Savage Truth by Julie Evans

Savage Truth by Julie Evans

A Cornish thriller of a mother who vanished in 1984. Emotionally charged British suspense of cold-case digging, unreliable memory, grief and deception. 

One whispered warning. One shattered family. One final chance for answers.

Byrdie Willis was six years old when her mother vanished, and the Angel whispered in her ear. She never forgot the date: the 23rd of October, 1984. But the past, long buried, doesn’t stay that way.

As she uncovers fragments of her family’s troubled history, Byrdie is drawn into the legacy of Neville Savage, a serial killer now locked inside the high-security therapeutic unit of HMP Fenton. She never imagined there could be a connection, but the deeper she digs, the more disturbing the links become.

Uncertain of her memories and haunted by the past, Byrdie turns to lawyer Eden Grey and private investigators Ross Trenear and Claire McBride. Together, they begin to piece together a story shaped by grief, deception, and a child’s lost voice.

Who was the Angel who whispered to her that night? And what terrible truth was he trying to protect her from?

Savage Truth is a standalone book in the Cornish Crime series, a tense, emotional thriller where rise to the surface, and the truth comes at a devastating cost. For fans of Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.

Praise for Savage Truth:

★★★★★ Bit different from usual who-dun-its. Ex-cop, ex-jailbird and a city lawyer now living and working in the west country.

★★★★★ It was good to revisit characters from previous books in this excellent series.

★★★★★ Well written, intriguing plot and great sense of place.

★★★★★ The characters are beautifully rounded with wonderful personalities.

★★★★★ An excellent book with dual storylines. An enthralling read with some definite twists.

After training as a lawyer, Julie Evans returned to her native Cornwall to establish her own law firm and to raise her three children. After years building a successful legal practice it was time for a new adventure and she decided to write the stories she had formulated in her head over the years about her community and the lives of those who find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

‘I have always been fascinated by the schizophrenic character of the windswept Cornish peninsula my family has been lucky enough to call home for generations. Occupied by a cast of reluctant bedfellows, city-slick escapees and us locals who carry the remnants of our myth-ridden history etched on our backs like tattoos, it teeters between the bucket and spade domesticity of modern-day tourism and a superstitious past, riddled with Pagan traditions.

The resultant clash of cultures and sensibilities causes friction, resentment and drama. My aim, through my writing, is to explore what happens when these divergent worlds collide to expose a darker reality at odds with the picture-perfect landscape. Whilst I was lucky to enjoy a fantastically satisfying career as a lawyer I cannot now imagine anything more joyous than being able to sit at my desk and write knowing others might read and connect with my words. Cornwall has captured the hearts and imaginations of countless wonderful writers through the decades; their vivid images now woven into its rich tapestry. If I can add one colourful stitch I will be happy.’