More child killings. She got on a real kick (later ones are even worse). I would have preferred more of the eccentric characters and less of the evil dark villains, and Jury's ill-fated non-romances with with victims/witnesses/suspects. ( )

The setting — Dartmoor. The first death was a 12 year old boy whose body was found behind the Five Alls pub in Dorset. Next was the boy found in the church at Wynchcoombe. Then the girl at the beach in Lyme Regis. Is it a serial killer or?

Jury is called out on the first case and the next two happen in such quick succession that he is onto those also. Jury finds himself working with Brian Macalvie, and outspoken, brash chief superintendent, who isn’t always well liked.

Macalvie is a man who not only speaks his mind, he is also excellent at solving crimes — except for one and that one is an obsession to him. It was twenty years ago and Macalvie can’t let it go. He feels there may be a tie to the current murders and is determined to prove it.

Macalvie takes a liking to Sargent Wiggins, Jury’s partner, and Jury finds himself able to do his own investigating on his own. Considering Wiggins is quite the hypochondriac, it is surprising Macalvie takes to him!

As Jury investigates he does find that there are threads that tie to the various families, along with unearthing some secrets the families preferred to leave buried.

This book kept my attention to the point I read it in two sittings. ( )

Im ländlichen Dorset sind ein zwölfjähriger Metzgerssohn und ein Chorknabe ermordet worden; wenige Tage später wird an der Küste die Leiche eines kleinen Mädchens gefunden. Besteht ein Zusammenhang zwischen diesen Morden und einem grausamen Verbrechen, das neunzehn Jahre zurückliegt? Superintendent Jury begibt sich ins neblige Dorset, um Licht ins Dunkel zu bringen. Die Zeit drängt, denn schon bald könnte es ein weiteres Opfer geben.

Im ländlichen Dorset sind ein zwölfjähriger Metzgerssohn und ein Chorknabe ermordet worden; wenige Tage später wird an der Küste die Leiche eines kleinen Mädchens gefunden. Besteht ein Zusammenhang zwischen diesen Morden und einem grausamen Verbrechen, das neunzehn Jahre zurückliegt? Superintendent Jury begibt sich ins neblige Dorset, um Licht ins Dunkel zu bringen. Die Zeit drängt, denn schon bald könnte es ein weiteres Opfer geben.

murder-investigation, obsession, law-enforcement

A tough read because children are being targeted. The usual characters are in place plus a new high ranking copper who is obsessed by a case he was on as a newish sgt and was positive that the wrong man was imprisoned. The case is convoluted enough to make everyone a little nutty, including the reader. I like the way the author's mind works.
Steve West does a wonderful job. ( )