A young woman is killed and her body mauled by an animal on the grounds of a country estate. Detectives Stern and Martin lead the investigation but struggle to untangle the web of lies the suspects offer.
Shot In The Dark is the debut novel from Anna Britton. Despite first being published six months ago it still regularly pops up on my Twitter feed, with lots of praise from readers. I'm really not surprised that it has garnered so many fans after reading it myself.
The opening chapter fills you with terror as you follow a young woman running for her life through woodland. Not only is she being stalked by someone with a gun, she is also being hunted by a large dog. This opening chapter has your heart racing and you catch your breath as it ends.
Through a variety of different media, we meet DI Juliet Stern and DS Gabe Martin as they lead the investigation into the murder of the young woman, seventeen-year-old Melanie Pirt. The pairing of two female detectives is unusual but comes across as a breath of fresh air, many of the usual tropes are immediately removed from the storyline.
Both detectives are complex characters. DI Stern is detached, analytical and focused on her job. Colleagues consider her cold and unapproachable and there are a variety of rumors about her home life. We get small glimpses into the relationship with her husband and children, along with hints at possible problems, but nothing is made clear. DS Martin is the complete opposite of her boss, she's empathetic and trusting. She admires her boss and knows that many of their colleagues have the wrong impression of her but knows not to betray the trust that she has been given. We are given a little more detail into Martin's background, a disturbing one, but once again things are left a little vague. I love the fact that neither detective is perfect and we still have lots to learn about them.
There are five main suspects. The Dunlow family who live on the country estate where Melanie was murdered, the gamekeeper employed by the family and Melanie's abusive boyfriend. None of the suspects come across well, as the story unfolds you have little sympathy for any of them and at times you are filled with revulsion as their priority is self-preservation. As the web of lies increases you can feel the frustration of the police. As soon as a suspect is confronted with evidence of a lie they change their story, only for us to be left wondering if we are now hearing the truth or simply another lie.
As lie after lie is uncovered, lives are put in danger and the shocking truth is finally revealed. Knowing Anna Britton has already completed writing the second book in the Martin & Stern series, Close To The Edge, and has made a start on a third book I felt we had a satisfying conclusion - and then that ending happened! There's nothing better than when an author completely pulls the rug from under you and leaves you demanding to know more RIGHT NOW! I'm now going to be on edge until the second book in the series is published in September.
Author Details
Anna lives on the Isle of Wight with her husband and their chronically clumsy Labrador. An avid reader, she began writing around ten years ago and hasn’t stopped since. Anna works as a freelance editor and loves helping out other authors. When not filling her head with stories, Anna enjoys baking (and eating) cakes and exploring rivers in her kayak.
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