The story opens with the apparently accidental drowning of a sixth form student in the Norfolk countryside. As a matter of routine, or so it seems, the case passes across the desk of Detective Sergeant Smith, recently returned to work after an internal investigation into another case that has led to tensions between officers at Kings Lake police headquarters. As an ex-DCI, Smith could have retired by now, and it is clear that some of his superiors wish that he would do so. The latest trainee detective to work with him is the son of a member of his former team, and together they begin to unravel the truth about what happened to Wayne Fletcher. As the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that others are involved – some seem determined to prevent it, some seem to be taking too much interest. In the end, Smith operates alone, having stepped too far outside standard procedures to ask for support. He knows that his own life might be at risk but he has not calculated on the life of his young assistant also being put in danger.
Peter Grainger Saves the Day I was ill with the influenza and slowly loosing my mind waiting for some improvement in my condition. On the third day I had read everything found and started picking random books on Amazon Kindle. Mostly crime, even Cozies. I am something of a connoisseur of Crime fiction, having read much of the Scandinavian new wave in Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and even Faeroese in the original language. In the moment of utmost despair I started reading this book and to my surprise I had found a…
A new Morse? By now faithful readers know that I have a soft spot for British police procedurals. I mourned when Colin Dexter buried Morse and Ian Rankin retired Rebus. So I tend to seek out mature, experienced and ‘unconventional’ British police. Peter Grainger may also have these idiosyncrasies, as he has created DC Smith in the mold of a long line of police inspectors with flaws. He was tangentially touched by a police scandal that brought a demotion to DT and superiors would not be upset if he took…
Smart, funny, great characters and absorbing story As an American fan of British mysteries, I was delighted to find a new voice who deserves attention for creating a character who is warm, funny and endearingly human. Detective Sargeant DC Smith looks as ordinary as his name, even a bit shabby, like a “disappointed junior clerk in accounts”, but his vast experience and knowledge of human behavior are just what’s needed to discover whether the drowning of a young man is accidental. Reluctantly saddled with an eager trainee, he soon…