An Instinct for Murder (novelisation)

***An Instinct for Murder*** was the first story in the *Star Cops* novelisation, written by Chris Boucher. It was based on the television story of the same name.

## Publisher's summary

The year is 2027. When a swimmer is found drowned in a London park, the police computer rules the death as accidental. Chief Superintendent Nathan Spring’s natural instincts lead him to suspect otherwise, and he begins an investigation - despite the objections of his colleagues and superiors. To deflect him from pursuing this, Spring is manipulated into accepting a job that he does not want - as commander of the International Space Police Force, an organisation set up to enforce law and order on various space stations orbiting the Earth. The ISPF, disparagingly nicknamed the ‘Star Cops’, is an undistinguished force populated by undisciplined officers, concerned mainly with their own welfare and making money on the side, rather than upholding the law.

Arriving at the European space station Charles de Gaulle, Spring struggles to adapt to conditions in low gravity while working to mould his team into an effective force for law enforcement. Before he’s even begun to adjust, he discovers that several crewmembers have recently died, following unforeseen spacesuit malfunction. Although these apparent accidents fall well within the limits of statistical acceptability, Spring’s instincts again lead to him to suspect the work of a saboteur. He decides to expose the culprit by taking a desperate course of action - gambling with his own life...

Elsewhere, Spring’s second-in-command David Theroux investigates an explosion on a distant space freighter that has knocked the craft off course and condemned its two pilots to death, the Star Cops are warned of terrorist attacks by a communications expert based on the Moon, a scientist disappears without trace from the American space station - with the crew denying his very existence - and rumours begin to grow of alien artefacts having been discovered on Mars...

## Plot

### Crime Scene

A swimmer is entering a lake as a technician is working on the hull of a space station. Unbeknownst to both of them, they aren't alone. For the swimmer, underneath the lake, two divers are waiting for him. For the technician, on a routine space walk, two mysterious space astronauts are awaiting him. The swimmer then checked his watch, which told him that he had already swum four hundred meters, causing him to switch to backstroke from crawl. As he continued, the two divers launched up and grabbed him, dragging him under. The diver was too shocked to register what was going on. As the two astronauts approached the technician, the absurdity of it all caused the technician to almost apologise before reaching for his radio. He soon found out that the radio wasn't working. As one astronaut grabbed the technician, the other messed with his suit, causing the air inside to leak out. Both the diver and the astronaut suffocated, one floating atop the lake, the other floating in space, facing out towards Earth.

### Chapter 1

Detective Chief Superintendent Nathan Spring is in the officer, while Chief Inspector Brian Lincoln is investigating the drowning. Lincoln relays the body being found at the very edge of the lake, which causes Spring to highly doubt that the swimmer drowned there. Spring gets annoyed when Lincoln states they should wait for the machines to decide what the cause of death was, with Spring simply asking him for *his* personal opinion. Spring gives the go-ahead for the removal of the body. He orders Lincoln to do a scan of the area, no matter what the cost and cuts the conversation.

A disgruntled David Theroux, inspector for the International Space Police Force, is reflecting upon his decision to enter this line of work, as he heads for the Communications Centre aboard the *Charles de Gaulle*, after visiting recently deceased astronaut Gunter Stein. He felt as though the job was not for him, but decided that it was too late to change his mind now. Meanwhile, back in the office, Spring and his Commander are entering a stand-up argument over a video call about Spring's decision to disregard the machine's decision and happily spend money and resources chasing his seemingly fruitless conclusions. The Commander makes him aware that he had withdraw Lincoln from the lake due to Spring not having gained authorisation in the first place, which Spring retorts that authorisation takes far too long, putting any evidence at risk of disappearing. The argument ends with the Commander asking him to attend a meeting in his office at half eight the following morning.

## Deviations from televised story

* Brian Lincoln is described as having a beard, whereas in *An Instinct for Murder*, he is clean shaven.
* Lincoln is described as an "older man" to Nathan Spring, whereas in the television episode, the opposite seems to be the case.
* Spring is explicitly stated to be forty-one, making his year of birth to be either 1986 or 1987.
* Swearing is much more prevalent in the novelisation, with David Theroux being the biggest swearer, and with Spring himself using an expletive in an arguement with his Commander.