The Solstice

For DI Louise Blackwell, the last sixteen months have been eventful. After living alone for so long, she has moved in with her partner Thomas and her niece Emily, whom she adopted after the death of her brother, and then given birth to baby Jack. She’s enjoyed every moment with her newly formed family, and now, after her extended maternity leave, is returning to her job at Avon and Somerset police headquarters in Portishead with mixed feelings.

On her first day back, her boss, DCI Robertson, sends Louise out to interview some potholers who have found human bones while exploring a cave system in the area. The bones belong to a young boy who appears to have been tortured. They are later identified as Hugo Latchford, a boy who went missing ten years ago. At the time of his disappearance, he was living with foster parents after his biological parents gave him up for adoption when they joined a cultish eco-activism commune.

The commune is part of a larger organization spread across the country, which started as an ecological lobby group but is rumored to have been taken over by those dabbling in religious and even occult practices. The group is already being investigated for financial crimes, so Louise must also be careful not to step on the toes of the detective leading that long-term investigation.

While Louise is searching for Hugo’s biological parents, a woman living on the outskirts of the commune becomes worried that the commune’s leaders seem to be taking a sudden interest in her young son. As the summer solstice approaches, tension steadily rises, with a building sense of dread and unease in the commune. Louise also feels an impending sense of evil, and she and her team suddenly find themselves racing against time.

Brolly perfectly balances the gritty police investigation of the novel with lighter moments in Louise’s family life, also depicting the dilemmas of a young mother juggling the conflicting demands of work and family. Louise enjoys mentoring a new DC, Miles Bothroyd, who’s proving keen and quick to learn, and her role as a new mother is driving her to solve this chilling murder of a young child. However, she finds that her dedication and commitment to her job is interfering with her ability to also manage childcare and family life.

She is relying heavily on the help of friends and family to bail her out and is starting to question whether she should stay on the force.

This is a dark and atmospheric addition to this series, which would also work well as a stand-alone novel. With a suspenseful plot and great characters, it’s an engrossing read that should tick all the boxes for fans of crime fiction.

With thanks to Thomas & Mercer for a copy to read.