A Patient Fury by Sarah Ward

July 01, 2018

A Patient Fury by Sarah Ward

A PATIENT FURY

by Sarah Ward

This is the third novel in the DC Connie Childs series and although I heartily recommend you go back and read the previous two books, 'A Patient Fury' works perfectly well as a stand alone and, in my humble opinion, this is the strongest novel from Sarah Ward so far. So if you haven't discovered her series yet, now is definitely the time to jump in and enjoy a well paced, well written, compelling police procedural that will have you guessing, guessing again and then guessing several times more as you try to solve this challenging case alongside the very likeable Connie Childs.

I''m delighted to be kicking off the Blog Tour for 'A Patient Fury' with my review!

'A Patient Fury' throws Connie and the reader straight into the terrible crime scene of a fire-wrecked property on Cross Farm Land in which three people, a man, a woman and their child, are found dead. Immediately it becomes clear to the police that this not an accidental fire and the evidence quickly points to murder, the main suspect the dead mother.

Connie is determined to discover the truth behind what has happened and will not accept the swift explanations accepted by the other members of the force dealing with the case. She delves deeper into the story behind the family and discovers there is a fourth body from the past that has never been found but might hold the answers to what actually happened at Cross Farm Lane.

Connie Childs is a great protagonist. She has the perfect balance of all the ingredients we admire in a lead character and is definitely very likeable and engaging. Readers will align themselves with her quickly and with loyalty. She is determined, dedicated, hardworking and willing to take risks if it means finding the real murderer. She is flawed and she is vulnerable, but she is resilient and proves that she has an instinct for solving crime. Perhaps more importantly, she cares. I liked the way Connie interacted with the other characters, from her superiors and team members to those who were victims or suspects. The relationships Connie forms with this cast of characters is really interesting and adds more depth not only to the plot, but to her character as well. I enjoyed watching her interact with everyone and seeing how she responded to them. Ward clearly has great observational skills and therefore in Connie she's created someone who has insight, compassion, intelligence and I really like her!

Ward's writing is very polished, fluent and natural. Her dialogue is well paced, pertinent and it drives the plot forward effectively. Her evocation of location and setting are also very well done and her characters are perfectly crafted. There's a wide cast of characters in this story; some are devious, some are unpleasant, some are fragile and some are burdened but each one felt alive and distinctive. It was easy to become absorbed in each of their stories and I was gripped, turning the pages over and over to hear more from them, find out more about their pasts, their motives and try to work out their involvement with such a grim crime.

I also found Ward's use of imagery very haunting. The crime scene itself is very vividly depicted. She also manages to ensure that this one image of the main victim at the crime scene is not only a silhouette against a burning house as the bystanders look on, but also a silhouette which lingers over the pages of the novel. It reminds us what clues to look out for and what details to collect as we hear more from each character. I liked that although the crime is brutal, ugly and disturbing, the writing makes it feel more haunting and dangerous rather than gory or gratuitous.

The repetition of 'patient' and 'fury' is also very clever. It's subtle but adds to the tension and suspense. Alongside this, the use of an anonymous voice which occasionally appears throughout the book also creates further intrigue and threat and is a great way of shaping the story and enhancing the rest of the narrative.

'A Patient Fury' is very well paced and well structured. The fourth body introduces an unsolved mystery from the past and it was intriguing to watch how the two stories, one from the past and one from the present, might link up. Ward manages a plot with multiple view points and changing time lines expertly. The last third of the novel is incredibly well executed; full of exciting revelations and twists as the links between the characters are exposed and the loose ends tied up in a dramatic ending which still has enough surprises even the most clever of readers who think they might have solved the crime before Connie!

Ward clearly has a great understanding of the crime fiction genre and 'A Patient Fury' is a polished and accomplished page turning thriller. It is a fantastic crime novel with a great main character. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend that you seek it out and treat yourself to a copy - you won't be disappointed!

A Patient Fury is published on the 5th July by Faber and Faber.

My thanks to Emma at Damppebbles for an invitation to join the Blog Tour and for the advance copy of the novel. Don't miss any of the other stops on the tour!

SARAH WARD

About Sarah Ward:

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Sarah Ward is the author of three DC Childs novels, In Bitter Chill, A Deadly Thaw and A Patient Fury set in the Derbyshire Peak District where she lives. The fourth in the series, The Shrouded Path, is out in September. On her website, Crimepieces (www.crimepieces.com), she reviews the best of current crime fiction published around the world. She is a judge for the Petrona Award for Scandinavian translated crime novels. Sarah was a 2015 Amazon Rising Star and A Patient Fury was The Observer's Thriller of the Month in 2017.

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahrward1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SarahWardCrime/

Website: https://crimepieces.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-Ward/e/B010NJK7GE/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

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