by Liza Cody
First published 1985
Anna Lee traded her badge for a private investigator's license when the London police force hit a dead end for women. Now she works for Brierly Security, where her boss assigns her the most mundane cases possible. The Jackson investigation seems like more of the same routine work. Deirdre Jackson died in what appears to be a car accident on an isolated road. Her parents hire Anna to discover what their difficult daughter was doing in her final months. Anna expects to ask basic questions, file a standard report, and move on to the next case. Instead, each answer about Deirdre's life raises new doubts about how she died. The deeper Anna digs, the more dangerous her situation becomes. Someone wants the truth about Deirdre Jackson buried with her. Anna faces a choice between her safety and her career. Playing it safe means staying trapped in trivial assignments forever. Pursuing the real story behind Deirdre's death could put Anna in mortal danger, but it might also prove she deserves serious cases.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, dangerous-investigation
Setting: London, Brierly Security
Period: Contemporary
375 pages · Paperback · J. Curley