First published in the United Kingdom in 1996, this intriguing British procedural, part of a series featuring DCI David Brock and DS Kathy Kolla, has finally crossed the Atlantic. The wait was well worth it.
Kathy is to begin her new assignment in the Scotland Yard Serious Crimes Branch, and the day before Brock calls her and asks if she would join him at the scene of the brutal murder of a young woman. This leads to a series of murders, and Kathy, along with her colleagues on the team, investigates various possibilities, although forensics has little to guide them. While the plodding work goes on, she follows what leads develop, however implausible some of them appear.
Eventually, she discovers an amateur theatrical group whose the script might as well be written in blood. The clues are deceptive and the plot ingenious, even good theater. The dialogue and prose is as good as it gets, and the character development superb. The novel is suspenseful and engrossing, and is recommended. Next up for this reviewer: Mr. Maitland’s latest, “Dark Mirror,” to be published in the US in October.
