Clear My Name

As the sole investigator for Innocence U.K., a British nonprofit fighting to free the wrongly convicted, Tess Gilroy, the heroine of this powerful thriller from Daly (Open Your Eyes), often feels her tasks are Sisyphean, but her latest assignment presents even greater challenges than usual. Tess must reexamine the evidence that sent middle-aged mother Carrie Kamara to prison for the stabbing murder four years earlier of her husband’s mistress. For former probation officer Tess, the case literally hits too close to home. It forces her to return for the first time in decades to the faded northwestern coastal town of Morecambe, England, where the crime took place—and where Tess suffered childhood traumas from which she has been running ever since. As Tess searches for the break that could give Carrie back her life, the author skillfully explores the question of whether Tess can finally manage to do the same for herself. Daly’s fans will welcome this gritty departure from her popular novels of domestic suspense. Agent: Jane Gregory, David Higham Assoc. (U.K.). (Sept.)