Part of Inspector Banks, book 18
First published 2008
Children swimming in a Yorkshire Dales river discover Mark Hardcastle's body hanging from a tree. The successful set designer worked on Othello at Eastvale Theatre. DI Annie Cabbot investigates what appears to be suicide. She cannot understand why the well-liked man would kill himself. Her investigation uncovers another shocking discovery that pulls DCI Alan Banks away from his weekend with his new girlfriend. Banks enters a world built on secrets and lies. People solve problems through murder. The deeper Banks digs, the more dangerous his situation becomes. The case threatens his friends and family. Banks must catch a killer who will target anyone who gets too close to the truth.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, investigation, secrets
Setting: Yorkshire Dales, Eastvale Theatre
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
407 pages · Hardcover · Hodder & Stoughton