THE SINNER

An undercover operation in one of England’s most notorious prisons goes horribly wrong.

Manchester drug kingpin Dean Foley’s 2014 deal with the Romanians turns out to be a trap set by his best mate, who’s actually undercover cop Mick Eccleston. Mick’s niece Hayley is killed in a shootout between the police and Foley’s criminal crew. Years later, Mick has become Tom Killgannon, living with the fragile young runaway Lila and dating the understanding Pearl. His new identity doesn’t mark a clean break with law enforcement: Tom’s assigned to go undercover in Broadmoor prison and befriend notorious child killer Noel Cunningham. As it happens, Foley’s in the same prison and ecstatic to learn from his crony Clive about Tom’s arrival. In Tom’s absence, Pearl makes overtures of deeper friendship to Lila. Meanwhile, a man named Quint, first identified as a “hunter,” is staking out Tom’s home with the intention of killing Pearl and Lila. When Tom spots Foley across the prison’s education room, he quickly calls his outside handler, Nick Sheridan, but Sheridan’s boss, DCI Harmer, refuses release for now. A visit by Sheridan does nothing to allay Tom’s fears but seals the decision by Harmer to keep him inside. As he cultivates a friendship with Cunningham, a potential protector, Tom identifies other inmates and maybe even guards as members of Foley’s crew. The simmering plot is brought to a boil by numerous twists in the stalkings of both Tim and Lila.

Though his characters lack depth, Waites’ pacing and plotting are deft and his prose sleek.