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Recognition
A child's evidence convicted him - what if she was wrong?
Nat Keane never forgot her first murder. Sandie Thurston, killed and mutilated in her own bed. Five-year-old Amy beside her, soaked in her mother’s blood.
Nat was the first police officer on the scene. She was the family liaison officer who got close to the family. Too close.
Ten years on she has another life, a partner and a job she loves counselling trauma victims. So why does she agree to go back and work with Amy?
Amy's evidence was key to getting a conviction. Now the media are hinting she got it wrong. Her father is tortured by a guilt he won’t explain. At fifteen, Amy is alternately needy and hostile – a devoted daughter who deceives her dad, a sheltered child who can’t stop taking risks.
As Nat is drawn into the family's secrets, is she helping them find the truth or complicit in their lies? Who did kill Sandie?
[Alternate cover edition for ASIN: B00BA2DR5M]
Nat Keane never forgot her first murder. Sandie Thurston, killed and mutilated in her own bed. Five-year-old Amy beside her, soaked in her mother’s blood.
Nat was the first police officer on the scene. She was the family liaison officer who got close to the family. Too close.
Ten years on she has another life, a partner and a job she loves counselling trauma victims. So why does she agree to go back and work with Amy?
Amy's evidence was key to getting a conviction. Now the media are hinting she got it wrong. Her father is tortured by a guilt he won’t explain. At fifteen, Amy is alternately needy and hostile – a devoted daughter who deceives her dad, a sheltered child who can’t stop taking risks.
As Nat is drawn into the family's secrets, is she helping them find the truth or complicit in their lies? Who did kill Sandie?
[Alternate cover edition for ASIN: B00BA2DR5M]
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Kate Vane
6 books98 followersI worked as a probation officer in Leeds for a number of years. I started writing crime fiction because I thought made-up criminals would be easier to manage (I was wrong).
As well as writing novels, I have written for BBC drama Doctors and my short stories and articles have appeared in various publications and anthologies, including Mslexia and Scotland on Sunday.
I’ve always loved the sea, and now live on the beautiful south Devon coast. If I’m not reading or writing, I’m probably in the garden.
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For the latest on my writing, go to katevane.com where you can sign up for my newsletter.
As well as writing novels, I have written for BBC drama Doctors and my short stories and articles have appeared in various publications and anthologies, including Mslexia and Scotland on Sunday.
I’ve always loved the sea, and now live on the beautiful south Devon coast. If I’m not reading or writing, I’m probably in the garden.
*
For the latest on my writing, go to katevane.com where you can sign up for my newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 15, 2013
On the face of it, this book kinda creeps up on you. There are two main story lines that cross with each other a little bit, separate, one concludes and the other takes you all the way to the end. The pacing of these appear gentle compared with some "rollercoaster" books but it is a skill of the author that the attention is kept throughout the book without the need for any theatrics!
The characters are great, real and well fleshed out. You really do care about some and loathe others and change your mind about some several times through the book.
There were some times during the book where I admit to being a bit confused about where we were going, but it all tied up nicely so I really didn't need to have fretted!
The end... well, I never really saw that coming! I also, despite what I said earlier about the gentle pacing, suddenly realised through the last few scenes that I was actually holding my breath!
With the main characters doing the jobs they do, I wonder if we will hear more from them in the future... Hope so.
The characters are great, real and well fleshed out. You really do care about some and loathe others and change your mind about some several times through the book.
There were some times during the book where I admit to being a bit confused about where we were going, but it all tied up nicely so I really didn't need to have fretted!
The end... well, I never really saw that coming! I also, despite what I said earlier about the gentle pacing, suddenly realised through the last few scenes that I was actually holding my breath!
With the main characters doing the jobs they do, I wonder if we will hear more from them in the future... Hope so.
June 17, 2014
Extremely imaginative and non-formulaic story telling. My only reason for not giving it 5 stars is that I didn't really like most of the characters. A notable exception was Dylan, whom I absolutely adored. The abrupt end to the Manjit subplot was also unsatisfying. Still well worth reading, all in all.
May 20, 2013
This is an independent review as a result of a `read for review' request.
It is difficult to give this well-written book a 3-star rating (actually 3 1/2 but I'm not allowed the half), but there are very good reasons for doing so. First the positives: The story arc starts at the first page and satisfyingly ends at the last and the subplots are many and complex. The characters are well-drawn. I like the writing so much, I will be looking out for Kate Vane's next book.
