The Danger Within

The stabbing death of Thomas Quinn, a well-to-do businessman with a reputation as “a pillar of the local community,” propels Bonner’s solid fourth police procedural featuring Det. Chief Insp. David Vogel (after 2019’s Dreams of Fear). When Vogel, a member of the Devon and Cornwall Police’s Major Crimes Team, arrives at the Quinn home, he sees the corpse face down on the kitchen floor and Quinn’s widow, Gillian, a teacher who reported the crime, sitting nearby. Gillian’s unresponsive state leads to her being transported to the hospital to be treated for shock. After a neighbor says she overheard what sounded like a marital dispute shortly before the murder, Gillian becomes the prime suspect, a line of inquiry threatened by an apparent alibi provided by Helen Harris, who runs a sanctuary for abused women. Flashbacks to 1997 detail the horrific experiences of Londoner Lilian St. John, whose abusive ex-boyfriend has cut off her access to money but remains beyond the law’s reach. Plausible characterizations more than compensate for a twist that’s telegraphed too blatantly. This insightful exploration of the physical and emotional toll of domestic violence will resonate with many. Agent: Toby Peake, Peake Assoc. (U.K.) (Dec.)