Lies At Her Door by A A Abbot

I would like to thank Anne from Random Things and the author for an advance copy of this story in exchange for a fair and honest review

Published – Out Now

Price – £1.99 Kindle eBook

She forgot about her childhood friend… until his body is found under her garden. Can she prove she didn’t commit the decades-old murder?

Lucy Freeman struggles to find satisfaction in life. Trapped in the shadow of her rock star brother, the thirty-two-year-old craves more than her days at home caring for her terminally ill mother. But her routine takes a turn for the horrifying when a giant sinkhole collapses the earth outside their house and reveals a skeleton.

Shocked to discover the bones belong to a former member of her sibling’s band, Lucy’s worst nightmare comes alive when police suspect her of the killing. And as she turns to her dying parent’s diaries in a desperate search for vindication, she’s entangled in a dark and complicated truth.

Will unearthing long-buried wrongs prove lethal?

Some crimes are immediate, and some are only discovered years after the event. How have people changed since then; how have hidden secrets impacted people and is there any way evidence can find the culprit? In Lies At Her Door by A A Abbot a 25 year old crime is discovered by accident and one family’s secrets become the source of the police’s investigation.

A communal carol singing event brings not the house down but the garden area of a well to do Bristol community and in the new sinkhole the only casualty is a decades old skeleton. One family in particular draws attention as they are connected by their rock star son to a band for whom a talented musician went missing. For one police officer though childhood trauma caused by their daughter suggest she too is worthy of attention.

This is a brisk solid police procedural switching perspectives from the officers to in particular the slightly eccentric and social awkward Lucy the daughter of the family in question. Abbot gets to see both key characters’ lives from Neil the police officer dealing with a ruined engagement attempt to Lucy finding her magnetic brother’s return to her life disturbing hidden secrets and painful memories. There is a simple straightforward plot that will keep the reader entertained for a few hours as it unwinds. Abbot has a nice character focused style with a dash of humour where appropriate and it is clear a lot of attention has been taken to make the police investigation feel realistic with use of investigative terms and approach. If you’re looking a for a relaxing crime read this may be worth a look.