In his novel “Anna O,” Matthew Blake presents us with a twisted murder mystery featuring murders that span two decades, colorful characters including a pampered young member of the British peerage, a psychologist who specializes in criminal forensic psychology, the psychologist who was in charge of one of the most notorious criminals of the century, and several other fascinating people. Some of them were present the night that Anna Ogilvy, on an adventure with her family and two close friends and business partners, murdered her two friends, sent her parents a text admitting to the crime, and then fell into a sleep from which she didn’t awaken for four years.

We learn much of the story from the first person narrative of Ben Prince, the psychologist who ends up in charge of Anna’s care. The government needs her to wake up so that they can proceed to trial, and Ben has published some articles about how people in such a psychosomatic condition called resignation syndrome can be awakened. Even though he has never proven that his method works, they are desperate and willing to let him try his methods.

Because of the first person narration, we are aware from the start of Ben’s self-doubt and insecurities. He drinks a lot, he struggles to make ends meet financially, and he’s divorced from his wife Clara, a police detective. He doesn’t have joint custody of his daughter, whom he loves deeply. He feels like a bit of a failure personally, and he’s determined to find a way to wake up Anna O, as she is referred to by the sensationalist media articles that have reached fever pitch since the double murder and her unconscious state.

But Blake makes it clear that this is not just about Anna O. The murders she committed were done on the twenty-year anniversary of a double murder committed by the infamous Sally Turner, who killed her two stepsons with a knife. Sally was then committed to a hospital for the insane, and in their efforts to “cure” her, horrible atrocities were perpetrated on Sally. Slowly, we come to realize who was at fault. We also hear from Anna herself through diary entries that Blake provides, which show us that Anna was investigating the Sally Turner murders at the time of her death. Also important is that Anna lets us know that she is aware that her two friends, with whom she had started a magazine, were planning on selling the business out from under her.

Anna’s mother is Baroness Emily Ogilvy, a shadow Minister in the British government. She’s an important person. And Anna’s father is an extremely wealthy financier. Their family position has always been of the utmost important to her parents, but in an attempt to bring the family closer, her mother decides to take them on an overnight adventure in the Cotswolds. The place is known as “The Farm,” and the participants are divided into two teams with paintballs. The actual “hunt” lasts for eight hours, and the Survivor team must hide during that time while the Hunters try to find them and mark them with paint. It’s shortly after the hunt and the subsequent dinner at midnight when the murders occur.

As luck would have it, Ben’s wife Clara is closest to the scene, so the entire crime scene becomes her responsibility. The ensuing furor and emotional damage cause irreparable harm to their marriage, and so when we meet Ben, he’s a single father and fairly unhappy with his lot in life. He teaches part time and works at The Abbey, a very upscale sleep clinic on Harley Street run by his longtime friend and mentor, Victoria Bloom. As the pages turn, it seems that there is more and more information about people involved in the murders. The plot increases in complexity, and more people die. Ben truly doesn’t know where to turn, and the case is definitely deadly to those caught in its web.

While Blake does manage to come up with a complete twist at the end, he leaves a few clues that might put us on notice as to what is coming. In fact, what we think happened through most of the novel is not, we learn, what really happened. The mysterious identity of the only person left alive from the Sally Turner murders is not revealed until the shocking ending. This is a carefully crafted story that is definitely deviously devilish in its labyrinthine path before the truth is revealed.

This review is based on the advance reader’s copy provided by Harper, the publisher, for review purposes.