Part of Inspector Banks, book 21
First published 2013
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks faces a puzzling corpse on a derelict railway line. The victim is a former college lecturer who lost his job four years ago after sexual misconduct allegations. He had been scraping by in isolation, yet someone left £5,000 in his pocket. Banks investigates the man's former colleagues at the college, but the case takes an unexpected turn when he meets a woman who knew the victim during the politically charged atmosphere of early 1970s Essex University. The deeper Banks digs, the more resistance he encounters. Someone warns him to abandon the investigation entirely. Banks realizes this murder connects to secrets that powerful people want buried. The case forces him to navigate between present day academic politics and the radical activism of decades past, where old grudges and hidden scandals still carry deadly consequences.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, detective, political-thriller, academic
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation, secrets
Setting: Essex University, United Kingdom
Period: 1970s, Present Day
389 pages · Hardcover · Hodder & Stoughton
Content warnings: sexual-assault