From Publishers Weekly
Animal torture, ritual murder, computer viruses and seemingly haunted underground caverns are the all part of the fun in Shades of Death, Aline Templeton's (The Last Act of All) densely plotted thriller with supernatural overtones set in and around the caves of Derbyshire, England. The discovery of an 11-year-old girl's skeleton in one of the caves, and the ensuing investigation, leave the normally world-weary Det. Sgt. Tom Ward contemplating the possibility of ancient, diabolical forces.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The skeleton of a young girl is discovered in a cave in northern England, where it has been for nearly 20 years. The local villagers are convinced it was a sex crime, but Detective Tom Ward isn't so sure. While his supervisor preens for the media and aims for a quick solution, Ward probes the lives of the youngsters who were closest to the victim. What he finds is a gang of eight children who played a bizarre and dangerous game of ritualistic sacrifice, led by 11-year-old Jay Darke, who, despite his youth, was evil, manipulative, and brilliant. When the now grown-up Jay kills himself midway through the investigation, his malicious mind games and dark influence don't end--Jay has an accomplice who will stop at nothing to hide the gang's deepest secrets. A gripping combination of taut suspense and dark menace juxtaposed against the plodding normality of police routine.
Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved