The Sinner – Martyn Waites
Tom Killgannon, ex-undercover police officer and now in witness protection, is recalled to active service by a local police task force, headed by DS Sheridan. His mission is to befriend notorious child killer Noel Cunningham and find out where he buried the bodies of his final two victims.
The catch? Tom has to obtain that information from within Blackmoor prison itself.
Undercover and with no back-up, Tom soon runs into danger.
In the prison is convicted gangster Dean Foley. He used to run Manchester’s biggest gang, until Tom’s testimony put him away for life. He recognises Tom, and so begins a cat-and-mouse game as Tom fights for survival before Foley can get his revenge.
But why can’t Tom reach DS Sheridan and what is the real reason he has been sent to Blackmoor prison?
My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for the chance to join the blog tour. I received a review copy of The Sinner through Netgalley.
I’ve been looking forward to writing this review – books like The Sinner are why I started blogging all those years ago. I wanted to make sure my love for a story which had held me gripped from first page to last could reach a wide audience and hopefully as many people as possible will be on the lookout for this book.
First the housekeeping. The Sinner follows on from The Old Religion (also a cracking read) which introduced protagonist Tom Killgannon – there are minor spoilers if you read them out of order but only because it is necessary to introduce new readers to the characters in Tom’s life. The Sinner can easily be read and enjoyed without first reading The Old Religion.
Killgannon is a former undercover cop who is now in witness protection. A condition of his new lifestyle was that he had to remain available for further operations should the need arise. When the police come calling seeking his help Tom is resigned to his fate, however when he learns he will be required to go undercover behind bars at Blackmoor prison he does try to resist his assignment. As a former cop Tom has concerns he may be recognised if he goes into a prison – he is also not keen on the claustrophobic conditions he may face. The police are quick to assure Tom they have carefully checked to ensure nobody within Blackmoor will know him from his former life so he reluctantly agrees.
All does not go to plan and Tom finds himself face to face with Dean Foley, the gangster at the head of the organization Tom had infiltrated. Foley is a powerful figure within Blackmoor and it is not long before he learns of Tom’s arrival and a meeting between the two is inevitable. Tom is horrified his mission has been compromised so quickly and contacts his handlers to find out what went wrong with the planning. He needs pulled out of Blackmoor immediately or his life will be in danger.
Unfortunately for Tom his placement took lots of preparation and if he has not yet completed the mission he was chosen for then the urgency to remove him may not match his own. Tom is in a deadly race against time – get the info he was sent to discover, keep out of trouble and never let his guard down…
Given the introduction I wrote it should come as no surprise to learn that I loved The Sinner. The claustrophobic prison conditions, Tom’s personal battles against memories from his past and the real danger he faces from Foley and his minions. I am trying to avoid too many spoilers so will not go into detail on the perils Tom’s friends may be facing on the outside as they wait his return. Similarly the investigating cops have problems to deal with while waiting for Tom to report – that really threw me sideways as I hadn’t expected them to feature once Tom was in prison. It’s chapter after chapter of tension and excitement.
Simply put…The Sinner is the book I will be recommending for a good while to come. Easy 5 star score – go get it.
The Sinner is published in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KJJQF6F/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
