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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
A kidnapping and its aftermath; some thriller-mode tension and violence
Language
Some
Some mature language in police and thriller contexts
Sexual Content
Barely any
Brief romantic content between Pascoe and Ellie
Substance Use
Barely any
Mild social drinking throughout
Emotional Intensity
Some
Sustained tension from a kidnapping; some psychological weight from captivity scenes
What this book is about
The sixteenth Dalziel and Pascoe mystery shifts focus to Ellie Pascoe, who is kidnapped in a plot connected to a bestselling crime novelist. While Pascoe and Dalziel work to find her, Ellie uses her intelligence and resourcefulness to survive and gather information. Hill gives Ellie sustained narrative agency in a thriller-inflected entry that tests his characters in new ways. The novel also contains embedded sections from the crime writer's novel-within-a-novel, allowing Hill to play with genre conventions with his characteristic meta-fictional playfulness.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Kidnapping as central plot
Some mature language
Thriller-mode violence
Reader Verification
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