Between Two Evils

Book excerpt: LONGLISTED FOR THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021 'Anyone wanting smart and compelling crime fiction with razor-sharp social comment should read Eva Dolan. In fact, EVERYONE should read her.' Mark Billingham 'A new read from Eva Dolan is always a pleasure and her latest is as dark and gritty as ever ... Dolan puts troubling contemporary themes at the heart of her fiction, creating a compelling mystery about the treatment of vulnerable immigrants in a secretive establishment' Sunday Times As the country bakes under the relentless summer sun, a young doctor is found brutally murdered at his home in a picturesque Cambridgeshire village. Is his death connected to his private life - or his professional one? Dr Joshua Ainsworth worked at an all-female detention centre, one still recovering from a major scandal a few years before. Was he the whistle-blower - or an instigator? As Detective Sergeant Ferreira and Detective Inspector Zigic begin to painstakingly reconstruct Dr Ainsworth's last days, they uncover yet more secrets and more suspects. But this isn't the only case that's demanding their attention - a violent criminal has been released on a technicality and the police force know he will strike again: the only question is who will be his first victim... SHORTLISTED FOR THE CRIME WRITING ASSOCIATION IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER 2020 Praise for Eva Dolan: 'Yet again, Eva Dolan has produced a compelling and often dramatic whodunit that tells you more about the state of the nation than a sheaf of newspapers' Sunday Express 'Smartly plotted and intriguing' Sunday Mirror 'Dolan depicts the breakthroughs and drawbacks of an investigation, the feint and parry of interviews, in engrossing detail and with great skill' The Times 'A real state of the nation novel' Barry Forshaw, Financial Times 'Dolan infuses old-fashioned police work with contemporary issues to paint a disturbing picture of our times' Daily Mail 'Gripping from the first page, this is crime fiction with heart, a social conscience and an ending that packs a powerful emotional punch. I was a fan before. Now I'm in awe' Paul Burston 'Dolan is expert at the orchestration of tension' Guardian 'Eva is a brilliant storyteller and the stories she tells are as compelling as they are important' Will Dean