Another superb book by Rachel Abbott. And So It Begins is gripping. It is disturbing. There is a murder which is not that straight forward. There is a murderer but no other witnesses except the murderer herself. It is Sergeant Stephanie King’s job to unearth all the facts in the case to ensure a conviction that she, herself, is not entirely sure, is justified. The story is told from the view point of the three main characters: Stephanie, the murderer and the deceased’s sister.

There are so many red herrings as each character is revealed: their perfect exteriors exposing their inner most thoughts – traumas, regrets, their opinions of the others until finally the truth is revealed. The reader is brilliantly manipulated through the story uncertain of the truth could be as Rachel directed your opinion by skilfully welding her smoke and dagger words that I still could not decide between the murderer and the murdered was really at fault.  Brilliantly written and brilliantly engaging I couldn’t put the book down until I knew the murders true motivation.

The story stayed in my mind long after I had finished reading it and I wondered how I had missed the clues but Rachel Abbott is truly a master in the art of deflections.