The defects consist of bad decisions the author made due to lack of research or not getting a qualified therapist to critique the book before publication. Because the defects are serious, I cannot award `Recognition' with a 4 or 5-star review.
As a reader, I like Nat and I'm with her through many of the twists and turns of the plot. However, she acts like an amateur therapist throughout and that is unforgiveable. As a double professional (trained police officer then a counsellor), Nat would never have taken a therapeutic role with the family a second time; that was utterly unethical. The backstory tells us how, as a new police officer, she became overly involved with this family to the point of trying to seduce the father - and this is both believable and understandable in a newly qualified person (unethical, yes, but plausible). However, the rules about further engagement where there has been any prior emotional involvement are strict.
There are very good reasons why further involvement is unethical - the therapist is liable to make bad decisions that not only could impact on her own professional behaviour but may have devastating effects on the clients/patients. No professional would have involved themselves like Nat did given her background. It shouts either arrogance on the part of Nat (thinking she and only she can help, and that doesn't fit with the way the author has drawn the character) or psychopathy (neither does that). However, if she had NOT been emotionally involved in her cop career, or she had observed rather than been involved in the case earlier, the story would have been more believable (here's where good advice early on would have helped immeasurably) - as I said, bad decisions on the part of the author or lack of enough research or not having a qualified therapist look at an early draft of the story.
There are a few other unwise inclusions showing this lack of research, for example having both father and daughter in treatment (maybe the most experienced of us therapists could take that on but not Nat).
I do hope this doesn't discourage the author but rather to encourage her to belong to a brutally honest critique group or send out early chapters to well-chosen beta readers for feedback.
Like all of us should.
It is difficult to give this well-written book a 3-star rating (actually 3 1/2 but I'm not allowed the half), but there are very good reasons for doing so. First the positives: The story arc starts at the first page and satisfyingly ends at the last and the subplots are many and complex. The characters are well-drawn. I like the writing so much, I will be looking out for Kate Vane's next book.
The defects consist of bad decisions the author made due to lack of research or not getting a qualified therapist to critique the book before publication. Because the defects are serious, I cannot award `Recognition' with a 4 or 5-star review.
As a reader, I like Nat and I'm with her through many of the twists and turns of the plot. However, she acts like an amateur therapist throughout and that is unforgiveable. As a double professional (trained police officer then a counsellor), Nat would never have taken a therapeutic role with the family a second time; that was utterly unethical. The backstory tells us how, as a new police officer, she became overly involved with this family to the point of trying to seduce the father - and this is both believable and understandable in a newly qualified person (unethical, yes, but plausible). However, the rules about further engagement where there has been any prior emotional involvement are strict.
There are very good reasons why further involvement is unethical - the therapist is liable to make bad decisions that not only could impact on her own professional behaviour but may have devastating effects on the clients/patients. No professional would have involved themselves like Nat did given her background. It shouts either arrogance on the part of Nat (thinking she and only she can help, and that doesn't fit with the way the author has drawn the character) or psychopathy (neither does that). However, if she had NOT been emotionally involved in her cop career, or she had observed rather than been involved in the case earlier, the story would have been more believable (here's where good advice early on would have helped immeasurably) - as I said, bad decisions on the part of the author or lack of enough research or not having a qualified therapist look at an early draft of the story.
There are a few other unwise inclusions showing this lack of research, for example having both father and daughter in treatment (maybe the most experienced of us therapists could take that on but not Nat).
I do hope this doesn't discourage the author but rather to encourage her to belong to a brutally honest critique group or send out early chapters to well-chosen beta readers for feedback.
Like all of us should.
August 18, 2013
On the whole, not a bad thriller, but it needs some tidying up.
Nat Keane was a young police officer when Sandie Thurston was murdered in her own bed and then found with her young daughter, Amy, asleep beside her. Amy was quite possibly the only person who could identify the killer. In her capacity as family liaison officer, Nat worked closely with the family through this awful tragedy. A man (well known to the family) was eventually convicted of the murder, but for some reason Nat didn’t feel it was the end of the matter. Ten years later, having left the police force to become a trauma counsellor, she is asked to work with Amy and her father, Martin, again. Amy is now a truculent and obstinate teenager. Some would say her behaviour is normal, perhaps a result of an overprotective father (not just her childhood trauma), himself overcome with grief...and guilt...of his own. Nat gets close to the family again. How much can a fifteen-year-old remember? Why is Martin so guilt-ridden? Is the right person in prison? So many secrets and lies.
