When the Bough Breaks - (Sal Delaney Mystery) by David Mark

Book Synopsis

Traffic cop Sal Delaney's past is catching up with her . . .

Sunday Times bestselling author David Mark delivers a pulse-pounding new dark and gritty police procedural series set in the north of England, with a complex, intriguing female protagonist.

North of England. Cumbria. Salome Delaney didn't have a great start in life. But her abusive childhood came to a tragic conclusion with the killing of her tyrant mother, Trina, by a jealous ex-boyfriend. At least, that's what the police say. Sal has never believed kind Wulf, who tried to protect her from her mother's dark side, could have committed such a crime, but the evidence was irrefutable . . . and who else could have done it?

Now an adult, with a good job as a Collision Investigation Officer, Sal's done her best to put the past behind her. But one snowy morning she's called to an accident scene, and she recognizes the body - Barry Ford, the man her mother left Wulf for, all those years ago.

It soon becomes clear this wasn't just an accident - it was murder. And Wulf, now out of prison, lives very close by . . .

The question of who really killed her mother has haunted Sal her whole life, but as she launches a complex investigation, which gets darker by the hour, she starts to wonder if she really wants to know the answer after all.

Review Quotes

[Delivers] the kind of grisly torture and murder scenes that have rightly linked his work with that of Val McDermid-- "Booklist on Blind Justice"

[Mark is] on the level of Scottish and English contemporaries such as Denise Mina, Val McDermid, and Peter Robinson-- "Library Journal Starred Review of Cruel Mercy"

A dark, creepy, twisted mystery that will keep readers awake far into the night-- "Booklist Starred Review of The Burning Time"

A fine police procedural . . . Ian Rankin fans will be pleased-- "Publishers Weekly on Past Life"

A hair-raising procedural [that] highlights unselfish love, sacrifice, and man's inhumanity to man-- "Kirkus Reviews on Blind Justice"

An involving, nail-biting police procedural from a masterful storyteller-- "Kirkus Reviews on Flesh and Blood"

An irresistibly charming detective cracks another colorful case-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Burning Time"

Mark is a superbly gifted writer who creates a bleak, unforgiving setting, deeply damaged characters, and a plot that ramps up the violence, tension, and suspense to an almost unbearable level before an explosive ending that will leave readers utterly shattered-- "Booklist Starred Review"

Masterfully plotted-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Polished prose, lovable recurring characters, and a stunning revelation make this a mystery to savor-- "Kirkus Reviews Starred Review of Past Life"