by Rennie Airth
First published 2015
Oswald Gibson sits peacefully by the water in 1947 when a bullet ends his retirement forever. The former bank manager dies instantly, shot through the head while fishing on a quiet afternoon. Miles away in Scotland, a family doctor meets the same fate from the same weapon. Detective Inspector Billy Styles faces two murders with no apparent link until Gibson's personal effects reveal a letter mentioning John Madden, the legendary former Scotland Yard detective. Madden has stepped away from police work, content with his peaceful life, but his famous memory fails him completely when it comes to Gibson. He cannot recall meeting the man or imagine what connected them. Despite his retirement, Madden agrees to assist his former protégé Styles in solving the puzzle. Their investigation uncovers clues that only deepen the confusion rather than clarify it. When a third victim falls to the same killer using identical methods, the urgency escalates dramatically. Madden and Styles must decode the pattern before another innocent man pays with his life. The case forces Madden to confront gaps in his own past while racing against a methodical killer.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-detective, cold-case, retired-hero
Setting: Scotland, United Kingdom
Period: 1947
369 pages · Paperback · Penguin Publishing Group