A sub-story runs parallel to this, with Nat’s partner, Dylan, a criminal lawyer. The story lines touch just very briefly, as his client finds himself in the same cell as Sandie Thurston’s convicted killer.
The issues I had with this novel was that the sub-story wasn’t very neatly tied up, and I didn’t find myself fully convinced about Nat’s skill as a trauma counsellor or her commitment to her relationship with Dylan. It was all a bit ‘woolly’.
However, I did quite enjoy it: I certainly found myself avidly page-turning and Kate manages to keep the suspense right to the end. She certainly had me fooled. Amy was well conceived as the unsettled teenager, who tested those close to her with her behaviour. Far from being dislikeable, she made you want to give her a hug of security and motherly love. I think Nat, Dylan, and Martin needed a little more development, but they just about managed to hold the story together. The writing, although quite good, did need a buff and polish: there are some wearily long sentences connected with way to many ‘and’s. I desperately wanted to throw in some fullstops! A good/professional edit/proofread would iron this and other errors out nicely.
Conclusion? promising.
Nat Keane was a young police officer when Sandie Thurston was murdered in her own bed and then found with her young daughter, Amy, asleep beside her. Amy was quite possibly the only person who could identify the killer. In her capacity as family liaison officer, Nat worked closely with the family through this awful tragedy. A man (well known to the family) was eventually convicted of the murder, but for some reason Nat didn’t feel it was the end of the matter. Ten years later, having left the police force to become a trauma counsellor, she is asked to work with Amy and her father, Martin, again. Amy is now a truculent and obstinate teenager. Some would say her behaviour is normal, perhaps a result of an overprotective father (not just her childhood trauma), himself overcome with grief...and guilt...of his own. Nat gets close to the family again. How much can a fifteen-year-old remember? Why is Martin so guilt-ridden? Is the right person in prison? So many secrets and lies.
A sub-story runs parallel to this, with Nat’s partner, Dylan, a criminal lawyer. The story lines touch just very briefly, as his client finds himself in the same cell as Sandie Thurston’s convicted killer.
The issues I had with this novel was that the sub-story wasn’t very neatly tied up, and I didn’t find myself fully convinced about Nat’s skill as a trauma counsellor or her commitment to her relationship with Dylan. It was all a bit ‘woolly’.
However, I did quite enjoy it: I certainly found myself avidly page-turning and Kate manages to keep the suspense right to the end. She certainly had me fooled. Amy was well conceived as the unsettled teenager, who tested those close to her with her behaviour. Far from being dislikeable, she made you want to give her a hug of security and motherly love. I think Nat, Dylan, and Martin needed a little more development, but they just about managed to hold the story together. The writing, although quite good, did need a buff and polish: there are some wearily long sentences connected with way to many ‘and’s. I desperately wanted to throw in some fullstops! A good/professional edit/proofread would iron this and other errors out nicely.
Conclusion? promising.
January 21, 2014
Recognition is a British mystery story, by author and former probation officer, Kate Vane.
STORY OVERVIEW: Nat Keene was a family liaison officer with the police department when she encountered her first murder. The victim was Sandie Thurston, a young mother. Her five year old daughter, Amy was discovered in bed with Sandie’s mutilated body, covered in her blood. Nat got very close to the family, in fact, a little too close. When a man was convicted of Sandie’s murder, Nat left, feeling broken and lost. Now it is 10 years later. Nat is now a trauma victim counselor. She now has a love partner, Dylan and life is different. Then she is asked to counsel Sandie’s Thurston’s husband, Martin and his now teenage daughter, Amy. She again becomes embroiled in their family secrets and begins to wonder if the man convicted of Sandie’s murder really did it. Dylan is involved in a case of his own that threatens to connect with hers.
The story is interesting with a few twists and surprises, and although I would have liked to have seen more development in Dylan, the overall characterization was well done. The language and dialogue were believable, as were the setting and theme. I noticed no errors in grammar and punctuation. The main problem for me was the pacing. It would be intriguing and then the author stops the action with too much exposition. This is information that the reader may need to know, but it was done in such a way as to stop the action to let us know. This throws me out of the story as a reader. I would prefer to get that information in dialogue as the story progresses. This was a cozy mystery, so the pace is meant to be on the slow side, but not by clumps of information dumps. Another problem was with Dylan. The story made the inference that the two stories would be connected, but they never were, and the disconnect also distracted from the overall story.
