Crying out Loud

A Sal Kilkenny Mystery - An abandoned infant on her doorstep is the last thing Manchester private eye Sal Kilkenny needs. SalвЂTMs client Libby Hill is trying to put her life back together after the brutal killing of her lover and the conviction of petty criminal Damien Beswick, who confessed to the murder. But now Beswick has retracted his confession – exactly what game is he playing? As Sal investigates, things get up close and personal, and there are further bombshells to come, which threaten everything Sal holds dear. (20120109) Review The vicissitudes of child care complicate a criminal investigation in StaincliffeвЂTMs solid eighth mystery featuring Manchester PI Sal Kilkenny (after 2007вЂTMs Missing ). When someone leaves a baby girl in a stroller on SalвЂTMs doorstep with a note asking her to tend to the infant and not call the police, Sal takes the child in, much to the dismay of Ray, her housemate recently turned lover; RayвЂTMs young son, Tom; and SalвЂTMs eight-year-old daughter, Maddie. Meanwhile, Sal must re-examine a murder case after petty crook Damien Beswick, who confessed to killing the lover of one of SalвЂTMs clients, recants in prison. While the baby drama could easily have veered this instalment toward the maudlin, StaincliffeвЂTMs steady pacing, her painfully human and flawed characters, and her lush descriptions of the English countryside in autumn keep the pages turning. Genre fans will smile when Sal turns for consolation to a Kate Atkinson novel (Cath Staincliffe Publishers Weekly ) About the Author Raised in Bradford, Cath Staincliffe graduated with a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts from Birmingham University. She moved to Manchester where she lives today, which provides a background for her stories. Her debut novel, "Looking For Trouble," was short-listed for the Crime Writers' Association's John Creasey Award for best first crime novel and her work has also been serialised on Woman's Hour. She lives with her partner and their three children. Please look after my baby. Don’t tell anyone. I’ll explain later. Work gets up close and personal when PI Sal Kilkenny finds an abandoned infant on her doorstep making her investigation into a killer’s conviction that much harder. There are further bombshells to come, which threaten everything Sal holds dear . . .