December 1971 – The dark days of the short but brutal Indian-Pakistan War.

In an East Bengali village near the front lines, a young Pakistani girl hurrying home from a shopping errand witnesses her family home destroyed, her parents killed in an indiscriminate rocket attack by Pakistan fighter bombers.

In 1997, the body of a teenage schoolboy is dragged from the River Dart in South Devon. Several years later both dramatic events will have dire consequences for celebrated author Miles Betteridge and respected pathologist Margo Betteridge.

Whilst the Devon CID buckle under the onslaught of a series of vicious and cleverly planned rapes and murders paralysing the Southwest, the team at Moorland Forensic Consultants struggle to cope with a new team member. Working in conjunction with DCI Will Parker, things reach a thrilling climax and finally the truth behind events long ago on the subcontinent come to light.

Doctor James Sinclair and sibling forensic psychologist Katie battle to hold the business together amidst devastating professional and personal upheaval.

Julie was born in Bovey Tracey, Devon and raised in the South Hams on the South Coast. After training as a nurse at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital she moved to Australia and divided her time between working as a clinical nurse and within the music industry.
This is her first novel and draws on experiences growing up in the spectacular landscapes of South Devon and a passion from an early age to write.
She is a classically trained flautist, proficient horse rider and journalist.
She lives in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area near Sydney with her husband and two children.

Customer Reviews

5.0

1 reviews

The BookViral Reviev

Julie D. Jones delivers another strong read in A Gathering of Angels, the fifth compelling instalment in her Moorland Forensics series. Set against the brooding backdrop of rural Devon, the novel blends atmospheric suspense, forensic detail, and layered character development to deliver a crime thriller that is as emotionally resonant as it is gripping. The story centres on the decades-old death of Elliott McCarthy, a 15-year-old schoolboy whose body was found in the River Dart. Initially assumed to be an accidental drowning, the case is re-examined after new forensic findings point to a chilling truth: Elliott was murdered. As the Moorland Forensics team dig deeper, they uncover disturbing secrets involving power, silence, and the failure of trusted institutions. Katie Sinclair, a familiar figure from previous books in the series, remains a key presence but not the focal point this time. While she continues to bring intuition, emotional intelligence, and a strong moral compass to the forensics team, her role is more observational and supportive than in earlier instalments. Still, her interactions—particularly with new pathologist Lucinda Gaillard—add depth and intrigue, especially as Katie grows suspicious of Lucinda’s background and motives. The novel introduces a range of memorable characters, each rendered with care and complexity. Among them is Myles Betteridge, a former teacher at the elite St Luke’s Boys’ Grammar School, now a successful novelist. His past involvement in the school’s inner workings, particularly around the time of Elliott’s disappearance, casts a long shadow over his present life. Myles’ introspective journey—alongside his wife, pathologist Margo Betteridge—adds a poignant thread to the narrative as the couple wrestles with old secrets and professional obligations. Jones’ storytelling is structurally sophisticated, shifting between timelines, locations, and perspectives with impressive clarity. From a war-torn 1970s Bangladesh to present-day forensic labs and rural crime scenes, each narrative strand contributes to a cohesive, unsettling whole. A parallel storyline involving a disturbed stalker adds psychological weight and expands the novel’s thematic scope, touching on trauma, obsession, and the nature of evil. One of Jones’ great strengths lies in her ability to balance procedural detail with emotional insight. The forensic scenes are credible and well-paced, grounded in realistic methods and language. At the same time, she doesn’t shy away from the emotional toll of death investigations—on families, investigators, and communities alike. Though slower in pace than some traditional thrillers, A Gathering of Angels rewards patient readers with a complex, morally nuanced story. It examines not just who committed the crime, but how and why people choose to stay silent—and what it costs them. Jones once again proves that crime fiction can be both intellectually satisfying and emotionally rich. With its layered narrative, strong ensemble cast, and haunting themes, A Gathering of Angels is a must-read for fans of thoughtful, character-driven mysteries and highly recommended.