrong turn leads to a world in which the normal rules no longer apply, and you do what you must to survive. From one of the most acclaimed new voices in crime fiction, What You Pay For is a brilliantly tense and moving novel about the terrible disruption caused by violence and the lines people will cross to protect those they love.

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