The first in a Newcastle-set police procedural series with a twist. DCI Jack Parker has a secret. He has early onset dementia and he will do anything and everything to hide it from his peers and the people he’s investigating.
From his father, Jack Parker has inherited the mutant gene that guarantees he will get dementia. It’s early days for Jack, and his symptoms so far can be put down to ageing while he’s taking steps to manage the problem and keep the job he loves. He’s told no one except his older brother (a former Catholic priest) and is following all the research which suggests he can delay the onset of the more obvious symptoms for as long as possible. He’s stopped drinking, changed to a Mediterranean diet and follows a strict fitness regime – things his wife wrongly believes are due to him wanting, or maybe already having, a younger girlfriend.
When Jack begins to investigate a murder case in which a serial killer is clearly haunted by childhood memories, he begins to realize that his own memories are built on increasingly shifting sands – making him almost envy the killer’s obvious clarity.
Whilst staying firmly within the realms of the police procedural genre, this cracking thriller will explore character in depth and with sensitivity, as well as with the author’s trademark dark humour.
