Martyrs Convent by Jody Brettkelly

 

Isla Johnson is looking for a big story and when she receives a call about an impending drug shipment giving her details of time and place, she knows this is a big one. The informant is strange - a nun. The next day the nuns body is fished from the Thames. The convent is a peculiar one, a closed order and no one is willing to shed any light on the death of a much loved nun.

The involvement of an aristocrat who is the nuns brother adds to a strange mix. He appears to Isla as being supportive and distraught over his sisters death, but he has lied over many things that Isla begins to realise he is manipulating her for his own ends.

The whole story right from the start was tense with many loose ends which did not seem to connect at all. Declan who was Isla’s partner was also at times not supportive torn between his need to protect his daughter and the need for his partner. The widely contrasting characters of nuns, gang members, the aristocrat brother, the police were brought together very skillfully in the final telling of the story. The story is emotional but quite dark with a slight gothic twist.

Sent by the author for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.