Humber Boy B - Ruth Dugdall

"A blur in the sky, a brick no, a trainer, red falls to the water... There seems to be a scuffle... a hand grabbing at the dangling child. Then, with the awfulness of inevitability, the hanging child drops, gravity takes him. A child is killed after falling from the Humber Bridge. Despite fleeing the scene, two young brothers are found guilty and sent to prison. Upon their release they are granted one privilege only, their anonymity. Probation officer Cate Austin is responsible for Humber Boy B s reintegration into society. But the general public s anger is steadily growing, and those around her are wondering if the secret of his identity is one he actually deserves to keep. Cate s loyalty is challenged when she begins to discover the truth of the crime. She must ask herself if a child is capable of premeditated murder. Or is there a greater evil at play?"

With a plot that has shades of a real-life incident (which is referred to in the novel) I found Humber Boy B ever so slightly uncomfortable reading - and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The storyline is handled sensitively, and I don't think it would be possible for anybody reading this novel to not feel a little disturbed at some parts. 

Although I felt like I shouldn't be, I was sympathetic towards "Ben", a child accused of murder and now facing his release and consequent adjustment to life in the outside world, although I didn't particularly like his character, nor other characters related to the murder, and I feel that this shows quite how well-written the characters are. I've read Ruth Dugdall's previous novels, so I had already "met " Cate before, and it was good to catch up with her, however the book can get away with being a standalone novel quite easily. 

Humber Boy B is out now and you can get it here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product

**Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC**