Fairest Creatures

Author(s): Karen Taylor

Location(s): Penzance

Genre(s): Thriller

Era(s): 2019

Looks to Die For
A serial killer’s dark obsession with the preservation of beauty sees him return to stalk the streets of Penzance, Cornwall in the summer of 2019. It’s 23 years since his first victims went missing, setting DI Brandon Hammett on the hunt for the Sleeping Beauty Killer.

A beautiful woman is being held captive in an unknown clifftop location. Although not physically injured, she is manacled to a chair in a darkened, sinister dining room. Her captor is polite but menacing. Her female companions silent spectators.

When a glass box is found in Prussia Cove, containing a conch and the ear of a missing beauty, a murder investigation is launched. Is the Sleeping Beauty Killer back? Or is this a copycat killing?

What’s clear is an evasive, clever killer is at large, presenting DI Brandon Hammett with his biggest challenge to-date.

The theme of the book is all about appearances. But, as we know, appearances can be deceptive. Fairest Creatures is much more than a page turner. The characters are rounded and complex; even the killer invites sympathy.

Prepare to be scared and gripped. But, also, to be entertained, intrigued, saddened, and heartened in one of the world’s most dramatic landscapes.

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