The Sacrificial Man by Ruth Dugdall @RuthDugdall @Legend_Press

Book Description:

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER THE WOMAN BEFORE ME‘Utterly chilling and enthralling from the first line to the last.’ Karen Maitland

What I want to say is that suicide is my choice. No-one else is to blame. Man seeks beautiful woman for the journey of a lifetime: Will you help me to die?

When Probation Officer Cate Austin is given her new assignment, she faces the highest-profile case of her career. Alice Mariani is charged with assisted suicide and Cate must recommend a sentence.

Alice insists her story is one of misinterpreted love, forcing those around her to analyse their own lives. Who is to decide what is normal and when does loyalty turn to obsession?

Investigating the loophole that lies between murder and euthanasia, Cate must now meet the woman who agreed to comply with her lover’s final request. Shocking revelations expose bitter truths that can no longer be ignored.

A clever, sophisticated, psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, S.J. Watson, B A Paris and Sophie Hannah

My Thoughts:

The great thing about this authors books is that even though they all feature Cate Austin they can all be read as a stand alone. The Sacrificial Man is the second novel and the only one I hadn’t read. With another hard hitting story line, this novel had me gripped from start to finish.  Alice is a very complex character. She lost her mum at a young age and even though she was brought up in a fairly normal home with her adoptive parents she never really gave back the love they tried to show her. She has led a fairly lonely existence only ever having one friend who loves her. Cate has great instincts and from the very start she knows there is more to Alice than meets the eye. I never really warmed to Alice’s character even by the end. The relationship that she has with ‘Smith’ was extremely strange that got even more stranger the more we found out about it.  The Sacrificial Man is a dark and slightly disturbing read. It has a very thought provoking storyline that even after reading I am still un decided as to whether the outcome with Alice is one that is befitting of her or not. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

The Sacrificial Man is available to purchase from Amazon. (Please note that link used is an Amazon affiliate link).