Media
Reviews
"The best Canadian crime thriller ever written."
— The Walrus
“The most horrifying story since The Silence of the Lambs. The plot is satanic, the tension relentless.”
— Los Angeles Times
“Brilliant. One of the finest crime novels I’ve ever read.”
— Jonathan Kellerman
“I wish I had written Forty Words for Sorrow.”
— Tony Hillerman
"Exquisitely plotted. The scene that gives the book its title is unforgettable. Don’t read it just because it’s a good crime novel and because once you’ve begun, you won’t put it down until you’re finished. Read it because it’s excellent.”
— The Globe and Mail
“An atmospheric account, extraordinary for its psychology and tension. Giles Blunt manages to inhabit the minds of killer, victim, and investigator alike, a feat that very few writers can manage. It moves his work to a different level.”
— The Independent
“A taut and enthralling tale. Humane, intelligent, and gripping, Forty Words for Sorrow is a haunting journey into the human heart in all its complexities.”
— Val McDermid
“As fresh as morning dew. Never less than fascinating throughout.”
— The Independent on Sunday
“A tour de force.”
— Evening Standard
Summary
Forty Words for Sorrow
When the mutilated body of thirteen-year-old Katie Pine is pulled out of an abandoned mineshaft, only John Cardinal is willing to consider the horrible truth: that this quiet town is home to the most vicious of serial killers. Haunted by a criminal secret in his own past and hounded by a special investigation into corruption on the force, Cardinal is on the brink of losing his career—and his family. But time isn’t only running out for him, but for another young victim, wondering when and how his captors will kill him.