Deadly Virtues: Book summary and reviews of Deadly Virtues by Jo Bannister

Deadly Virtues Summary

The town of Norbold, England is famous for its low crime rate, thanks to the zero-tolerance policy of Chief Superintendent John Fountain. And Norbold's newest police recruit, Hazel Best, is happy to help keep it that way. But numbers never tell the whole story, do they?

Jerome Cardy knew he was going to die. He also knew that it would be made to appear like an accident. He might not be able to prevent it, but Jerome was determined to make sure that someone knew what was going to happen - even if that someone was a man with a concussion lying with his dog in a jail cell next to him.

After Jerome is found beaten to death by a fellow inmate in another cell, Ash is unable to forget Jerome's last awkward words to him: "I had a dog once. Othello. That was its name. Othello." Certain there is a hidden message in these words, Ash is determined to discover the truth. But it won't be easy - no one believes his account of that night. And Hazel Best must decide whether pursuing the truth is worth her career.

Deadly Virtues Reviews

"Starred Review. Bannister's plotting is neat and her characterization smooth, with just enough irony to keep people from seeming ostentatiously noble." - Publishers Weekly

"Starred Review. The versatile Bannister (Death in High Places ) has crafted yet another stunning, paranoia-doused psychological suspense novel guaranteed to keep readers glued to their seats. A good pairing would be Jonathan Lewis's Into Darkness , which also features an assistance dog." - Library Journal

"Once Hazel and Gabriel decide that the danger to Jerome came not from outside but from inside the Meadowvale Police Station, however, the stakes rise for Norbold. Even so, Bannister (Death in High Places, 2011, etc.) keeps the focus on her memorable, if not entirely original, characters rather than the town they share or the plot - its opening moves piquantly surprising, its later surprises more predictable - that brings them together." - Kirkus

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Jo Bannister began her career as a journalist after leaving school at sixteen to work on a weekly newspaper. She was shortlisted for several prestigious awards and worked as an editor for some years before leaving to pursue her writing full time. She lives in Northern Ireland, and spends most of her spare time with her horse and dog, or clambering over archaeological sites. Her last thriller, Death in High Places, was nominated for the RT Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award.