Afghanistan. Every year, an assignment for thousands of British personnel. Some of them bring back more than memories.
TV producer Dan Simmons wants to film it all. He finds a regiment about to be deployed to the Afghan war on a radical anti-heroin operation. He gets himself embedded. He shoots some film. Then he shoots himself.
The Ministry of Defence spin machine goes into motion and puts Military Police captain Stef Maguire under pressure to file it all away. But Maguire has heard the TV man’s dying words and they lead her to someone called Tom Fletcher. Ex-cop, ex-PI, now Fletcher is living the perfect life in a house in the country. A very isolated house.
Fletcher doesn’t know why the TV man shot himself. But some very dangerous people think otherwise. And when they begin to threaten Fletcher’s family, it’s time for him to act.
TV producer Dan Simmons wants to film it all. He finds a regiment about to be deployed to the Afghan war on a radical anti-heroin operation. He gets himself embedded. He shoots some film. Then he shoots himself.
The Ministry of Defence spin machine goes into motion and puts Military Police captain Stef Maguire under pressure to file it all away. But Maguire has heard the TV man’s dying words and they lead her to someone called Tom Fletcher. Ex-cop, ex-PI, now Fletcher is living the perfect life in a house in the country. A very isolated house.
Fletcher doesn’t know why the TV man shot himself. But some very dangerous people think otherwise. And when they begin to threaten Fletcher’s family, it’s time for him to act.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
Crooked soldiers, cheating journalists, heroin smuggling, imaginative killing sprees . . . Lennon's latest has it all
Powerful, descriptive, atmospheric . . . CUT OUT is part of a series, but easily works as a standalone . . . Lennon is a natural storyteller, with an eye for his setting - the bleak Fens and the depressing small towns, alongside the barely suppressed tension in the barracks . . . The ending blasts out of a clear blue sky, with some sharp and shocking switchbacks.
A brutal examination of betrayal by an author who knows how to show exactly what his characters are putting in jeopardy
A really exhilarating page turner
Richly imaginative...could just possibly turn Tom Fletcher into another Morse
A terrific climax...A breadth to the story that is captivating, as well as some finely drawn characters and lovely language, but the star must be the fantastic landscape
An intelligent and well-written examination of prejudice and paranoia, misogyny, jealousy and fear
The undoubted strengths of this book are Lennon's storytelling and his ability to ramp up the atmosphere...a truly tense ending...If you're a fan of Jim Kelly, you should give Lennon's books a try...an unusual and exciting slant
Multi-layered and deeply satisfying...an engaging series character with a genuine emotional life
A writer to watch
The reader ends up in a rather emotional state...becoming increasingly agitated...a delightfully unexpected twist...an extremely enjoyable book
A great read that mixes politics, historical pageantry, resentment and revenge in a seemingly quiet Cambridge village. Highly recommended
A strong series debut . . . evocative . . . a sharp plot which canters towards an explosive finish
More than an echo of The Wicker Man...entirely believable - this strange village in the middle of one of the UK's bleakest regions...A thoroughly gripping page-turner. Lennon marries the unusual Russian angle very slickly with the remote village and its odd traditions...If you're a fan of Jim Kelly's Fenland series, you shouldn't miss CORN DOLLS. It's a fabulous first novel.
A new author and a new character . . . both have great promise . . . well worth following
PI Tom Fletcher of the highly atmospheric CORN DOLLS returns in another Cambridgeshire tale...a great character