Like This, For Ever (Lacey Flint #3)

Lots of trauma in the authors novels: Detective Lacey Flint, victims, co-workers, and others. Lacey is on leave from a special unit of the London police after a harrowing undercover experience at Cambridge and is not doing well, having to exercise herself to death to escape her demons. Secondly, someone is killing young boys in London and leaving them to be found with their throats cut, drained of all blood, but no other injuries.

But the leading character in this mystery is eleven-year-old Barney, a neighbor of Laceys and observant beyond his years. His mother has been missing for years, his father too has some kind of disappearing act going on, and he happens to live in the area where the kids are dying. It is his obsession, and possible connection, with the murders that eventually draws a reluctant Lacey into the case.

Its not just her reluctance that must be overcome: she is on the outs with her boss Detective Dana Tulloch and her relationship with fellow detective Mark Joesbury is muddled. When matters take a far worse turn, Lacey has to jump in with typical bravado, throwing caution to the wind.

Lacey is a good character for the author, although after three novels she seems a little stuck in her hang-ups and relationships. The author keeps things moving, but in this case the plot is a little thin and ultimately falls on the unbelievable side. Capturing the thinking of Lacey continues to be the strength of the series.

Bolton has done it again – created an unputdownable psychological thriller which had me hooked from the very first page. Featuring the multi-layered plot, flesh-and-blood characters and seamless flow of storyline we have come to expect of Bolton’s work, this is the kind of book you should only pick up when you have plenty of time to spare – because it is impossible to stop reading!

Like This Forever picks up where Dead Scared left off. Lacey Flint, still licking her wounds from her experiences in Cambridge, has seconded herself away in her little London flat, taking sick-leave from her role as police officer and refusing to answer DI Mark Joesbury’s concerned phonecalls. In the meantime, London is reeling from a spate of child murders – four ten-year-old boys have been abducted and found dead on the shores of side arms of the Thames a few days later. There is no evidence of sexual abuse or any other motive, and police are at a loss of suspects. Lacey’s neighbour, eleven-year old Barney, has his own interest in the boys’ murders – not only has he discovered links between their disappearances, but he is also being stalked by a person on facebook who seems to know a lot about the boys’ murders before anyone else does. When his own enquiries uncover gruesome evidence which may be too close to home, it is Lacey he turns to – unwittingly involving her in the investigation and putting both their lives in danger.

As with Dead Scared, in Like This Forever Bolton introduces a new character into the Lacey Flint series, this time the fresh voice of eleven-year old Barney Roberts (who first appears in Bolton’s short story If Snow Hadn’t Fallen). Seeing the world through Barney’s eyes made for an interesting perspective, and I loved putting myself in the shoes of a child for a while, especially one as quirky and unusual as Barney. Bolton’s familiarity with children of that particular age-group shows (she has a son the same age), and Barney is one of the most engaging and interesting child-protagonists I have encountered for a long time. And whilst Barney’s gang brought back memories of reading Enid Blyton’s Famous Five as a child (who hasn’t?), the book’s dark themes are definitely adult fare. Saying that, despite the sinister themes explored in the novel (and as usual Bolton does not pussyfoot around when describing scenes of violence and death), I thought they were handled with sensitivity and insight into the effects of trauma on young children.

I was afraid that after enjoying Bolton’s rural backdrops I would be disappointed in a London setting. Far from it – with her usual flair Bolton unearths the scariest, creepiest city locations and uses them to bring out every reader’s worst fears. A rickety houseboat on a muddy river, deserted factories, dilapidated Victorian mansions, tidal creeks and dark alleys – yikes, it brought out the goosebumps! Exploring some of these locations through the eyes of a child was a clever idea. Don’t we all have creepy childhood memories of sneaking into forbidden places in the dark (well, my generation anyway)? Again, as mentioned in my last review, I held my breath A LOT throughout Bolton’s latest work, whilst the innocent tapping of tree branches on our roof suddenly took on a menacing air. This was one time when I regretted being a fast reader – trying to meter out the enjoyment as long as I could, using the book as reward for a hard day at work, limiting myself to a few chapters at a time. Who was I kidding? I caved in almost immediately, devouring the book like an alcoholic demolishing the last bottle of vodka with a defiant “oh stuff it” thrust of the chin before burrowing into my doona and settling in for a night long read-a-thon.

