Denial of Murder: A Harry Vicary police procedural (A Harry Vicary Mystery)
Milkman Geoff Driscoll likes his route in leafy, wealthy Wimbledon, where people are pleasant, pay on time, and don’t try to steal milk from his truck. So he’s shocked to discover the body of a badly beaten man in the gutter along his route. DI Harry Vicary is called to the scene in what’s clearly a case of murder. The victim is Gordon Cogan, a former teacher who was convicted of abducting and raping a teenager years earlier and of murdering another teen. But when the battered body of a prostitute is discovered a few days later in exactly the same spot, Vicary know this isn’t going to be an easy solve. His investigation takes him to some of London’s seedier areas and brings him uncomfortably close to one of London’s most dangerous criminal families. As usual, Turnbull presents a clear picture of modern-day policing, and it’s this, along with his tight-knit plot and unexpected twists, that make this series so enjoyable. A note of caution for non-Brits: the liberal use of Cockney rhyming slang may be a challenge to decipher. --Emily Melton