First published 2007
DCI Peter Pascoe investigates when Pal Maciver kills himself in a locked room. The death mirrors his father's suicide from a decade earlier. Both deaths point suspicion at Kay Kafka, Pal's stepmother. Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel blocks Pascoe's investigation at every turn. Dalziel champions the beautiful and mysterious Kay. Pascoe must untangle the twisted relationships within the Maciver family while his superior undermines him. Key witness Dolores, a prostitute known as Our Lady of Pain, vanishes from Mid-Yorkshire. What begins as a local family tragedy spreads across continents to London, America, and Iraq. Pascoe discovers that some hearts remain locked rooms where darkness never lifts.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: America, Iraq, London, Mid-Yorkshire
Period: 1980s
Paperback · CHAMPS-�LYS�ES (LIE DES)
Content warnings: suicide