The more I get to know Lacey, the more of an enigma she becomes and by now I am thoroughly intrigued. With a passionate encounter between Flint and Joesbury inevitable at some stage (surely?), I am very interested to see how these two will be able to overcome the deep dark past shadowing Lacey, driving her to the destructive behaviour she is demonstrating in Like This Forever. Somehow I cannot see her fitting into Joesbury’s ready made family idyll – but we will have to wait and see, won’t we? Which brings me to the worst part of having finished the novel – the long wait for the next instalment!

Again, as with Bolton’s previous works, the plot in Like This Forever is multilayered, cleverly constructed and impossible to predict. There is a terrible “oh no!” moment close to the end, when the twists take a terrifying direction, but still the final resolution was a total surprise. And whilst I knew that my own theories would surely be wide off the mark, since my imagination is no match for Bolton’s clever plotting, I still harboured many different theories and hungrily soaked up clues – only to be proven wrong of course.

To cut a long review short – another five stars to a writer on top of her genre! I cannot wait to read the next instalment in the Lacey Flint series (this is a diplomatic way of saying – come on, hurry up and get writing!). Bolton firmly stays cemented on my list of favourite writers, with three of her novels on my list of “best reads” in 2013. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and whilst it is possible to read it as a stand-alone novel, why deny yourself the pleasure to start at the beginning and read all three?

If you’ve read and enjoyed the previous Lacey Flint police procedurals, you will not be disappointed in Lost. Lacey, Mark Joesbury, Dana Tulloch and her partner, Helen, are all back, and the additional cast of characters are well-drawn and captivating. Young boys are missing in London, soon to be found dead with their blood drained. No other trauma is apparent. When the fourth boy is found, a profiler is called in. Because of the blood-letting, it isn’t long before there’s Facebook chatter about vampires. Peter Sweep, on Facebook, seems to know things about the killings before the public and quotes from Dracula. Is he the killer? If so, who is he? The posts are from a pre-paid untraceable mobile. Suspense builds well as the race is on before another boy can be snatched. Lacey is out of the loop, on disability after her Cambridge trauma (from an earlier book.) She is,once again, suspected by Dana because Lacey has been contacted by the supposed killer. There is the tension of the present case and between the police. There are many twists and turns before the murders are solved; suspects are logical and the reader, like the police, will believe he knows who it is…. I, for one, was fooled. One of the best characters of this installment is Barney, an 11 year old neighbor of Lacey’s. While this is a continuing series, it can stand alone well. I would, however, recommend reading the earlier books to get the full impact of the interaction of the cast. Lacey still has a shadowy past which will, at some point, become clear – I hope. Now I’m waiting for the next book….

This is the third Lacey Flint book in the series and I have read all three. Lacey clearly has not weathered her life very well. She remains flawed and very vulnerable. She is damaged and has come to a crossroads moment. Lacey clings to a person from her past life but someone the reader would not know if unfamiliar with the first two books. Her interest in Joesbury remains a key factor but plays a more subdued role.
This book’s steady pace and unfolding elements of anticipation kept me turning pages wanting the next reveal. The red herring possibilities slowly expose themselves until five or six float to the top for consideration.
Bolton has a talent for rich, textured, engaging words which add to the high quality of her work.
The serial killer and the motivation for the crimes are unusual but not impossible and add a unique dimension to the book. The fourth book in the series is a definite addition to my need to read list.

Like This, For Ever

The third in Sharon Boltons series of books featuring DC Lacey Flint from the Metropolitan Police in London. Bolton manages to highlight the darker aspects of life and then proceed to colour it in with a black marker. If you like contented people with happy lifes and fulfilled dreams then this series of books are not for you.

Lacey is on sick leave following the case at Cambridge University. She feels traumatised by her experience and has distanced herself from the Police and her colleagues on the force. She wonders if she will ever go back.

London is being terrified by s series of murders involving young boys. Initially there are fears of a paedophile but indications are that the victims have not been sexually abused. Their throats have been cut and there is no evidence of blood where there bodies were discovered. Suddenly there is a public panic over vampires taking children for their blood.

Lacey is not part of the investigation but she is gradually drawn in against her better judgement by the actions of a young eleven year old boy who lives next to her. The boy largely looks after himself because his father works. His mother left when he was small and he is trying in his own way to find her.

Bolton highlights that although we are all conditioned to behave in a certain way in order to fit in when that norm is challenged our baser instincts come to the fore and our need to survive overcomes our need to confirm. Humanity does not come over well during this period and distasteful as it is to realise you keep reading because deep down we know that if we were in that situation we would likely behave and act in the same way.

Despite this being a story in its own right it draws heavily on Laceys experiences from her past mostly covered in earlier books in the series. To get the best from this book it would be recommended that you read the earlier ones in order first.

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