Ratings8
Average rating3.2
Is it possible to forget that you’ve committed a murder?
A murderer strikes at a school reunion—but the students are no strangers to death— in this propulsive, twisty thriller from the internationally bestselling author of the Ruth Galloway Mysteries
When Cassie Fitzgerald was at school in the late 90s, she and her friends killed a fellow student. Almost twenty years later, Cassie is a happily married mother who loves her job—as a police officer. She closely guards the secret she has all but erased from her memory.
One day her husband finally persuades her to go to a school reunion. Cassie catches up with her high-achieving old friends from the Manor Park School—among them two politicians, a rock star, and a famous actress. But then, shockingly, one of them, Garfield Rice, is found dead in the school bathroom, supposedly from a drug overdose. As Garfield was an eminent—and controversial—MP and the investigation is high profile, it’s headed by Cassie’s new boss, DI Harbinder Kaur, freshly promoted and newly arrived in London. The trouble is, Cassie can’t shake the feeling that one of them has killed again.
Is Cassie right, or was Garfield murdered by one of his political cronies? It’s in Cassie’s interest to skew the investigation so that it looks like it has nothing to do with Manor Park and she seems to be succeeding.
Until someone else from the reunion is found dead in Bleeding Heart Yard…
Featured Series
4 primary booksHarbinder Kaur is a 4-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2018 with contributions by Elly Griffiths.
Reviews with the most likes.
The blurb made me think that Cassie was actively trying to manipulate the investigation which would make for an interesting story. But that's not at all what happens. So ignore the blurb.
There's something about the "old classmates with a dark, common secret meet at a reunion many years later, and secrets start bubbling to the surface" trope that always leaves me with the assumption that I can't trust anyone. None of them. Not even myself. I really love unreliable narrators because it makes it difficult for me to "figure it all out" too early.
I did enjoy that part of Bleeding Heart Yard, but I also did have a hunch very early on that, sadly, turned out to be correct. Which means I "figured it all out" way too soon. In lieu of that the ending was disappointing. But I really do have an insanely correct hunch with these things, and I won't assume many people will figure this one out. Don't let my experience here hold you back.
Bonus points for a lesbian MC (Harbinder Kaur). There aren't many in this genre.
Too many suspects retelling an event that happened 21 years before. Seemed to be reading the same pages over and over. Good mystery but book could have been shorter! David N.