DEATH SCENE

DCI Henry Johnstone and DS Mickey Hitchens return to solve the murder of a rising film star.

Very shortly after wardrobe assistant Muriel Owens discovers Cissie Rowe dead in her bungalow in Shoreham-by-Sea, the local police already find themselves in over their heads. So just as the Lincolnshire lads did when Mary Fields was killed in Louth (The Murder Book, 2017), the Shoreham force calls in Scotland Yard to gain access to all the modern technology Johnstone and Hitchens have tucked away in their renowned murder bag. In addition to magnifiers and fingerprint powder, the London detectives bring experience, tenacity, and a nose for the truth. They know that Muriel’s account of Cissie as a pure young thing, beloved of all, may be a bit of a stretch. And they know that the men in her life—her French cousin Philippe, naïve Jimmy Cottee, and banker Selwyn Croft—likely hold the key to her killing. Henry’s sister Cynthia’s offer to put them up in her posh town house in nearby Worthing gives the pair the chance they need to delve into Cissie’s past. It also gives Adams the chance to reveal more of Johnstone’s back story, and the more he and Cynthia play off each other, the richer the brew becomes.

The second case for this team is a worthy follow-up to their debut, leaving the reader hoping for more.