What You Pay For

Description:

FROM THE AUTHOR OF ALL THE HIDDEN TRUTHS, WHICH WON THE MCILVANNEY DEBUT PRIZE

'(a) meticulous and compelling novel about the aftermath of a major crime and its effect on the affected families and investigating officers both. Set in Edinburgh, too' - Ian Rankin

'Askew asks intricate moral questions, while never ignoring the rigours of crime' - Daily Mail

DI Helen Birch faces a terrible choice - family or justice? - in the gripping second novel from the author of All the Hidden Truths

DI Birch joined the police to find her little brother, who walked out of his life one day and was never seen again. She stayed to help others, determined to seek justice where she could.

On the fourteenth anniversary of Charlie's disappearance, Birch takes part in a raid on one of Scotland's most feared criminal organisations. It's a good day's work - a chance to get a dangerous man off the streets.

Two days later, Charlie comes back. It's not a coincidence. When Birch finds out exactly what he's been doing all those years, she faces a terrible choice: save the case, or save her brother. But how can you do the right thing when all the consequences are bad?

As she interrogates Charlie, he tells his story: of how one wrong turn leads to a world in which the normal rules no longer apply, and you do what you must to survive.

From one of the most acclaimed new voices in crime fiction, What You Pay For is a brilliantly tense and moving novel about the terrible disruption caused by violence and the lines people will cross to protect those they love.

Review: Praise for What You Pay For * : *
Ambitious * Sunday Times Crime Club *
Askew is a master of dialogue ... Birch is a great character ... There's a pleasing vein of dark humour ... The breakneck pace and adrenaline will leave readers as spent as the sleep-deprived DI Birch * The Scotsman *
Intriguing and brilliant * The Skinny *
Another top-notch slice of Scottish noir * Mail on Sunday *
Askew is a writer to watch * The Sunday Times *
Askew asks intricate moral questions, while never ignoring the rigours of crime * Daily Mail *
Explosive... the breakneck pace and adrenaline rushes will leave readers as spent as the sleep- deprived DI Birch * The Scotsman Book of the Year *
We all need some escapism right now and Claire Askew's latest book is the ideal read to help you swap your worrying Covid-19 thoughts for something grimy and gripping * Daily Record *
Praise for All The Hidden Truths * . *
Stunning debut... compellingly written. * Daily Mail *
Gripping, heartbreaking and horrifyingly plausible. I couldn't tear myself away from this book. Claire Askew is a stunning new voice in crime fiction.
As scarily plausible as it is utterly captivating, this is an absorbing and unforgettable debut. * Heat *
Moving and memorable. * The Sunday Times *
Splendid debut... thoughtful and well-written. * Guardian *
An intricate, pacy, risky and intriguing novel.
Vivid and powerful

Author Biography: Claire Askew is an award-winning poet and novelist. Her debut novel, All the Hidden Truths, won the 2016 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize as a work in progress, and was selected as a Times Crime Book of the Month. Claire has won numerous other accolades for her work, including the Jessie Kesson Fellowship and a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award. She lives in Edinburgh.