Death of a Murderer (2007)

In the mortuary of a Manchester hospital, Constable Billy Tyler is put on the night shift guarding the body of ''Britain's most hated woman,'' the wife of a notorious child murderer. As the hours pass, Tyler slips through a series of half-dreams and remembrances of his family, his wild youth, and even the ghost of the unnamed woman whose corpse lies in a refrigerated compartment a few feet away — each drawing him back to the darkest moments in his life. Rupert Thomson's clean-cut prose in Death of a Murderer establishes a quick rapport with the reader, and the fleet pacing almost disguises the lack of intrigue. Billy's heftless revelations ultimately feel as brief as a dream — and just as ephemeral. B-