Part of Inspector Banks, book 26
First published 2020
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks faces two dangerous cases that threaten to converge. A teenage boy's body turns up crammed in a wheelie bin on the East Side Estate, launching Banks and Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot into a local homicide investigation. The murder pulls them into the gritty world of estate crime, where motives run deep and witnesses stay silent. Meanwhile, Banks worries about Zelda, who helped him pursue a longtime adversary but now finds herself exposed to ruthless Eastern European sex traffickers. These criminals originally brought her to Britain, and her recent actions have put her squarely back on their radar. Banks must navigate both cases while the clock ticks down for Zelda's safety. The detective finds his professional duties complicated by personal loyalty as he tries to protect someone who risked everything to help him settle old scores.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Britain, East Side Estate
Period: contemporary
384 pages · Paperback · Hodder Paperbacks
Content warnings: sexual-assault, trafficking