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ON DANGEROUS GROUND
Lesley Horton
Orion Publishing Group, December 2004
Reviewed by Sally Roddom
England
In ON DANGEROUS GROUND we meet again two of Bradford's finest, Detective
Inspector Handford and Detective Sergeant Khalid Ali. A serial killer is
targeting child prostitutes. Two bodies have been found so far, and the
police investigation is not helped by the fact that this is a social
problem that no one wants to talk publicly about. As far as the local
government is concerned, child prostitution just does not exist. When
Handford is driving home one night, he spots a young constable throwing-up
at the mouth of an alley. The killer's third victim has just been found.
In a pocket of the unfortunate young girl is a fifteen-year-old photograph
of a man Handford knows - his boss DCI Stephen Russell. Against his will
he is ordered to investigate Russell and he turns up the possibility of
more murders a decade and a half earlier.
This is Lesley Horton's second novel, and she keeps up the great standard
that she set in her debut novel SNARES OF GUILT. The plot is very
in-your-face. Anyone who has children may find the shocking topic a little
too distressing at times. Having said that, the plot is well thought
through and held my attention to the very end – where there is an
interesting twist waiting. Not only is the unpleasant topic of child abuse
brought out into the open, there is also strong racial tension throughout
the book, both in attitude to the crime and within the police department
itself. Handford and Khalid are both extremely believable characters, with
Khalid portrayed having the additional challenge being the only Asian
officer on the Bradford force. ON DANGEROUS GROUND is worth getting your
hands on. You can read it as a stand alone, but please search out SNARES
OF GUILT as well.
March 2006 review originally published on Murder and Mayhem
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