Risk of Harm

The gripping new crime thriller from the bestselling author of Before We Met and Critical Incidents Robin Lyons is back in her hometown of Birmingham and now a DCI with Force Homicide, working directly under Samir, the man who broke her heart almost twenty years ago. When a woman is found stabbed to death in a derelict factory and no one comes forward to identify the body, Robin and her team must not only hunt for the murderer, but also solve the mystery of who their victim might be. As Robin and Samir come under pressure from their superiors, from the media and from far-right nationalists with a dangerous agenda, tensions in Robin's own family threaten to reach breaking point. And when a cold case from decades ago begins to smoulder and another woman is found dead in similar circumstances, rumours of a serial killer begin to spread. In order to get to the truth Robin will need to discover where loyalty ends and duty begins. But before she can trust, she is going to have to forgive – and that means grappling with some painful home truths.

About the Author :
Lucie Whitehouse was born in Gloucestershire in 1975, read Classics at Oxford University and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of The House at Midnight, the TV Book Club pick The Bed I Made and Before We Met, which was a Richard & Judy Summer Book Club pick and an ITV3 Crime Thriller selection.

Review :
‘Lucie Whitehouse’s Risk of Harm is not your average serial-killer novel … Whitehouse constructs her police procedurals brilliantly, acknowledging the difficulties that beset a female detective without undermining her character’s professional ability’ Crime Book of the Month, The Times ‘Another utterly compelling story from Lucie Whitehouse. Authentic and immersive, with a series of clever twists and turns’ Lloyd Otis ‘I was gripped from the first page: Risk of Harm confirms Lucie Whitehouse as the queen of clever, classy crime fiction with a conscience’ Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said 'Engaging and intriguing, and always keeps you guessing. A great story cleverly told’ Emma Haughton, author of The Dark ‘A cracking procedural. Pacy, cunningly plotted with an unexpected denouement, and full of well-drawn characters’ Judith Cutler, author of the Harriet and Matthew Rowsley series 'Deftly plotted, fabulous characters, brilliantly satisfying – an absolute winner' Milly Johnson, author of My One True North Praise for Critical Incidents: ‘I loved Critical Incidents. In fact I devoured it. It's a brilliant combination of superb characterisation, humour and galloping plot: her best yet’ Susie Steiner, author of Missing, Presumed ‘I swallowed this riveting literary thriller whole; Lucie Whitehouse has the knack of making fictional crime seem uncannily close to home’ Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said ‘Whitehouse is a superb storyteller, whose sleight of hand and sly misdirections have you leaping to all the wrong conclusions from the outset’ Independent ‘Seriously good suspense … trust me, you’ll need to know what happens’ Lee Child ‘This is that deeply satisfying thing, a strong, deft thriller with real depth’ Tana French 'I really enjoyed this gripping, moving novel, full of great characters' Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request