The Cleansing- J.A Baker -Crime/psychological

Ray has recently split with his girlfriend and decided to move away to have a fresh start.

He moves into a village and tries to talk to people and make friends. However he finds that

they are all suspicious of him. Once he finds out why he takes baby steps and they begin

to accept him. There have been several incidents in the usually very quiet village and they

are getting worse, When an old man is attacked, the locals are beginning to worry.

One who first talked to Ray was the local young barmaid Lily. After a while and talking

to others he finds out her father is “ a nasty piece of work” and no-one will say much

more. Ray keeps receiving messages from his ex girlfriends mother, Delores. He

has blocked her number however she is very persistent in contacting him and we

don’t quite know why. There is one villager who has a record and a reputation,

and the rest of the villagers believe all the nasty going on are his doing but no one

can prove it.  In occasional alternate chapters titled “Me” we read of a person who

knows themselves to be evil. We learn of their childhood and how they were treated

and things they have done which are not usual behaviour in anyone’s book.

We don’t know who they are or even their gender, leaving this wide open. Oh!

This took me off kilter and wasn’t what or who I expected- no spoilers. A clever plot,

a twist (which I love) and then thinking I really should have seen it ( as you do!).

A highly enjoyable read.

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The Cleansing blurb When Ray moves to a new house in the village of Whitchurch, he leaves behind a relationship and a luxury apartment in search of a better life in the countryside. However, he soon realises that sleepy Whitchurch also has its own fair share of problems. Last year, a woman’s body was discovered in the woods nearby. The killer was never caught. Soon suspicious things start to happen. Threatening letters are sent, cars are vandalised and headstones are desecrated. But who is responsible for these acts and why? As the tension in the village builds, Ray begins to feel the pressure. Someone is out to cause trouble and that someone might be closer to Ray than he ever imagined.

J.A.BAKER was born and brought up in North East England and has had a love of language for as long as she can remember. She enjoys reading many genres of books but especially enjoys psychological thrillers. When she’s not busy writing, she can be found trying to keep on top of her high maintenance garden! In December 2016 she was signed by Bloodhound Books who published Undercurrent.  Her second novel, Her Dark Retreat was published in October 2017. Since then she has written four other novels - The Other Mother, Finding Eva, The Uninvited and The Cleansing which is her latest release. J.A. Baker has four grown-up children and a grandchild and lives in a village near Darlington with her husband and madcap dog. You find out more about J.A.Baker by visiting her website at  http://www.jabakerauthor.co.uk/ www.facebook.com/thewriterjude www.twitter.com/thewriterjude