Mari Hannah (Orion Books)
Bestselling author Mari Hannah has come up with a brand-new cop series featuring Detective Inspector David Stone and Detective Sergeant Jackie Oliver, set in Newcastle and all set to be a winner.
Stone has just transferred from the Met to his north-eastern home territory with a history that is only hinted at, and Oliver has a nasty backstory of her own.
On a quiet night at their station, a 10-year-old boy is reported missing after a mixup as to who was to collect him from football practice. Stone and Oliver get lumbered with the case, but all is not as it appears. The boy turns up with not a scratch from a sleepover, but how come no one knew? The mother and father, and the exotic nanny can’t answer, and the case is reluctantly put to bed.
But soon the family are back in the police sights on a much more serious matter.
Hannah writes about police with an insightful eye, and not a drop of glamour, as long days and nights without decent food or sleep take their toll.
This one will surely be a hit, and I’m looking forward to the next one in the series.
words MARK TIMLIN