I would be willing to give this author another try. I think she has much promise, but this one was not riveting and I must remain neutral, by neither recommending nor discouraging it to others. Be your own judge.
This review first appeared on Becky's Book Notes: http://rebeccavance.com
STORY OVERVIEW: Nat Keene was a family liaison officer with the police department when she encountered her first murder. The victim was Sandie Thurston, a young mother. Her five year old daughter, Amy was discovered in bed with Sandie’s mutilated body, covered in her blood. Nat got very close to the family, in fact, a little too close. When a man was convicted of Sandie’s murder, Nat left, feeling broken and lost. Now it is 10 years later. Nat is now a trauma victim counselor. She now has a love partner, Dylan and life is different. Then she is asked to counsel Sandie’s Thurston’s husband, Martin and his now teenage daughter, Amy. She again becomes embroiled in their family secrets and begins to wonder if the man convicted of Sandie’s murder really did it. Dylan is involved in a case of his own that threatens to connect with hers.
The story is interesting with a few twists and surprises, and although I would have liked to have seen more development in Dylan, the overall characterization was well done. The language and dialogue were believable, as were the setting and theme. I noticed no errors in grammar and punctuation. The main problem for me was the pacing. It would be intriguing and then the author stops the action with too much exposition. This is information that the reader may need to know, but it was done in such a way as to stop the action to let us know. This throws me out of the story as a reader. I would prefer to get that information in dialogue as the story progresses. This was a cozy mystery, so the pace is meant to be on the slow side, but not by clumps of information dumps. Another problem was with Dylan. The story made the inference that the two stories would be connected, but they never were, and the disconnect also distracted from the overall story.
I would be willing to give this author another try. I think she has much promise, but this one was not riveting and I must remain neutral, by neither recommending nor discouraging it to others. Be your own judge.
This review first appeared on Becky's Book Notes: http://rebeccavance.com
April 29, 2013
Clever, clever, clever! Well written, well executed mystery story with some great twists. Took a few chapters to hook me, but once I was in, I wanted to see where this was going and read well into the night to get to the finish. The author did a great job developing the story line with many great clues that seemed to leave the author open to end the story with a few possible villains. I was guessing right up the very moment the truth was exposed - and I didn't see that coming at all! I liked how the story was developed by featuring a character a chapter so it did give me the feeling I knew the characters relatively well - even with the surprise ending. Character development was another strength the author has in her writing - I think I felt for the characters ( Likes, dislikes, could have cared less about a couple of them) in a way I think the author meant to invoke -that probably says a lot about how great a writer the author is - the fact I believe I feel as what she wanted me to feel about the characters.
There were 2 story lines that ran through and I wondered when the 2 would collide**spoiler here***they don't come together in any way I would have imagined them to ( I thought there might be a conflict brewing with Dylan/Manjits story that would intersect with Dylan defending Johnno in an appeal or something like that...something that would have caused Nat and Dylan to be at odds).So points to the author for not doing the obvious and intersecting the 2 cases in a manner that likely would have detracted from the key Nat/Amy/Martin and case "exposed truth" story line.
Well done and I strongly recommend to any mystery/murder case readers.
There were 2 story lines that ran through and I wondered when the 2 would collide**spoiler here***they don't come together in any way I would have imagined them to ( I thought there might be a conflict brewing with Dylan/Manjits story that would intersect with Dylan defending Johnno in an appeal or something like that...something that would have caused Nat and Dylan to be at odds).So points to the author for not doing the obvious and intersecting the 2 cases in a manner that likely would have detracted from the key Nat/Amy/Martin and case "exposed truth" story line.
Well done and I strongly recommend to any mystery/murder case readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2013
I want to thank the author for giving me this book for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book, it is a mystery that keeps you on your toes. The characters were all great and thought out, you could really feel empathy for some and hate for others if not a strong dislike. For me, I am always thinking and I was wondering about a few different people. The author is good about not giving it away until the very end, but she also gives you some clues along the way. The book was very good and kept me involved until the end. Great job Kate Vane, look forward to reading more of your work.
May 17, 2013
I gotta say that I'm shocked at who Sandie's killer turned out to be and the motive behind it. It almost appears as Sandie had it coming, given the emotions behind the murder. It almost made me feel sorry for that character, though some eye for an eye would've been nice. You can't get what you want, but I got what I was expecting; a psychological cop thriller, not a revenge tale. Great job to the author.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews