Come to Harm

by Catriona McPherson

Overview

For Keiko Nishisato, leaving Tokyo is a rare adventure, but it's living in the quiet little town of Painchton, Scotland, that shows her how far she is from home.

Keiko has never met friendlier people than the Painchton Traders. Only the Pooles, the butchers below her second-floor apartment, want to keep their distance. Murray Poole attracts her right away. Mrs. Poole puzzles her—is there more than recent widowhood behind all that sadness? And then there's Malcolm. Massive and brooding, he hints at something dark behind the bustle and banter of this strange little town.

For such a settled place, a lot of young women seem to leave. But the more Keiko discovers the less she believes, until she can't tell where her fears end and the real nightmares begin.

Praise:

"Expertly done."—The New York Times

"[McPherson is a] master of psychological thrillers."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Shudderingly terrific."—The Globe and Mail

"McPherson's small-town tale is far more a thriller...and might even draw fans of Dennis Lehane."—Booklist

"[A] grisly standalone."—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738743875
Publisher:	Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Publication date:	05/08/2015
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 5.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Catriona McPherson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the author of several standalone novels for Midnight Ink. She is a four-time winner of the Lefty Award, three-time winner of the Macavity Award, two-time winner of the Agatha Award, and two-time winner of the Anthony Award. Additionally, she has been a finalist or shortlist honoree for more than a dozen major awards. Catriona also writes the Dandy Gilver historical mystery series (Minotaur/Thomas Dunne Books). She is the past president of Sisters in Crime and a member of Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Davis, California.

 

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Editorial Reviews

The no-exit setup is expertly done. The clues are cleverly laid. And once all the creepy characters are introduced, there's little doubt where Come to Harm is headed. And yet, Catriona McPherson manages to draw us deeper and deeper into this psychological thriller…Fans of the author's amiable Dandy Gilver cozy mysteries should be warned that this is not one of them.

The New York Times Book Review - Marilyn Stasio

03/16/2015
Keiko Nishisato, the heroine of this grisly standalone from Edgar-finalist McPherson (The Day She Died), has traveled from Tokyo to Scotland to work toward her doctorate at an Edinburgh university. She has received funding from a mysterious source, as well as free accommodation in the small village of Painchton. Her apartment is less than salubrious, with horrible British plumbing in the bathroom and a vile smell emanating from the kitchen drain. Keiko soon finds herself more fascinated by the locals than by her studies, with their strange idiomatic speech and obsession with meat, from tripe to steak pies. When Keiko discovers an anonymous threat lodged under her radiator, she begins to wonder exactly what happened to the apartment’s previous occupant. Some sleuthing reveals that several local girls have gone missing from the village. It becomes quickly apparent where the plot is headed, leaving little room for the element of surprise. Agent: Lisa Moylett, Coombs Moylett Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Expertly done."—The New York Times

"[McPherson is a] master of psychological thrillers."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Shudderingly terrific."—The Globe and Mail

"McPherson's small-town tale is far more a thriller...and might even draw fans of Dennis Lehane."—Booklist

"[A] grisly standalone."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 2015-02-17
A Japanese graduate student convinces herself that a small Scottish town is filled with dark secrets.Keiko Nishisato has come to the University of Edinburgh for her Ph.D. She dreams of a wise adviser, friendly fellow students, and a busy life in a city steeped in history. Instead, her adviser seems uninterested and her fellow students, cold. Even worse, her grant from the Painchton Traders provides her with lodgings above a butcher shop in the little town of Painchton, a long bus ride from Edinburgh. The leader of the Traders, Jimmy McKendrick, and his fellow board members have been attracted to her thesis because it has something to do with food, a subject dear to their hearts. So her apartment's fridge and cupboards are stuffed with every imaginable foodstuff, all provided by the Traders. The Pooles, who own the butcher shop, include a widow and her two sons, Malcolm, who seems obsessed with meat, and Murray, a classic-motorcycle buff who's returned to the shop only since his father died. Keiko makes friends with Fancy Clark, a young mother recently returned to the village, and Murray, who helps her exercise every evening in the makeshift gym where he keeps his motorbikes. A threatening note under her radiator and stories about three young women who've vanished from the village suggest some deep, dark mystery. Using questionnaires the villagers fill out for her thesis helps her get some insight into the people who are willing to help, but her discomfort only increases. Are the villagers really hiding some awful secret? Or are Keiko's imagination and the strangeness of a different culture getting the better of her? The latest from this master of psychological thrillers (The Day She Died, 2014, etc.) is more cerebral than physical. But every page will draw you in and deepen your dread.

Kirkus Reviews