Long Way Home

Eva Dolan

A man is burnt alive in a suburban garden shed.

DI Zigic and DS Ferreira are called in from the Peterborough Hate Crimes Unit to investigate the murder. Their victim is quickly identified as a migrant worker and a man several people might have had good reason to see dead. A convicted arsonist and member of a far-right movement has just been released from prison, while witnesses claim to have seen the dead man fighting with one of the town's most prominent slum landlords.

Zigic and Ferreira know all too well the problems that come with dealing with a community that has more reason than most not to trust the police, but when another migrant worker is attacked, tensions rapidly begin to rise as they search for their killer.

Dolan's debut novel opens with an unnamed man. He's been beaten, bound and is bloodied but, desperate to escape, he heads into the Lincolnshire night. However, the fields are no place to hide when a group of men with a shotgun are in pursuit.

 

Peterborough plays host to the investigation, headed up by DI Zigic and DS of the newly established Hate Crimes Unit. From immigrant families (Zigic's from Poland, Ferreira's from Portugal) both have experienced racial prejudice at first hand.

 

There’s a controversial yet topical subject matter that makes you think. A community is breaking down, damaged by poverty and exploitation. The presence of legal and illegal migrant workers has created crime as many of them are being exploited by ruthless and violent gang bosses, racketeers engaged in people trafficking and slavery.

 

A burnt garden shed contains the remains of a man. There’s little evidence but the victim is ID’d as an Estonian economic immigrant and several suspects emerge including the owners of the shed. The focus is turned on the dead man’s character - was he an unwanted, violent squatter or a nice man in Britain on a personal mission?

 

The media interest is intense and the pressure is on the older male/younger female partnership of Zigic and Ferreira in this harrowing thriller with racial tension at its core.

 

The plot, characters, descriptions and dialogue all deliver. Compelling.

 

About Eva Dolan:

Eva Dolan lives in Essex. Shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Dagger for unpublished authors when she was just a teenager, Long Way Home is her debut novel and the start of a major new crime series.