When the body of a naked young boy is found hanging in a barn, detective Martin Nicols experiences a strong sense of déjà vu. Soon he remembers a similar case he investigated nearly a decade earlier. During the previous case the body of a naked boy was found tied to a bed with the house owner unconscious nearby. Clearly the homeowner was the immediate suspect but as he begins to investigate the murder, Martin Nicols finds himself drawn into the seamier side of life, the world of S&M, child prostitution and paedophilia.

It soon becomes clear that things are not quite as they seem. Who is the true victim and will Nicols manage to stop the killer before any more boys die?

This is a particularly nasty little murder-mystery. If the original victims had been adults then the story probably would not have quite the same impact. To write a story that involves child sex abuse and prostitution shows a great deal of courage. It opens the author up to criticism that he is using a distasteful subject to sell books. However with the author’s writing the storyline is handled with such skill the reader is filled with a need to know the reasons why.

Far from glorifying his subject, the author makes the reader feel a great deal of sympathy for the young rent-boys.

I love a good crime story and with The Knotted Cord I was not disappointed. From start to finish the storyline progresses with an urgency that enhances the need to discover the identity of the murderer before anyone else is killed.

If you are of a delicate disposition then I would suggest that you do not read this story as it is violent, shocking and disturbing. If, like me, you enjoy a decent murder story then give this one a chance. Be prepared, however, to find yourself finishing the whole book in one or two sittings!

Synopsis

The body of a naked young boy hanging in a dusty barn stirs sickening feelings of déjà vu in the detective. As he unravels each knot in the tangled cord of his investigation, he uncovers a murderous thread ... and police prejudices which may have allowed previous killings to happen ... not to mention his own guilt! Alistair Kinnon has written much more than a tense, psychological crime novel -- his twisting plot takes the reader into the murky world of child sex-for-sale ... the parent's darkest nightmare and the child's greatest threat.