Sorrow Bound

McAvoy raises his hands to tell her not to worry, though in truth he is so hot and uncomfortable, he s considering diving head-first through the glass. McAvoy was dripping before he even walked through the door. For two weeks it has felt as though a great wet dog has been lying on the city, but it is a heat wave that has brought no blue skies. Instead, Hull has sweated beneath heavens the color of damp concrete. It is weather that frays tempers, induces lethargy, and makes life an ongoing torture for big, flame-haired men like Detective McAvoy, who has felt damp, cross, and self-conscious for days. It s a feverish heat; a pestilent, buzzing cloak. To McAvoy, even walking a few steps feels like fighting through laundry lines of damp linen. Everybody agrees that the city needs a good storm to clear the air, but lightning has yet to split the sky.

I thought you had enjoyed the last session. You seemed to warm up as we went along. She looks at her notes. We were talking about your father. . . .

McAvoy closes his eyes. He doesn t want to appear rude, so bites his tongue. As far as he can recall, he hadn t been talking about his father at all. She had.

Okay, how about we try something a bit less personal? Your career, perhaps? Your ambitions?

McAvoy looks longingly at the window. The scene it frames could be a photograph. The leaves and branches of the rowan tree are lifeless, unmoving; blocking out the view of the university across the busy road, but he can picture it in his imagination clearly enough. Can see the female students with their bare midriffs and tiny denim shorts; their knee socks and back-combed hair. He closes his eyes, and sees nothing but victims. They will hit the beer gardens this afternoon.
They will drink more than they should. They will catch the eye, and emboldened by alcohol, some will smile and flirt and revel in the sensation of exposed skin. They will make mistakes. There will be confusion and heat and desire and fear. By morning, detectives will be investigating assaults. Maybe a stabbing. Parents will be grieving and innocence will be lost.

He shakes it away. Curses himself. Hears Roisin s voice, as always, telling him to stop being silly and just enjoy the sunshine. Pictures her, bikini-clad and feet bare, soaking up the heat as she basks, uncaring, on their small patch of brown front lawn.

Had he been asked a question? Oh, yeah . . .

I m not being evasive, he says, at last. I know for some people there are real benefits to what you do. I s

investigations while weaving in McAvoy s devotion to his young family and sensitivity to the Roma background of his wife, Roison, whose extended family becomes involved in his inquiries. Fans of John Harvey and Peter James will find much to like. Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

A dark and nasty police story with strongly drawn characters, an unsettling story, a twisty plot, and a surprising ending Snap it up.   Examiner.com 

McAvoy s second is an excellent police procedural featuring sex, violence, and complex characters who are quirky but likable. Kirkus 

Readers will immediately be drawn to the compelling, contradictory personality of McAvoy. Grade: A.   Cleveland Plain-Dealer 

Equally good read as a stand-alone or as the second in a series, Mark s fast-paced police procedural featuring a likable and compelling main character is sure to keep fans of dark UK crime fiction entertained.   Library Journal  

PRAISE FOR THE DARK WINTER

"David Mark s British police procedurals are a wholesome corrective to cop novels starring prima donna detectives who single-handedly solve major murder cases. Sgt. Aector McAvoy, the 'gentle, humble, shy giant of a man' is clearly the hero of this brawny series set in the north of England... But Mark surrounds his Scottish detective with fellow officers who make vital contributions to the case and are interesting in their own right. The New York Times Sunday Book Review

British crime reporter Mark s outstanding first novel, a suspenseful whodunit, introduces Det. Sgt. Aector McAvoy Readers will want to see more of the complicated McAvoy, who well deserves a sophisticated and disturbing plot. Publisher s Weekly (starred)

[A]n impressive debut. John Harvey readers should take note. Booklist (starred)

With a poetic intensity in its prose, an unpredictable plot and a Scottish detective, Mark s novel gripped me from its opening pages. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

It will not be long until new voices in the genre are hailed as the next David Mark. Bookpage.com

Fast moving and tightly plotted, with strong characterization and a likeable protagonist, this is an extremely promising debut. The Guardian

A promising debut by David Mark certainly provides a trip to Hull and back. The Telegraph

"A fantastic debut of a police procedural series that takes place in northern England. Just as Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy seems to be able to put himself in the mind of a killer, David Mark has developed his characters so completely that the reader can almost put himself in the mind of McAvoy as he is connecting dots that no one else even sees. McAvoy may be a gentle giant of a man but he is also determined to get at the truth even if his job is in jeopardy. Luckily, he finds a believer in his boss, another dedicated officer who also is fighting to keep her job." Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction

An exceptional debut from an exciting new talent. David Mark is an original and captivating new voice. Val McDermid