A British detective must navigate an unsolvable case—and a difficult new boss—in a mystery novel that goes "a step beyond a routine procedural" ( Kirkus Reviews). Detective Chief Inspector Neil Paget isn't happy about his new boss, Detective Superintendent Amanda Pierce. Not only did Paget consider himself in line for the job, his history with Pierce is painful and personal. But there's no time to dredge up the past when the murder of a local photographer lands Paget the most frustrating case of his career. Bill Travis was bound and gagged, with the letter A carved into his forehead, before being dropped fifty feet from a bridge onto the railway tracks below. Why all the fuss over a quiet, middle-aged man who, by all accounts, never disturbed anyone? With no witnesses or forensic evidence, the investigation stonewalls, building new tensions between Paget and Pierce. And when a second body shows up, Paget must find the connection between the two victims if he wants to crack the case—and keep his job.
