Published: 2011
Author: Cath Staincliffe
A fantastic new slant on the crime genre
You know me by now. I love a good crime novel and I’ve been lucky recently with some of the books I’ve read, particularly by new authors. In the past year I’ve expanded my crime range quite a lot and it’s been good to discover writers that I hadn’t previously known. Good but expensive as once I find an author I like, I want to read everything they’ve written. Mark Billingham is a prime example. Still, this doesn’t stop me continuing in my search for great crime novels and in Cath Staincliffe’s Witness
A young boy is shot and killed on an estate in Manchester by local gang members and four very different people witness the murder. As the police investigation faces obstacles in the investigation each of the four characters has to consider what cost they will pay for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fiona is a midwife plagued by panic attacks but desperate to do the right thing, Mike is a delivery driver whose wife insists that he not put his family in jeopardy by testifying, Cheryl is a single mum who wants to protect her son from the dangers of the estate and Zak is a homeless drug addict and petty criminal who sees the trial as an opportunity to change his life.
Each chapter tells the story from the point of view of a different character and the procedural aspects are kept to a minimum although lead investigator DI Joe Kitson appears throughout and provides the narrative with continuity. I found the concept of using the witnesses’ stories to be really effective and offered a new slant on the crime genre. We often hear on the news that members of a community are too scared to come forward after a crime and Witness explores this in a satisfying manner. The book also challenges us to consider how we would react in the same situation – we would all claim to be prepared to do the right thing but would we if we were scared of the consequences?
Perhaps it was because her story came first in the book, but I found myself more drawn to Fiona than the other characters. She discovers as she helps comfort the dying boy that she had delivered him 16 years previously and as a result feels compelled to do all she can to ensure those responsible for his death are punished. Over the course of the book Fiona goes from a strong, capable woman to someone who can barely leave her house because of panic attacks. Of all four stories this is the one I believed most.
The other three characters also experience their own moral dilemmas and traumas. All four are compelling and interesting stories and together build to tense conclusion. Will all four testify? Will the murderers be found guilty? The suspense in the build-up to the trial was more gripping than some whodunnits that I’ve read. We know that the gang members are guilty, we just have to hope that they are found guilty – but that can only be done with the help of the four main characters.
Cath Staincliffe has written a number of crime thrillers set in the North-West of England including the Sal Kilkenny mysteries. I suspect I’ll be reading lots more of her work in the near future.