We meet Detective Dana Russo in the early morning of the ‘Day’. Her ‘Day’ is the one day each year when she allows her demons to surface and break through her veneer of coping, having survived a deeply traumatic childhood. In previous years it has been a non-negotiable understanding at the station that she doesn’t work on the Day, but this time a call from her boss lets her know that she is really needed.

The owner of a convenience store has been stabbed in an apparently random attack and a man has been arrested at the scene and, other than confirming his name is Nathan Whittler, he is refusing to speak.
The next 12 hours are critical. Dana discovers that once burglary can be dismissed as a motive, the life of store owner Lou Cassavette is more complicated than might initially appear. With money troubles, shady former associates and a wife having an extramarital affair, the list of suspects is growing, but Nathan Whittler, the man they have in custody, is the one who literally has blood on his hands. It is up to Dana to get him talking.
I can’t say I entirely warmed to Dana as a character and a couple of times early on I wasn’t convinced that the plot was going to engage me, but in between each interview attempt, I learnt more about the case, the suspect and Dana. It is this drip-feeding of critical information set against the clock, as the taut tale takes place over a single day, that kept me interested.

The shocking climax did indeed take me by surprise. There is a final shock in store that hints of a possible sequel and, to be honest, I am quite looking forward to it.

Reviewed by Maryanne Vagg