The Sixth Lamentation

By (author) Brodrick William
Short description/annotation:
A highly promising, extraordinarily intelligent debut thriller about war, stolen identity and the nature of betrayal.
Description:

What should you do if the world has turned against you? When Father Anselm is asked this question by an old man at Larkwood Priory, his response, to claim sanctuary, is to have greater resonance than he could ever have imagined. For that evening the old man returns, demanding the protection of the church. His name is Eduard Schwermann and he is wanted by the police as a suspected war criminal.
With her life running out, Agnes Aubret feels it is time to unburden to her granddaughter Lucy the secrets she has been carrying for so long. Fifty years earlier, Agnes had been living in Occupied Paris, a member of a small group risking their lives to smuggle Jewish children to safety - until they were exposed by a young SS Officer: Eduard Schwermann.
As Anselm attempts to uncover Schwermann''s past, and as Lucy''s search into her grandmother''s history continues, their investigations dovetail to reveal a remarkable story.
''Brodrick keeps the story going at a cracking pace, flitting back and forth between its various elements, characters and eras with timing so expert the reader is compelled to keep turning the pages'' Time Out

Review quote:
This is a remarkable novel, and puts Brodrick in the frame for prize-winning
Review quote:
It is a wonderful book, it has a timeless quality and really should go on to become a classic. It reminds me of the early works of John le Carre, but captures much more accurately the internal workings of ordinary people
Review quote:
The Sixth Lamentation is a meticulously-plotted, cat''s cradle of a mystery with the interwoven stories pulled as taut as a piano-wire. The setting of Paris during the war is invoked to chilling effect. William Brodrick has written the first of what I hope will be a series of especially literate thrillers
Review quote:
It''s indeed rare to find such a masterful blending of sharp suspense and literary resonance as we see in The Sixth Lamentation. Brodrick has produced a truly compelling novel
Biographical note:
William Brodrick was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1960. Aged ten the family moved first to Australia and then Canada. He studied philosophy, theology and law, worked with homeless people in London, and then became a barrister, joining a set of chambers in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He is the author of six Father Anselm novels. The Sixth Lamentation, was a Richard and Judy Book Club Selection, A Whispered Name won the CWA Gold Dagger for 2009 and The Day of the Lie received the Granice Crime Fiction Award at the Krakow Book Fair in 2012. Forced Confessions, the third book in the Benson and de Vere series, was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger in 2021. He is married with three children. The family live in Normandy, France.
Promotional headline:
A highly promising, extraordinarily intelligent debut thriller about war, stolen identity and the nature of betrayal.
Review quote: previous work:
Brodrick writes well about age and memory, buried pasts and the consequences of opening them up. - GUARDIAN

The backdrop of the priory is evoked with exceptional skill and insight. He is also a dab hand at plotting. The twists and turns of this tale of betrayal and retribution are labyrinthine and never allow you to dedicate anything less than total attention to the detail...As a page-turner, THE SIXTH LAMENTATION is a triumph. - INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE

William Brodrick''s highly intelligent first novel is an original exploration of law, theology and the past. - SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

He writes with a wisdom and poignancy that makes this a compelling novel. - SUNDAY HERALD

This is a remarkable and deep novel, with