MYSTERY

Talking to the Dead

. October 2012. 352p. 978-0-34553-373-9. 26.
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Murdering a prostitute is terrible enough, but killing her innocent child as well is horrific, think the members of the Cardiff, Wales, police department. A powerful clue was left behind: the credit card of one of Wales’s richest shipping magnates. The trouble is, he died the year before. Cambridge-educated DS Fiona (Fi) Griffiths is determined to pursue this tenuous lead. Fi, who carries her own dark secret, tries to fit in, but it’s a near-impossible task for the oddball, brilliant detective. Brilliant doesn’t mean sensible though, and Fi uses tactics that break most rules—and that put her in extreme danger. She senses that the sex trade and the shipping industry intersect somehow, but she’ll need to think outside the box to make the complex case come together.
VERDICT Bingham’s riveting procedural thriller series debut has winner written all over it. The author’s ability to juxtapose his protagonist’s introspection with an inflammatory and violent storyline makes for an edgy, totally unsettling read. Recommend highly for S.J. Bolton and Tana French fans.
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