Wow, this book packs a punch. It’s brutal, it’s addictive, it has fabulous characters and I couldn’t put it down. I was invested right from the first page and I read it really quickly. The friend I recommended it to said exactly the same.

 It’s a speculative thriller set in a future world where there is a different system of punishment.  There are four tiers. In the first tier you have the people who commit crimes out of desperation. Maybe they haven’t got enough food to feed their kids, and so they need help to get established in society. Then there’s tier two where there are psychological issues at play, people might be getting over trauma for example so a different kind of help is offered. In tier three you’re looking at people who need to be taught the morality of what they’ve done, and this is where punishment begins. Then on tier four you have those who can’t be helped, particularly the psychopaths.

Grace is a psychologist, and she works in tier two. When things front her past come back to haunt her, she is pushed into working in tier three, against her wishes and her ethics. She agrees to go only to help someone she cares about, but obviously things don’t go according to plan. 

The book is a rollercoaster. It’s really exciting and I highly recommend it. I suggest reading it when you’re feeling strong, have plenty of time to binge, and maybe don’t start it late at night! 

https://www.marthadunlop.com/story-cave/treatment