First published 2004
Chief Detective Inspector Alan Banks arrives at the Eastvale canal on a frigid January morning. Two barges smolder in the water. The flames have claimed two lives: a young drug user and an artist whose career had collapsed. Banks teams up with Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot to investigate what appears to be arson. The victims seem unconnected, making their deaths puzzling. Why would someone target these particular people? The detectives race to find answers, but their investigation takes on new urgency when another mysterious fire strikes Eastvale while the ashes from the canal still retain their heat. Banks must uncover the link between the fires before more lives are lost in what appears to be a deliberate pattern of destruction.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, mystery
Setting: Eastvale
Period: January
Paperback · Zwarte Beertjes