In Guilty Night (DCI McKenna Book 2)

By Alison Taylor

Evil lurks at every turn…

Arwel Thomas was a bright and beautiful boy. But when he’s found dead and abused on the railway near Bangor, only a handful of people seem to care.

Social services, into whose care Arwel had been placed, seem to regard his death as unimportant — possibly even convenient. After all, who will miss another young delinquent?

As DCI McKenna and his team investigate, they examine Arwel’s time at Blodwel Children’s Home. It soon becomes increasingly clear that their attention has not come a moment too soon. The stench of corruption and evil at Blodwel is palpable. 

As the investigation deepens, the police uncover some astonishing links between Arwel, Blodwel and the rich and poor of the local community. The severity of the situation is all but confirmed when a second Blodwel boy dies, and yet another vanishes.

With the death count rising, the police begin to question the role of family and friends in the events that led to Arwel’s death, and the mysterious events that have followed. Is Arwel’s premature death the fault of just one person, or several? Have his parents failed him? The community? The Council? Or is the person who killed him the only one to blame?

Set against the stark beauty of north Wales, In Guilty Night is a gritty but rewarding read, which will leave the reader pondering many important questions and ideas, long after the mystery at its heart is solved.

Alison Taylor has lived in North Wales for many years. She held senior childcare posts with the former Gwynedd County Council. She has been instrumental in exposing institutional child abuse, and in 1996 won the Campaign for Freedom of Information Award in this area. Her interests include classical and baroque music, art and writing. Her other books include Unsafe Convictions and The House of Women.