Part of Inspector Banks, book 3
First published 2002
A policeman lies dead from stab wounds after violence breaks out at an anti-nuclear demonstration in Eastvale. Inspector Banks faces more than a hundred potential suspects at first, but the investigation soon focuses on the residents of Maggie's Farm, a remote house perched high on the daleside. The suspects include Dennis Osmond, a social worker romantically linked to Jenny Fuller, who happens to be Banks's close friend. Banks's problems multiply when Detective Superintendent Richard Burgess arrives to take charge of the case. Banks knows Burgess as "Dirty Dick," an old adversary who represents everything Banks despises about police work. Officially removed from the investigation, Banks watches his career hang in the balance. He realizes that his only chance to survive professionally lies in solving the murder before Burgess can claim the credit.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: adversaries, career-on-the-line
Setting: Eastvale, Maggie's Farm
Period: 20th-century
372 pages · Paperback · MacMillan