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Under the Harrow

Review

Under the Harrow

As she often does, Nora arrives on the train from London in the little country town where her sister Rachel lives for a common weekend visit. This time, though, nothing is at all common.

Rachel doesn’t greet her at the door. There is no happy dog barking in anticipation of seeing her. Inside Rachel's house is a gruesome scene from your worst nightmare. The police arrive, but Nora can’t recall what she did from the time she discovered her sister upstairs until the cops pulled into the driveway. In the days that follow, Nora keeps a close watch on the investigation and doesn’t like what she sees. It’s not moving fast enough nor in the right direction. Needing answers, she steps in herself to figure out who killed Rachel. Actually, Nora and Rachel had already been searching for the man who attacked Rachel once before --- long ago. Who was he, and why did he choose Rachel? Had he found her again after all these years? Did Rachel fear he would come after her now, here? There are signs…

"UNDER THE HARROW is one powerful story. What happened to Rachel will become your total focus once you open this book. Perhaps that’s because Nora doesn’t care about anything else, and you will find yourself completely immersed in her ife."

However, the police have their own suspicions. They appear to be looking closer to home. The sisters seemed to enjoy a tight relationship, but some stories have circulated about spontaneous arguments that popped up between them. They had been known to fight, in reality fairly often. That doesn’t point to murder, though, right? Siblings do argue. That happens in families. It’s not really so odd. But the police look where they think their most likely suspect will be.

Nora’s frustrations with the local cops push her to take some risks. Right away, she decides not to return to her flat in London. With her own ideas about who hurt her sister, Nora begins a campaign to flush him out. Rachel’s killer must be caught. But Nora needs help; she can’t do this alone. And while she has made some friends in the town, she hasn’t established herself as the most stable of young women, so why would any of the locals want to trust her? After all, it was Nora who found Rachel, covered in her sister’s blood. And word is, she didn’t cry.

Well, few of us can imagine walking in on a sight as horrific as Nora did, so maybe she can be forgiven for her lack of hysterics and tears. Perhaps she was so stunned that she simply couldn’t react. Or it could be that an emotional numbness set in and she tried to believe it was all a bad dream. But Nora is our narrator, so it is Nora who has control of the story. It is Nora who decides what to tell us. And it is Nora who chooses what slant to put on the facts.

UNDER THE HARROW is one powerful story. What happened to Rachel will become your total focus once you open this book. Perhaps that’s because Nora doesn’t care about anything else, and you will find yourself completely immersed in her ife. She will make you feel her deep, painful loss. She will take you through her anguish and grief, fear and anger. Best of all, though, she will lead you into a world of suspense as you learn who killed Rachel and why. Find out why author Flynn Berry is a daunting new talent.

Reviewed by Kate Ayers on June 24, 2016

Under the Harrow
by Flynn Berry