'Bruce is doing for Cambridge what Colin Dexter did for Oxford with Inspector Morse' Daily Mail

DC Gary Goodhew is intelligent, intuitive and the youngest detective at Cambridge's Parkside Station. He is the first on the scene when the body of a young woman is discovered on Midsummer Common and for the first time in his career is given the chance to work on a murder investigation.

Soon there is an identity for the victim: Lorna Spence. Richard Moran, her boyfriend and employer, has reported her missing and is distraught to discover that she has been killed. He claims she was loved by his staff and his sisters, reserved Alice and vulnerable Jackie. He says she had no enemies but it isn't long before Goodhew discovers plenty, including her high maintenance colleague Victoria and Goodhew's reckless former classmate Bryn.

They both swear that they have nothing to do with Lorna's death but Goodhew knows someone is lying. Then there is another brutal murder and Goodhew knows it is time to use his own initiative to flush out the killer, even though it means risking his job and discovering the truth about the one person he hopes will be innocent.

'A gripping tale of murder and mystery' Cambridge Style

'Menacing and insidious, this is a great novel' R J Ellory

A stunning debut crime novel from an exciting new voice in British crime.

About the Author
Alison Bruce is the author of nine crime novels and two non-fiction titles. Her first novel, Cambridge Blue (2008), was described by Publishers Weekly as an 'assured debut' and introduced both detective, DC Gary Goodhew, and her trademark Cambridge setting. She went on to write six further novels in the DC Goodhew series before writing the psychological thriller I Did It for Us (2018). Her latest novel, The Moment Before Impact, is described by Ian Rankin as 'tense, twisty, terrific'. The other books in the DC Goodhew series are The Siren (2010), The Calling (2011), The Silence (2012), The Backs (2013), The Promise (2016) and Cambridge Black (2017). Other works include, two true crime books and a selection of short stories. Her work has attracted both critical acclaim and a loyal readership. In 2013 and 2016 Alison was short-listed for the Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library Award. Alison was awarded a first in BSc (Hons) in Crime and Investigation at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge which included subject areas such as: crime scene investigation, policing practice, major investigations, mass fatality incidents, fire investigation, forensic pathology and forensic anthropology. This included practical skills such as: lifting fingermarks, bone identification, testing for bodily fluids and recovering trace evidence. Alison is currently working on the UK's largest policing professionalism contract which is delivering policing degrees to the Metropolitan Police and to 7 police forces including Cambridgeshire. Alison never underestimates her readers and aims to challenge them with expertly crafted plots, vivid characters and the kind of realism which will put them in the front row of an investigation.

Reviews
Menacing and insidious, this is a great novel. * R J Ellory *
An exciting debut from a very promising new talent. * Paul Johnson *
A fast-paced gritty tale guaranteed to have you hooked from beginning to end. * Cambridgeshire Pride *
Meaty and deeply plotted. * Morning Star *
DC Gary Goodhew could just develop into a worthy succesor to those venerables of the police procedural now drawing their pensions. * Tribune *
A gripping tale of murder and mystery. * Cambridge Style *



Book Information
ISBN 9781849012645
Author Alison Bruce
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Robinson Publishing
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 220g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 128mm * 24mm