Eleven Days, Stav Sherez. Faber and Faber (2013)

A grim and brutal crime story that is deeply engaging and enjoyable.  In the countdown to Christmas a Catholic nun's convent is gutted by fire in a wealthy, discreet London suburb. The discovery of 10 nuns dead in a locked room makes arson into murder. Detective Inspector Carrigan and Detective Sergeant Miller are involved in the investigation which is getting intense attention from a very senior police officer. The investigation is complicated by the discovery of an eleventh victim in the chapel. As the investigation starts to develop the involvement of some very violent criminals becomes clear and the investigation is not helped by the attitude of the church hierarchy. The reveals are superbly staged and the gripping plot mechanics are unfolded with confident skill and extraordinary timing. The investigation is methodical, committed and conducted under intense pressure. The twists and tums are natural and unexpected right down to the savagely bitter. conclusion.
Di Carrigan and DS Miller are suitably conflicted characters, their private lives are messy but not actually dysfunctional. They are both struggling with the wreckage of the past and throwing themselves into an investigation is a relief from the turmoil. Both are capable, competent and dedicated, they work in the police hierarchy and try to maintain their equilibrium. The supporting cast are given sufficient room and energy to make a strong impression on the reader and in particular as the actions of the gangsters intrude more and more closely onto the investigation.
The plot mechanics are superb, the circles of secrets and justifications that surround the nuns and the pressure to keep the investigation as low profile as possible collide with near physical force. As the history of the nuns in the convent becomes clearer the reach of unresolved history becomes clearer as does the way that a descent into violence can seem utterly rational.Stav Sherez has written a first rate crime novel that takes a difficult situation and shows how actions and consequences are rooted in the people who commit and sufferer them and how they circle back in the most relentless fashion. Grim, brutal and unputdownable.