Ritual-Mo Hayder

Ritual
Mo Hayder
Atlantic Monthly, Sep 2008, $24.00
ISBN 9780871139924

Still grieving the loss of her parents in an accidental drowning two years ago in Boesmansgat (Bushman’s Hole) in Africa, police diver Sergeant Phoebe “Flea” Marley recovers from Bristol Harbor, a detached hand; no other body part is found. The hand’s fingerprints identify the limb belonged to heroin addict Ian “Mossy” Mallows.

The obvious drug connection is explored by Detective Inspector Jack Caffery; Flea investigates a seemingly loose thread tied to the African witchcraft of muti that she knows from her parents deaths in the Kalahari Desert. It uses body parts as part of the rituals. The two cops soon change their minds about finding a corpse as evidnce begins to point towards the victim being alive. They also conclude that the muti ritual is a sleight of the hand (no pun intended) ploy to cover up even more nefarious plans.

This gritty urban English police procedural hooks the audience from the opening dive until the final confrontation as the two cops uncover a case tied to illegal drug usage and the torture side of muti before realizing there is much more to the investigation. The story line is fast-paced as the readers wonders along side of Caffery and Marley what is going on especially when they feel strongly the victim is breathing. Fans will appreciate this strong investigative thriller (see THE TREATMENT and BIRDMAN; neither read by me) as Mo Hayder provides an enjoyable whodunit that focuses on learning what was done.

Harriet Klausner