Two young British students, Nazim Jamal and Rafi Hassan, vanish without a trace. The police write them off as runaways, but seven years later, Nazim's grief-stricken mother is still unconvinced. Jenny Cooper is finally settling into her role as Coroner for the Severn Valley; the ghosts of her past banished to the sidelines once more. But as an inquest into Nazim's disappearance gets underway, the stink of corruption and conspiracy becomes clear. As the pressure from above increases, a code of silence is imposed and events begin to spiral out of control, pushing Jenny to the breaking point. For how could she have known that by unravelling the mysteries of the disappeared, she would begin to unearth her own buried secrets?
1 of 1 copy available
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
December 1, 2009 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780792768616
- File size: 353328 KB
- Duration: 12:16:05
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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October 19, 2009
Still raw from an acrimonious divorce, former lawyer Jenny Cooper pops pills to control anxiety as she slowly adjusts to her new career as the coroner for the Severn Vale District, near Bristol, England, in Hall's solid U.S. debut. When a distraught mother asks Cooper to hold an inquest to declare her son legally dead, Cooper is hesitant to take the case. Nazim Jamal and a friend disappeared seven years earlier while at university and, according to the police, probably fled to Afghanistan to join al-Qaeda at the urging of a radical mosque. Nazim's mother is adamant her son was not an extremist. As Cooper's investigation broadens, she's met with resistance not only from the police but also MI5, who claim Nazim's disappearance may have national security implications. Hall (The Coroner
) creates an appealingly flawed heroine, but struggles with pacing and the difficult task of precisely defining the coroner's role in solving crimes. -
Disbarred lawyer Alec MacAvoy joins British coroner Jenny Cooper in the investigation of the deaths of radical Muslim students Nazim Jamal and Rafti Hassam, considered runaways seven years earlier. At Mrs. Jamal's request, Cooper opens an inquest, but she soon encounters subtle pressure to close the case. Sian Thomas narrates this multilayered British mystery with pitch-perfect British, Irish, and Pakistani accents. He imbues characters with distinct personalities through vocal shading and tone. Thomas's skillful weaving of the interplay between MacAvoy and Cooper is consistent and believable. His excellent performance culminates with a shock ending. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
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