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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
A cold case murder; historical violence against a teenager; investigation of a community's secrets
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild; adult relationships in the cold case backstory
Substance Use
Some
Moderate; the culture of the era depicted honestly
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong; the lake as a place of preserved time; the way a community closes around an uncomfortable truth; the cold case as an archaeology of a specific moment
What this book is about
A standalone by Ann Cleeves (pre-Vera, pre-Shetland): the preserved body of a teenage boy is pulled from a Northumberland lake, untouched for thirty years. The investigation by Detective Peter Porteous and his new colleague Hannah Morton excavates the lives of those who were young in that era and what they've been hiding. Cleeves's cold case structure is at its most atmospheric.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Reader Verification
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