Ritual (Jack Caffery/Walking Man Series, 1) - Softcover

Hayder, Mo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080212092X ISBN 13: 9780802120922

Publisher: Grove Press, 2012

Synopsis

“Hayder . . . outdoes herself, flip-flopping the supernatural and the explainable like a cycle of poison and antidote that will remain with the reader long after the final page.”—Booklist (starred review)

Just after lunch on a Tuesday in April, nine feet underwater, police diver Flea Marley closes her gloved fingers around a human hand. No body is attached. Even more disturbing is the discovery, a day later, of the matching hand—recently amputated, and removed while the victim was still alive. Detective Jack Caffery of the Major Crime Investigation Unit in Bristol is called in to investigate, and he and Marley soon establish that the hands belong to a young man who has recently disappeared. Their search for him—and for his abductor—lead them into the darkest recesses of Bristol’s underworld, where street-kids sell themselves for a hit, and where one of Africa’s most disturbing rituals may be making an unexpected appearance. The first novel to feature the investigative team of Flea and Jack, Ritual is a masterpiece of suspense that will keep readers guessing until the last breath.

“Hayder . . . moves to another level in this spellbinder. With characters so complex, so fascinating that they could populate a dozen novels, she sends readers into a demimonde of ritual magic, desperation, guilt, and death, all exquisitely composed. . . . Ritual is brilliant, dense, scary; definitely one of the best crime novels of [the year].”—The Globe and Mail

“Ritual moves from the eerie and dangerous to the downright ferocious as steadily as an oncoming train. . . . This is one you'll hate to put down and hate to finish. But you're going to love the ride.”—Jack Ketchum, author of The Lost and The Girl Next Door

About this title

From the Back Cover

Just after lunch on a Tuesday in April, nine feet under water, police diver Flea Marley closes her gloved fingers around a human hand. The fact that there's no body attached is disturbing enough. Yet more disturbing is the discovery, a day later, of the matching hand. Both have been recently amputated, and the indications are that the victim was still alive when they were removed. Newly seconded to the Major Crime Investigation Unit in Bristol, DI Jack Caffery is attempting to leave behind his failed personal life in London. Still haunted by the disappearance of his brother, he is looking for a man recently released from a high- security prison, a man who sleeps rough and walks the country roads as he relives the memories of a terrifying crime. Caffery and Flea soon establish that the hands belong to a boy who has recently disappeared. Their search for him, and for his abductor, leads them into the darkest recesses of Bristol s underworld, where drug addiction is rife, where street-kids sell themselves for a hit, and where an ancient evil lurks; an evil that feeds off the blood - and flesh - of others ... RITUAL is the opening novel in Mo Hayder s Walking Man series

About the Author

Mo Hayder left school at fifteen and has worked as a barmaid, security guard, filmmaker, and Tokyo nightclub hostess. This is her fourth novel.

Edition details

• Publisher: Grove Press
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080212092X
• ISBN 13: 9780802120922
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432