The Binding Room (Inspector Angelica Henley, #2)

by Nadine Matheson

“I’m not asking for the wailing and gnashing of teeth, but perhaps some recognition of the fact that it will be a year since your mother passed?” “I’m aware of that.” “And it doesn’t concern you? That sense of cold detachment.” “It’s not detachment. I can’t detach myself from my mother like she’s an investigation that I’m working on, but I can compartmentalize so that it doesn’t keep me up at night.” “‘It’? The fact that it’s not keeping you up at night or that you’re not thinking about her during the day, right now, in this moment. You’re dismissing her.”

Should I be concerned I keep picking dead parent novels? Even that crap self-pubbed one had dead parents.

“I don’t think so,” said Henley, lowering her voice. “Stabbing someone forty-eight times is a bit extreme if all you want to do is steal some cash. This killing seems motivated and it would explain why the young man upstairs was undisturbed if the killer’s only target was Caleb Annan. We just need to work out what that motivation is. Anyway, how did it go with the board members?”

Or they didn’t know. The narrative is quick to collapse these into each other. The murder and kidnapping are out hand in hand. What if they aren’t related beyond Caleb/the church

“There are just shy of a thousand members, and they all seem to be paying a membership fee of £595 per month,” said Stanford. “That’s just shy of sixty grand a year before anyone has stood up and said, ‘Open your hymn books to page forty-eight.’” “A membership fee. For a church,” Henley said disbelievingly. “But’s that just—” “Extortion. A rip-off. A cult,” Ramouter interjected as he pulled a chair up and sat down in front of Stanford’s desk. “I bet they’re still taking their money at every service.” “It’s called a collection,” Stanford said. “Anyway, Alyssa Hadlow has been a member of the Deptford branch since December 2018.”

Daaaaamn

“And I was probably throwing my toys out of the pram when I moved into the spare room.”

Does this just mean he was being a baby?

As Henley walked out of the SCU she wondered if this might be Ramouter’s last case.

noooooooooooooo

Henley prayed that Marcia would find the courage to walk away from the confines of her marriage and the coercive behavior of her husband. Patrick Whittaker had very few redeeming qualities.

This is weird

“Yes,” Henley replied. “He’s still in critical condition, but he’s still alive.” “Oh. That’s a shame.” “Why is that a shame?” Henley asked as Lyndsey pursed her lips and began to type. “I wanted him gone. I’d had enough of him,” said Rebecca. She became more agitated. “He didn’t listen to me. He never listened to me. He wanted me to do things his way. He told me what to say, what to wear and how to raise my child.”

Dayum.

Rebecca released a short burst of laughter. “God no. It was never like that. He knew that I belonged to Niall.” Henley inwardly cringed at the word “belonged.” It was becoming increasing clear to her that Niall Graff had seen that Rebecca was susceptible to coercion and had taken both sexual and emotional advantage of her.

Dalisay said the same shit.

Henley leaned back as a second wave of nausea took hold and her forehead prickled with sweat. “Someone close to me.” “Your mum?” “No. Not my mum. I want to talk to you about my old boss. I need to talk about Rhimes.”

Leann?