Part of Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp
First published 2023
Detective Caius Beauchamp discovers Clemmie's body during his morning run on Hampstead Heath. A single stiletto heel sticks out from beneath a bush. The night before, she attended her boyfriend Rupert's bizarre 30th birthday celebration at a Kentish Town McDonald's, complete with black tie attire, expensive champagne, and cocaine. Now she's dead, and everyone who matters has an alibi. Rupert himself seems coldly detached from her death. His wealthy godmother wields enormous influence. The gallery owner who was sleeping with Clemmie has connections throughout London's art world. Beauchamp faces a wall of aristocratic privilege and old money networks that threaten to derail his investigation before it starts. These people speak in Classics references and Instagram posts, their fathers all know each other, and their wealth creates its own gravitational field. As Beauchamp digs deeper into their glittering world of socialite parties and family fortunes, he must navigate the intricate web of relationships that bind London's elite together. The case may be taken from him at any moment, but he's determined to find the truth about how the other half dies.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, fast-paced, gritty, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: class-conflict, detective-investigation, institutional-corruption, unreliable-suspects
Setting: Hampstead Heath, London, Kentish Town, McDonald's
Period: contemporary
368 pages · Hardcover · Anchor
Content warnings: death, drug-use, murder