Nameless Acts of Cruelty

by Julie Cameron

Overview

Decades after the loss of his younger sister, a man haunted by horrific memories returns to the sleepy English village where she died

Jeremy Horton is a man denying his past, haunted by a dysfunctional childhood full of dark secrets—including the suspicious death of his younger sister.

Married to lawyer Sarah and with children of his own, Jeremy keeps his eyes firmly focused on the present, never daring to glance in the rear-view mirror for fear of what he might see there. But when a chance encounter awakens the memories he’s fought so hard to suppress, and the death of his estranged mother takes Jeremy back to his sleepy hometown and the scene of the family tragedy, he determines to finally uncover the truth behind his sister’s death.

Villages hold long memories, and Jeremy’s presence quickly becomes an unwelcome reminder of nameless cruelties and shameful secrets. The more he learns, the more the stories from his past take on a sinister significance, leading him to question his own innocence. Meanwhile, someone desperately wants him gone, and their efforts to drive him out escalate as Jeremy’s anxiety spirals out of control. Do they fear him for what he knows—or for what he’s done? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613163047
Publisher:	Penzler Publishers
Publication date:	08/09/2022
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Julie Cameron was born and grew up in England. She studied Clinical Sciences at university and, after a short spell in industry, has worked as both a clinician and a manager in the National Health Service. An inveterate booklover, particularly thrillers, she finally decided to try her own hand at writing – which resulted in the completion of Only Truth. Julie has one daughter and lives in a small village in the Berkshire countryside, where she shares her home with her husband and two happy cats. She is now working on her next novel, balancing her time between family, her writing and a full-time career. In the little leisure time, she has left she enjoys nothing better than an evening with friends in the village pub or relaxing on a Greek beach with a good book.

Editorial Reviews

06/27/2022

At the start of this busy psychological thriller from Cameron (Only Truth), architect Jeremy Horton is flying home to London with his lawyer wife and their two children when he sees from the plane window a tiny figure running through a field. The sight unnerves him. Soon, disturbing thoughts surface about his Uncle Ian’s house in a village where Jeremy and his younger sister, Emily, spent their summer holidays, along with repressed memories of Emily’s death there when Jeremy was 11. A short time later, Jeremy’s mother, a bundle of suppressed rage, dies. To his surprise, she has left him the house that once belonged to Uncle Ian. Jeremy and his family travel to the village to clear the place out before selling it. His anxiety escalates when he’s met with open hostility from the locals. What do they know about that long ago summer? How can he find out what happened to Emily? And does he really want to know? The plot simmers for a long time before finally boiling over with dramatic revelations. Others have done a better job with the theme of overcoming childhood trauma. Agent: Jane Gregory, David Higham Assoc. (U.K.). (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Disturbing but compelling reading."

Booklist - Christine Tran