From Booklist
Sheffield, England. 1998. Two policemen find the grisly remains of a dead man in an abandoned warehouse. At least they think it's a man. It's difficult to tell since the creature has had every inch of skin sandblasted from its body. Its face and genitals have been removed, and even its teeth have been blasted away. Detectives Singleterry and Naylor are put in charge of the case, but after several months, they're no closer to finding out the identity of the dead man, let alone discovering who killed him. They're both jaded, disgruntled, angry cops who should have quit the force years ago. Instead, they bury evidence, brutalize their suspects, and hope for retirement, Naylor passing the time destroying his liver with alcohol, and Singleterry spewing hatred at suspects and colleagues alike. Then a chance encounter at the sandblasted victim's long-delayed funeral results in a confession, but the unexpected break takes a terrible turn. Extremely dark, bloody, and menacing, this expertly plotted first novel is difficult to read but utterly compelling.
Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Thirty years of hiding have buried nothing
A mysterious man is found sandblasted to death and nobody seems to care. With a coroner’s report reading, "It is clear that death was far from instantaneous. It would have taken many minutes, if not an hour or more to inflict damage to the skin sufficient to allow an apposite loss of blood," this is a particularly gruesome murder—even for Sheffield, a dark and gritty city of steel where rivers disappear. The police investigate the murder—and then destroy evidence and lie to the press about what they found. This offhand attitude towards justice—and the murder's sheer brutality—impel Dr. Tilt towards the funeral on Stillgate Hill. There is only one other man there, and when asked why he came, his response is, simply, “I had to make sure he was dead.” Thrust into the “victim’s” past, Dr. Tilt is forced to consider some uncomfortable questions, such as: Can retribution ever erase the suffering of past injustice? Where is the difference between victim and murderer? and What is this strange sculpture in flesh?
About the Author
David Fine is the author of such non-fiction titles as A Complete Guide to the French Revolution 1789–1989 and A History & Guide to Sheffield. This is his first novel.
